Crooked Pint Ale House franchise
2026 filing · June 16, 2026Fewer locationsShares sales figures
Crooked Pint Ale House at a glance
A casual neighborhood ale house serving burgers, pub food and craft beer. At the end of 2025 there were 12 Crooked Pint Ale House locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Franchisor
- Crooked Pint, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Current franchisor selling since
- 2012
- 14 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- St. Paul, Minnesota
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.19M–$2.1M
- Excluding land
- Franchise fee
- $55,000
- $20,000 more for a co-branded shop with Green Mill on the Go
- Royalty
- 4%
- 4% of gross sales, paid monthly, plus an advertising fee, currently 1.5% (up to 3%)
- Brand fund
- 1.5%
- 1.5% of gross sales, paid monthly; it can rise to 3%
- Renewal fee
- $20,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 12
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 12
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 1 years
- −2
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 4
- Most in Minnesota, Arizona and South Dakota
From Crooked Pint, LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Crooked Pint Ale House among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Crooked Pint Ale House | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,647,900 | Costs more than 90% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $55,000 | Higher than 82% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 4% | Lower than 93% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 12 | Fewer than 58% of franchises |
How much a Crooked Pint Ale House franchise costs
Opening excluding land costs an estimated $1,191,800 to $2,104,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are equipment and trade fixtures ($264,000 to $867,000) and leasehold improvements ($650,000 to $850,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $55,000 | ||
| Training-Related Expenses | $60,000 | $70,000 | |
| Rent Security Deposit and First Month’s Rent | $0 | $22,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $650,000 | $850,000 | |
| Equipment and Trade Fixtures | $264,000 | $867,000 | |
| Signage | $18,000 | $40,000 | |
| Opening Inventory and Smallwares | $50,000 | $65,000 | |
| Insurance | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| Initial Advertising and Promotional Costs | $25,000 | ||
| Miscellaneous Start-Up costs | $8,000 | $12,200 | |
| Liquor License | $4,000 | $10,000 | |
| Quality Control Inspection Fee | $1,600 | ||
| Academy Fee | $1,200 | ||
| Additional Funds - 3 months | $50,000 | $75,000 | |
| Total | $1,191,800 | $2,104,000 | |
Source: Crooked Pint, LLC, 2026 filing, page 15
Crooked Pint Ale House franchise fee
The franchise fee is $55,000, $20,000 more for a co-branded shop with Green Mill on the Go. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Crooked Pint, LLC, 2026 filing, page 8
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 4% of gross sales, paid monthly, plus an advertising fee, currently 1.5% (up to 3%). |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1.5% of gross sales, paid monthly; it can rise to 3%. |
| Transfer Fee | $12,500 |
| Renewal Fee | $20,000 |
| Local Advertising | 0.5% of Gross Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Crooked Pint, LLC, 2026 filing, pages 9 and 10
Other fees as filed, from pages 10–11. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Crooked Pint Ale House publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Crooked Pint, LLC, 2026 filing, page 44
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1.4M–$2.5M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Crooked Pint Ale House franchisees
Lenders approved 3 SBA-backed loans for Crooked Pint Ale House franchisees from 2018 to 2021, $2.1M in all: 1 7(a) loan and 2 504 loans. One has been paid in full; none was charged off. The other 2 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
How Crooked Pint Ale House compares
Of the 63 burger franchises on this site, Crooked Pint Ale House is the 43rd cheapest to open and the 38th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Crooked Pint Ale House | Typical burger brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.19M | $556K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $2.1M | $1.52M | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $55K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 4% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1.5% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 12 | 25 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 7.1% | 2% | – |
| Change in franchised locations, 1 yrs | −14.3% | −2.4% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 44 of 63 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 63 brands in burger franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 14 (0) | 0 | +1 | −1 |
| 2024 | 13 (−1) | 0 | – | – |
| 2025 | 12 (−1) | 0 | – | – |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: burger franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Crooked Pint, LLC, 2026 filing, page 48
Where Crooked Pint Ale House locations are
At the end of 2025, Crooked Pint Ale House had franchised locations in 4 states. The most are in Minnesota, Arizona and South Dakota.
- Minnesota9
- Arizona1
- South Dakota1
- Wisconsin1
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Minnesota | 9 |
| Arizona | 1 |
| South Dakota | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 1 |
Source: Crooked Pint, LLC, 2026 filing, page 49
Who owns Crooked Pint Ale House?
Crooked Pint Ale House franchises are sold by Crooked Pint, LLC.
From Crooked Pint, LLC’s 2026 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Crooked Pint, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 8, bankruptcy on page 8
Crooked Pint Ale House filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Crooked Pint, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued June 16, 2026; the earlier ones below are on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository and the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | June 16, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2025 filing | August 22, 2025 | Minnesota | Replaced by the 2026 filing |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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