MilkShake Factory franchise research

Investment by format

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

Investment sourceFDD p.18 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$60,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

6% · 6% of Adjusted Gross Sales, payable weekly, in year 1; thereafter the greater of 6% or a flat monthly minimum

Marketing contribution

2% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

$75/week, billed and payable monthly via ACH

Other fees

POS System Fees ($713.92/mo + $0.18/transaction, plus $2,622.65 one-time); Microsoft Office 365/antivirus ($16.50/mo); Audit Fee (cost of audit plus any underpayment if underreporting is 2%+)

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$15,000 to $40,000 — 3-month cash reserve for rent, salaries, utilities, maintenance, supplies, uniforms, payroll, taxes, and loan payments

Fees sourceFDD p.10 ↗

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.18 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Average Gross Sales/Adjusted Gross Sales and operating cost breakdown by tertile for affiliate-owned stores; consolidated first-3-months averages for new franchisees

Reporting period

Calendar year 2024 (Part I, affiliate-owned stores); first three full months of operation for franchised locations that opened in 2024 (Part II)

Sample

9 Affiliate-Owned Shops (Pittsburgh, PA area) open for all of 2024, divided into 3 tertiles of 3 stores each (Part I); 3 franchised locations opened in 2024 with at least 3 full months of operation (Part II)

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.49 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2024

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

0

Year-end outlets

4

Net change

+4

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

4

Terminations

0

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

0

Reacquisitions

0

Transfers

0

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.56 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

9 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$700,000

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

9 loans

Historical charge-off share

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

0 / 0

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 MilkShake Factory franchise cost?

standard single-unit Shop: $510,492 to $772,548; multi-unit development agreement (3-pack example: dev fee + initial Shop, first 3 months): $585,492 to $847,548 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $60,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.18 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do MilkShake Factory owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: Average Gross Sales/Adjusted Gross Sales and operating cost breakdown by tertile for affiliate-owned stores; consolidated first-3-months averages for new franchisees. Sample: 9 Affiliate-Owned Shops (Pittsburgh, PA area) open for all of 2024, divided into 3 tertiles of 3 stores each (Part I); 3 franchised locations opened in 2024 with at least 3 full months of operation (Part II). Period: Calendar year 2024 (Part I, affiliate-owned stores); first three full months of operation for franchised locations that opened in 2024 (Part II).

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.49 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for MilkShake Factory?

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans; numerator / denominator: 0 / 0. 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: $700,000; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 9 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗