Duck Donuts franchise research

Investment by format

Format-specific estimates only. Do not combine one format's minimum with another format's maximum.

Investment sourceFDD p.20 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$40,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

6% · 6% of weekly Gross Sales, paid Sunday following close of each calendar week

Marketing contribution

2% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

$150/month Marketing/Tech Fee plus $250/month POS System Fee

Other fees

Digital Transaction Convenience Fee $0.61 per online order (monthly); Brand Fund Contribution 2% of Gross Sales (may increase to 3%); Advertising Cooperative dues (if/when formed, share of actual cost)

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$35,000-$55,000 estimated additional operating capital for the first 3 months (rent, utilities, internet, initial payroll/payroll taxes, repairs, bank charges, misc. supplies/equipment, initial staffing costs); excludes owner compensation and debt service.

Fees sourceFDD p.13 ↗

Working capital is drawn from Item 7. The Investment source below locates the investment section, not an independently verified working-capital scalar.

Investment sourceFDD p.20 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Average Gross Sales by performance quartile (top 25%, middle 50%, bottom 25% of outlets) and for the affiliate-owned outlet; food cost as % of Gross Sales

Reporting period

Calendar year 2025 (narrative states data covers outlets open Jan 1, 2025 through Dec 31, 2025, though a sub-heading in the FDD text is mislabeled 'January 1 – December 31, 2024' — likely a carryover typo; see extraction_notes)

Sample

105 franchised outlets + 1 affiliate-owned outlet that were open as of January 1, 2025 and operated continuously all year (excludes 42 franchised outlets not open the full year, 6 food trucks, 1 arena, and 16 international outlets)

Reported average

Not captured

Reported median

Not captured

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Results depend on the disclosed metric, sample and period; consult the full filing.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.47 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

143

Year-end outlets

144

Net change

+1

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

23

Terminations

6

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

14

Reacquisitions

1

Transfers

16

Transfers are not closures. Net change is ending minus starting outlets for the stated scope and year, or complete openings less terminations, non-renewals, other closures and reacquisitions. Missing inputs stay unknown.

Unit growth sourceFDD p.49 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

54 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$524,000

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

41 loans

Historical charge-off share

17.95%

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

7 / 39

Formula

CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100

This is a historical loan-level share, not a franchise failure probability or location survival rate. Loan size is not total investment. Other loan statuses are excluded from the seasoned denominator. Activity combines 7(a) and 504 approvals, excluding canceled and not-funded records; this is not a rolling five-year count. FY2024-25 franchise tags are sparse after directory suspension; fewer tagged loans do not establish brand decline. Recent charge-off cohorts are immature.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median loan amounts are financing context, not startup cost. The median window is separate from the seasoned charge-off cohort.

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Questions before you invest

How much does Duck Donuts franchise cost?

single unit: $394,150 to $628,700; multi-unit development (minimum 2 outlets): $415,850 to $666,200 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $40,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.20 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do Duck Donuts owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: Average Gross Sales by performance quartile (top 25%, middle 50%, bottom 25% of outlets) and for the affiliate-owned outlet; food cost as % of Gross Sales. Sample: 105 franchised outlets + 1 affiliate-owned outlet that were open as of January 1, 2025 and operated continuously all year (excludes 42 franchised outlets not open the full year, 6 food trucks, 1 arena, and 16 international outlets). Period: Calendar year 2025 (narrative states data covers outlets open Jan 1, 2025 through Dec 31, 2025, though a sub-heading in the FDD text is mislabeled 'January 1 – December 31, 2024' — likely a carryover typo; see extraction_notes).

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.47 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for Duck Donuts?

17.95%; numerator / denominator: 7 / 39. Historical 7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals; CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100, snapshot 2026-06-30. This is not a franchise failure probability. Median SBA loan: $524,000; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 41 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗