Franchise Facts Report → brands → Hot Dog on a Stick
Hot Dog on a Stick franchise — is it worth it?
Medium risk Item 19 disclosed
Hot Dog on a Stick is a food and beverage franchise with an initial investment ranging from $540,500 to $678,500.
Everything below is free, read straight off Hot Dog on a Stick's registered filing, with where the numbers land against food & beverage peers. Weighing Hot Dog on a Stick against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.
Figures above are as disclosed in Hot Dog on a Stick's most recent FDD (registered 2025). Source: Minnesota Dept. of Commerce — CARDS franchise registrations · filing 34382-202506-14 — check it yourself. See every other Minnesota-registered franchise.
Considering Hot Dog on a Stick? See what else fits your budget
Tell us your budget and the industries you're open to. We'll match you with 5–10 franchises whose own FDDs fit — ranked by earnings disclosure, growth and closure rate — and email you the list. Hot Dog on a Stick will be on it if it fits.
How much does a Hot Dog on a Stick franchise make?
Hot Dog on a Stick 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 is $548,999 in average unit revenue — read it alongside what Item 19 says about which units it covers (often only mature or top-performing locations). See every food & beverage brand that discloses earnings in the Food & beverage franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings ranking.
Hot Dog on a Stick 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 Hot Dog on a Stick's 6% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a Hot Dog on a Stick franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "Hot Dog on a Stick franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure. On $548,999 of revenue, a 6% royalty alone is about $32,940 a year before any other cost.
Hot Dog on a Stick lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
Hot Dog on a Stick's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2025) does disclose 1 legal proceeding in Item 3 . Item 3 is the item where a franchisor must put its material legal history on the record. Two things it is not: it covers the franchisor and its predecessors, parents and affiliates, so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Hot Dog on a Stick itself; and a disclosure is a fact, not a finding of wrongdoing — most entries are contract disputes with former franchisees, which every large system accumulates. Item 3 of the source FDD describes each case.
Hot Dog on a Stick closures & failure rate
Before you sign, Hot Dog on a Stick 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 Hot Dog on a Stick'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. Hot Dog on a Stick's outlet tables did not machine-read cleanly; Item 20 of the source FDD has them.
Who owns Hot Dog on a Stick?
Hot Dog on a Stick's franchise is offered by HDOS FRANCHISING, LLC — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2025), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at MN CARDS; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.
Food & beverage franchises at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing Hot Dog on a Stick 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.
Hot Dog on a Stick franchise — frequently asked
Who owns Hot Dog on a Stick — who is the franchisor?
Hot Dog on a Stick's most recently filed FDD (2025) names HDOS FRANCHISING, LLC 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 Hot Dog on a Stick franchise cost?
Hot Dog on a Stick's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $540,500 – $678,500, with an initial franchise fee of $25,000 and a 6% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. Against food & beverage peers it sits in the bottom quartile (median $379,725).
How much profit does a Hot Dog on a Stick franchise make?
Hot Dog on a Stick discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (6% of gross for Hot Dog on a Stick), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any Hot Dog on a Stick franchise profit number quoted elsewhere is an estimate. The headline figure Hot Dog on a Stick discloses is $548,999 in average unit revenue.
Does Hot Dog on a Stick disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
Yes — Hot Dog on a Stick reports unit-level earnings in Item 19. The headline figure is $548,999 in average unit revenue, as the franchisor states it.
Are there lawsuits against Hot Dog on a Stick?
Hot Dog on a Stick's most recently filed FDD (2025) discloses 1 legal proceeding in Item 3. Item 3 covers the franchisor, its predecessors, parents and affiliates — so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Hot Dog on a Stick itself, and a disclosure is not a finding of wrongdoing.
Is Hot Dog on a Stick a good franchise to buy?
Nobody can answer that from Hot Dog on a Stick'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 medium 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.
Get a free email when something changes on Hot Dog on a Stick 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.