Eiffel Waffle franchise
2026 filing · April 17, 2026Growing
Eiffel Waffle at a glance
A dessert shop serving bubble waffle cones, waffle towers, shakes and homemade ice cream. At the end of 2025 there were 10 Eiffel Waffle locations in the US, 4 franchised and 6 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
The business
- Franchisor
- Eiffel Waffle Enterprise LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2024
- 2 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Chicago Ridge, Illinois
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $209K–$338K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross revenue, paid twice a month, plus 3% or $1,250 a month to the brand fund
- Brand fund
- Yes
- 3% of gross revenue or $1,250 a month, whichever is more; it can rise to 4% or $2,500
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 10
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 4
- Company-owned
- 6
- Change in 3 years
- +4
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 3
- Most in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan
From Eiffel Waffle Enterprise LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Eiffel Waffle among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Eiffel Waffle | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $273,356 | Costs less than 60% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 10 | Fewer than 61% of franchises |
How much a Eiffel Waffle franchise costs
Opening one Eiffel Waffle costs an estimated $208,635 to $338,076. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are equipment ($75,000 to $90,000) and leasehold improvements ($25,000 to $75,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $40,000 | ||
| Leasehold Improvements | $25,000 | $75,000 | |
| Lease/Security Deposit | $3,000 | $7,000 | |
| Utility Deposit | $0 | $750 | |
| Architect/Engineer Fee | $2,500 | $5,000 | |
| Furniture and Fixtures | $10,000 | $25,000 | |
| Equipment | $75,000 | $90,000 | |
| Computer Equipment | $3,000 | $4,049 | |
| Software – 3 months | $573 | ||
| Internal System Fee – 3 months | $750 | ||
| Misc. Equipment & Supplies | $3,000 | $4,000 | |
| Accounting Service – 3 months | $500 | $1,500 | |
| Signage | $3,000 | $10,000 | |
| Initial Inventory of Products to Produce Ice Cream | $4,500 | $5,400 | |
| Initial Inventory-Other | $11,000 | $15,200 | |
| Office Equipment & Supplies | $100 | $150 | |
| Initial Supply of Promotional Materials (Menus) | $500 | $750 | |
| Uniforms | $1,500 | $2,000 | |
| Telephone (3 months) | $300 | $420 | |
| Internet Fees (3 months) | $300 | $450 | |
| Music Service (3 months) | $30 | ||
| Payroll Processing (3 months) | $300 | $375 | |
| Insurance | $1,803 | $2,125 | |
| Your Training Expenses (transportation, lodging, and meals) | $0 | $7,500 | |
| Third Party Training Expenses | $479 | $554 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing Campaign | $8,000 | ||
| Professional Fees | $2,000 | $3,500 | |
| Business Permits and Licenses | $1,500 | $3,000 | |
| Additional Funds/Working Capital- 3 months | $10,000 | $25,000 | |
| Total | $208,635 | $338,076 | |
Source: Eiffel Waffle Enterprise LLC, 2026 filing, page 17
Eiffel Waffle franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Eiffel Waffle Enterprise LLC, 2026 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross revenue, paid twice a month, plus 3% or $1,250 a month to the brand fund. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 3% of gross revenue or $1,250 a month, whichever is more; it can rise to 4% or $2,500. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Eiffel Waffle Enterprise LLC, 2026 filing, pages 10 and 11
Sales and earnings
No figures Eiffel Waffle does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: Eiffel Waffle Enterprise LLC, 2026 filing, page 42
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $280K–$500K
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How Eiffel Waffle compares
Of the 101 ice cream franchises on this site, Eiffel Waffle is the 21st cheapest to open and the 60th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Eiffel Waffle | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $209K | $285K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $338K | $597K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| US locations | 10 | 18 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 76 of 101 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 101 brands in ice cream franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 0 (0) | 1 | – | – |
| 2022 | 0 (0) | 3 | – | – |
| 2023 | 0 (0) | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 (0) | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 4 (+4) | 6 | +4 | 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: ice cream franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Over 5 years, from the start of 2021 to the end of 2025, franchised locations went from 0 to 4 (+4). The earlier years come from the brand's 2024 filing.
Source: Eiffel Waffle Enterprise LLC, 2026 filing, page 42
2021–2022: Eiffel Waffle Enterprise LLC, 2024 filing, page 44
Where Eiffel Waffle locations are
At the end of 2025, Eiffel Waffle had locations in 3 states. The most are in Illinois, Indiana and Michigan.
- Illinois8
- Indiana1
- Michigan1
Source: Eiffel Waffle Enterprise LLC, 2026 filing, page 43
Who owns Eiffel Waffle?
Eiffel Waffle franchises are sold by Eiffel Waffle Enterprise LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From Eiffel Waffle Enterprise LLC’s 2026 filing, page 8.
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: Eiffel Waffle Enterprise LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
Eiffel Waffle filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Eiffel Waffle Enterprise LLC’s 2026 filing, issued April 17, 2026; the earlier ones below are on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository and the Minnesota Department of Commerce and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 17, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2024 filing | – | Minnesota | Locations, 2021–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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