Food & Beverage

Dunkin' Franchise

A coffee-and-baked-goods quick-service franchise selling donuts, coffee, espresso, bagels, and breakfast sandwiches. The Dunkin' brand began in 1954 and predecessors have offered Dunkin' franchises since 1955, making it one of the oldest systems in this dataset; the current entity has franchised since 2006, and the system added a net of 657 franchised Restaurants across the three years shown here while company-owned Restaurants grew modestly from 31 to 36.

Opening more locationsFounded 1954HQ: Atlanta, GA

Every franchisor has to file a document called an FDD before they can legally sell you a franchise. Buried in it are the two things a sales rep won't volunteer: what you'll actually spend to open, and whether existing locations are opening or closing. That's what's below, pulled straight from Dunkin''s own filing.

What it costs to open

From the filing's investment breakdown -- not a "starting at" number a sales rep quoted you.

Franchise fee

$40,000

Total to open

$532,400–$1,832,500

Ongoing royalty

5.9% of gross sales

What you'd actually spend, over time

The upfront cost is only part of it. Plug in what you expect a location to bring in, and see the real total once royalties over a few years are added on top.

Your estimated annual revenue

Defaulted to a rough food & beverage industry average, not a figure from Dunkin''s own FDD -- change it to your own estimate.

Years of ownership

Total cost of ownership over 5 years

$827,400 – $2,127,500

Startup investment

$532,400–$1,832,500

Royalty per year (5.9%)

$59,000

Total royalty, 5yr

$295,000

When would you break even?

Revenue alone doesn't tell you this -- it depends on what's left after rent, labor, and everything else. Dunkin''s FDD doesn't disclose a reliable profit figure (most franchisors don't), so this starts from a typical food & beverage profit margin (~8%) and applies it to the revenue you entered above -- adjust the percentage to your own realistic estimate.

Estimated profit margin (% of revenue)

%≈ $80,000/year

Defaulted to a general food & beverage industry benchmark, not a figure from Dunkin''s own filing -- this is a starting point to adjust, not a promise about what franchisees actually make.

At that profit, you'd break even in about

6.7–22.9 years

Weigh that payback period against what you already know: Dunkin' is opening more locations. A long payback period on a shrinking brand is a very different bet than the same payback period on a growing one.

Is Dunkin' actually growing?

Franchisors have to report, every year, how many locations opened, closed, or changed hands. Most franchise sites never show you this. Here it is:

Locations opened vs. closed, by year

Growing

From Item 20 of Dunkin''s FDD, the section franchisors use to disclose real openings and closings.

+178

+200

+279

202320242025

Year	Franchised units, start	Franchised units, end	Net change
2023	8,087	8,265	+178
2024	8,265	8,465	+200
2025	8,465	8,744	+279

Most recent year (2025): gained 279 franchised units, ending the year at 8,744 total.

What you're actually signing up for

The cost and growth numbers above are only part of the picture. These three FDD items are the ones a prospective franchisee tends to weigh most heavily once they're past the sticker price.

Training & ongoing support (Item 11)

The franchisor provides initial and ongoing training and maintains an advisory relationship with franchisees, including consultation with a franchisee advisory council. Standards and operating requirements are distributed through Manuals totaling 1,235 pages across topics including Menu Items, Food Safety, Equipment, Operational Excellence, Digital/Mobile/Technology, and Drive-Thru, delivered and updated electronically.

Territory protection (Item 12)

A single-Restaurant Franchise Agreement grants no territory of any kind, exclusive or nonexclusive, and Dunkin' retains the right to operate or license other Dunkin' Restaurants nearby, including through alternative distribution channels. Only franchisees who sign a Development Agreement to develop 2 or more Restaurants get a defined "Development Area" in which Dunkin' won't authorize another Restaurant during the agreement's term, subject to carve-outs for restaurants already in the area and certain SDO opportunities.

Renewal & termination terms (Item 17)

The franchise term runs up to 20 years, with its exact length based on the number of Restaurants to be developed, and compliant franchisees can renew for another 20-year term. Renewal requires, among other conditions, no more than 3 notices of default in the prior 10 years and no uncured default at the time of renewal; franchisees who signed for an SDO location have no renewal rights at all.

How Dunkin' compares to other Food & Beverage franchises

Across the 52 food & beverage franchises we've hand-verified so far, the typical range to open runs $860,899–$2,165,095, with royalties averaging around 5.6% of gross sales (based on the 48 of them that charge a flat %-of-revenue royalty).

Dave's Hot Chicken

$617,800–$2,170,000 · 6% royalty

Slim Chickens

$1,188,900–$4,944,000 · 5% royalty

Ziggi's Coffee

$315,830–$2,093,361 · 6% royalty

Crumbl

$848,566–$1,472,533 · 8% royalty

Little Caesars

$376,500–$1,769,200 · 6% royalty

Jamba

$480,850–$941,300 · 6% royalty

Tropical Smoothie Cafe

$300,000–$720,500 · 6% royalty

Playa Bowls

$188,675–$636,458 · 6% royalty

Kona Ice

$114,730–$228,601 · non-%-of-revenue royalty

Firehouse Subs

$166,671–$950,351 · 6% royalty

Wingstop

$310,400–$1,048,500 · 6% royalty

Jersey Mike's Subs

$436,176–$1,162,228 · 6.5% royalty

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen

$1,222,045–$3,923,245 · 5% royalty

Del Taco

$1,461,200–$3,313,500 · 5% royalty

Blaze Pizza

$757,000–$1,297,100 · 5% royalty

Church's Texas Chicken

$1,202,400–$1,886,300 · 5% royalty

MOD Pizza

$924,732–$1,220,633 · 5% royalty

Twin Peaks

$2,959,000–$5,734,000 · 5% royalty

McDonald's

$1,470,500–$2,642,000 · 5% royalty

Subway

$263,000–$630,000 · 8% royalty

Taco Bell

$1,859,750–$4,312,200 · 5.5% royalty

Domino's Pizza

$231,450–$743,500 · 5.5% royalty

KFC

$2,107,575–$4,155,000 · 5% royalty

Burger King

$2,039,200–$4,730,600 · 4.5% royalty

Chick-fil-A

$317,521–$3,463,155 · non-%-of-revenue royalty

Penn Station

$507,500–$858,750 · non-%-of-revenue royalty

Nekter Juice Bar

$243,155–$647,160 · 6% royalty

Jimmy John's

$366,200–$733,500 · 6% royalty

Sonic Drive-In

$1,485,200–$2,522,900 · 5% royalty

Papa John's

$281,485–$890,267 · 5% royalty

Hungry Howie's Pizza & Subs

$238,982–$697,322 · 5.5% royalty

Jack in the Box

$1,909,500–$4,041,500 · 5% royalty

Wendy's

$1,523,957–$2,992,000 · 4% royalty

Marco's Pizza

$286,477–$811,186 · 5.5% royalty

Pizza Hut

$846,000–$2,130,000 · 6% royalty

Chicken Salad Chick

$777,000–$998,500 · 5% royalty

Teriyaki Madness

$392,667–$1,121,405 · 6% royalty

Cold Stone Creamery

$390,675–$680,775 · 6% royalty

Scooter's Coffee

$1,163,650–$1,345,750 · 6% royalty

Nothing Bundt Cakes

$475,200–$994,100 · 6% royalty

Five Guys

$977,850–$1,375,750 · 6% royalty

Tim Hortons

$427,500–$3,312,500 · 6% royalty

7 Brew

$940,500–$2,283,500 · non-%-of-revenue royalty

Swig

$608,400–$1,718,000 · 7% royalty

Culver's

$3,406,350–$10,294,100 · 4% royalty

Dairy Queen

$1,516,200–$2,543,050 · 4% royalty

Paris Baguette

$727,515–$1,860,550 · 5% royalty

Jollibee

$1,614,568–$4,589,057 · 5% royalty

Smoothie King

$329,850–$683,215 · 6% royalty

IHOP

$380,550–$3,735,850 · 4.5% royalty

Cinnabon

$256,950–$703,500 · 6% royalty

Dunkin' Franchise FAQ

How much does it cost to franchise a Dunkin'?

Based on Dunkin's own FDD, total initial investment to open one location runs $532,400–$1,832,500, including the $40,000 franchise fee. Minnesota CARDS, FDD issued March 26, 2026 (MN File No. 5407, filed 6/8/2026, effective in Minnesota 6/8/2026) -- Dunkin' only files an exemption notice, not a full FDD, with California DFPI, so this entry is sourced from Minnesota's franchise registry instead. Item 5: Initial Franchise Fee ranges $40,000-$90,000 depending on Designated Market Area; this entry uses the $40,000 low end. Item 6: Continuing Franchise Fee (royalty) is 5.9% of Gross Sales; Continuing Advertising Fee is 5.0% of Gross Sales (2.5% for SDOs). Item 7: Item 7 has four format tables (Freestanding, Shopping Center/Storefront, Gas & Convenience, and SDO/Non-Traditional); this entry uses Table A, Freestanding Restaurant, TOTAL $532,400-$1,832,500. Item 20 Table 1 franchised outlets.

What is the Dunkin' franchise fee and royalty rate?

The initial franchise fee is $40,000, and the ongoing royalty is 5.9% of gross sales, per the filing on record.

Is the Dunkin' franchise growing or shrinking?

Growing. Across 2023–2025, Dunkin' added a net 657 franchised locations, per its own annual FDD filings.

Keep going

Dunkin' and Penn Station are both food & beverage franchises; Penn Station's total investment starts about $24,900 lower than Dunkin''s. Penn Station Franchise
Dunkin' and Jamba are both food & beverage franchises; Jamba's total investment starts about $51,550 lower than Dunkin''s. Jamba Franchise

Where this came from: Minnesota CARDS, FDD issued March 26, 2026 (MN File No. 5407, filed 6/8/2026, effective in Minnesota 6/8/2026) -- Dunkin' only files an exemption notice, not a full FDD, with California DFPI, so this entry is sourced from Minnesota's franchise registry instead. Item 5: Initial Franchise Fee ranges $40,000-$90,000 depending on Designated Market Area; this entry uses the $40,000 low end. Item 6: Continuing Franchise Fee (royalty) is 5.9% of Gross Sales; Continuing Advertising Fee is 5.0% of Gross Sales (2.5% for SDOs). Item 7: Item 7 has four format tables (Freestanding, Shopping Center/Storefront, Gas & Convenience, and SDO/Non-Traditional); this entry uses Table A, Freestanding Restaurant, TOTAL $532,400-$1,832,500. Item 20 Table 1 franchised outlets. You can pull the same filing yourself from the California DFPI's public franchise search. Filed 2026-06-08. None of this is investment advice -- get the franchisor's current FDD and talk to a real attorney or accountant before you sign anything.

If you see a different unit count elsewhere: franchisors only have to refile their FDD annually, so the numbers here can run 6–18 months behind a franchisor's own real-time marketing claims -- which often aren't independently verified, and sometimes count signed-but-not-yet-open locations. A gap isn't necessarily an error on either side; it's two different snapshots in time from two different sources.