Franchise Facts Report → brands → Milkshake Factory
Milkshake Factory franchise — is it worth it?
Low risk No franchised units open yet Item 19 disclosed
Milkshake Factory is a food & beverage brand with an initial investment ranging from $551,705 to $814,508 and a $60,000 franchise fee.
Everything below is free, read straight off Milkshake Factory's registered filing, with where the numbers land against food & beverage peers. Weighing Milkshake Factory against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.
Figures above are as disclosed in Milkshake Factory's most recent FDD (registered 2024). Source: Minnesota Dept. of Commerce — CARDS franchise registrations · filing 31506-202404-06 — check it yourself. See every other Minnesota-registered franchise.
Considering Milkshake Factory? 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. Milkshake Factory will be on it if it fits.
How much does a Milkshake Factory franchise make?
Milkshake Factory 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.
Milkshake Factory 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 Milkshake Factory's 2% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a Milkshake Factory franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "Milkshake Factory franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure.
Milkshake Factory lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
Milkshake Factory's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2024) 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.
Milkshake Factory closures & failure rate
Before you sign, Milkshake Factory 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 Milkshake Factory'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. Milkshake Factory reports no franchised units open yet — there is no operating track record to churn.
Who owns Milkshake Factory?
Milkshake Factory's franchise is offered by Milkshake Factory Franchise, LLC — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2024), 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 Milkshake Factory 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.
Milkshake Factory franchise — frequently asked
Who owns Milkshake Factory — who is the franchisor?
Milkshake Factory's most recently filed FDD (2024) names Milkshake Factory Franchise, 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 Milkshake Factory franchise cost?
Milkshake Factory's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $551,705 – $814,508, with an initial franchise fee of $60,000 and a 2% 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 Milkshake Factory franchise make?
Milkshake Factory discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (2% of gross for Milkshake Factory), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any Milkshake Factory franchise profit number quoted elsewhere is an estimate.
Does Milkshake Factory disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
Yes — Milkshake Factory 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 Milkshake Factory?
No — Milkshake Factory's most recently filed FDD (2024) 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 Milkshake Factory a good franchise to buy?
Nobody can answer that from Milkshake Factory'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.
Get a free email when something changes on Milkshake Factory 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.