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Ben's Soft Pretzels franchise — is it worth it?

Food & beverage · FDD-based assessment · registered 2026

Low risk Growing network Item 19 disclosed

What Ben's Soft Pretzels's most recent Franchise Disclosure Document says about the money, the litigation, and the franchisee churn — before you wire a five- or six-figure franchise fee.

Everything below is free, read straight off Ben's Soft Pretzels's registered filing. Weighing Ben's Soft Pretzels against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.

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Total initial investment
—
FDD Item 7
Initial franchise fee
$65,000
FDD Item 5
Royalty
6%
FDD Item 6
Item 19 earnings
Disclosed
figure not machine-read
Litigation (Item 3)
None
none disclosed
Outlet network
81 units
+3 last year

Figures above are as disclosed in Ben's Soft Pretzels's most recent FDD (registered 2026). Source: Wisconsin Dept. of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration · filing 641905 — check it yourself. See every other Wisconsin-registered franchise.

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How much does a Ben's Soft Pretzels franchise make?

Ben's Soft Pretzels is one of the franchisors that answers this on the record: its most recent FDD makes an Item 19 financial performance representation — actual unit earnings figures, disclosed by the franchisor itself. The headline figure did not machine-read cleanly from this filing, so we don't print one; Item 19 of the source FDD has the tables. See every food & beverage brand that discloses earnings in the Food & beverage franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings ranking.

Ben's Soft Pretzels franchise profit vs. revenue

Revenue is not profit. An Item 19 almost always reports sales — what a location takes in — not what an owner keeps. Out of that number come Ben's Soft Pretzels's 6% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a Ben's Soft Pretzels franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "Ben's Soft Pretzels franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure.

Ben's Soft Pretzels lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)

Ben's Soft Pretzels's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026) discloses no litigation in Item 3. That is a real signal rather than a gap: the FTC Franchise Rule requires a franchisor to disclose material litigation involving itself, its predecessors, parents, affiliates and management, so an empty Item 3 in a current filing means there was nothing it was required to report. It is worth reading alongside the churn numbers — a system can have a clean Item 3 and still be losing franchisees, which is what Item 20 shows.

Ben's Soft Pretzels closures & failure rate

Before you sign, Ben's Soft Pretzels will hand you a list of current owners to call as references — and they choose who's on that list. It won't include the owners who quit, got bought out, or were forced out last year. The FDD does report that number, even though the reference list leaves those people off. Below is what Ben's Soft Pretzels's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a food & beverage of this kind.

The closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate is Item 20 — outlet openings, closures, terminations and non-renewals, reported by the franchisor. Ben's Soft Pretzels's latest tables show a growing franchised network. Net franchised outlets moved +3 to 81 in the latest reported year.

Who owns Ben's Soft Pretzels?

Ben's Soft Pretzels's franchise is offered by Ben's Soft Pretzels Franchising Corporation — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at WI DFI; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.

Other food & beverage franchises

Anyone weighing Ben's Soft Pretzels is really weighing it against the other brands their money could go into. These are the closest by total initial investment (FDD Item 7), each with its own FDD-based page.

Bento Sushi$1,600 – $7,000Beverly Ann's Cookies$170,336 – $270,075Aboutea Co. (Unit)$157,000 – $314,0007 Leaves Cafe$244,000 – $490,000Aboutea Co. (Master)$345,000 – $399,00016 Handles$242,500 – $553,000 · Item 19 disclosedAbbott's Frozen Custard$439,600 – $1,778,000 · Item 19 disclosed7 Brew$940,500 – $2,283,500 · Item 19 disclosed810 Entertainment$2,941,500 – $4,967,000 · Item 19 disclosed7-Eleveninvestment not disclosed · Item 19 disclosedBen & Jerry's Special Venue Scoop Shop Programinvestment not disclosed · Item 19 disclosedBen & Jerry's" "Special Venue Scoop Shopinvestment not disclosed · Item 19 disclosed

Ben's Soft Pretzels franchise — frequently asked

Who owns Ben's Soft Pretzels — who is the franchisor?

Ben's Soft Pretzels's most recently filed FDD (2026) names Ben's Soft Pretzels Franchising Corporation as the franchisor — the entity you would actually sign the franchise agreement with, as stated on the disclosure document itself. A registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent company.

How much does a Ben's Soft Pretzels franchise cost?

Ben's Soft Pretzels's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at a range disclosed in Item 7, with an initial franchise fee of $65,000 and a 6% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote.

How much profit does a Ben's Soft Pretzels franchise make?

Ben's Soft Pretzels discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (6% of gross for Ben's Soft Pretzels), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any Ben's Soft Pretzels franchise profit number quoted elsewhere is an estimate.

Does Ben's Soft Pretzels disclose financial performance (Item 19)?

Yes — Ben's Soft Pretzels reports unit-level earnings in Item 19. The headline figure did not machine-read cleanly, so check Item 19 of the source FDD for the numbers.

Are there lawsuits against Ben's Soft Pretzels?

No — Ben's Soft Pretzels's most recently filed FDD (2026) discloses no litigation in Item 3. Franchisors must disclose material litigation involving themselves, their predecessors, parents, affiliates and management, so an empty Item 3 is a genuine signal rather than an omission.

Is Ben's Soft Pretzels a good franchise to buy?

Nobody can answer that from Ben's Soft Pretzels's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against food & beverage peers and against your own budget. Our read on this filing is low risk. Every figure behind that read is on this page for free. If you're comparing options, the free shortlist on this page matches you with 5–10 franchises that fit your budget and industry.

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Get a free email when something changes on Ben's Soft Pretzels or food & beverage: a new FDD registration, a new lawsuit, an outlet count that shifts, or Item 19 earnings going from undisclosed to disclosed. Pulled straight from the same state registries this page is built on.

This report compiles and structures publicly filed Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) data from state franchise registrations. It is not legal, financial, or investment advice, is not affiliated with or endorsed by any franchisor, and does not replace reading the full FDD or consulting a franchise attorney or accountant. All figures are as disclosed by the franchisor in its most recent registered FDD. Item 19 financial performance representations are made at the franchisor’s option and may be absent or limited.