Baskin-Robbins Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Baskin-Robbins franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Baskin-Robbins discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it D.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Discloses only AUV/gross sales by quartile for 814 franchised restaurants; median $503K, average $527K. No costs, expenses, or net income disclosed. Excludes 41 closures, 112 partially closed, and all Combo units—cherry-picking survivors.
What a Baskin-Robbins franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $25,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 5.9% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 5% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 10.9% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $307,400 – $626,700 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty 5.9% standard; reduced to 0.5%-1.0% in select territories; ad fee 5.0%; incentive programs temporarily reduce both fees for new openings.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Baskin-Robbins system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 967 |
| Ceased operations | 28 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 12 |
| Transferred to new owners | 50 |
| Closure rate | 2.9% of outlets |
2025: 28 ceased operations, 12 terminations, net loss of 9 standalone units; system shrinking three consecutive years.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Baskin-Robbins worth it? — how it compares to 59 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 10.9% of sales | steeper than 94% of bakery, dessert & ice cream franchises |
| Startup cost | from $307,400 | about average (median $209,354) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade D | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 2.9% of outlets | worse than 71% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 5 | more litigious than 90% of peers |
Benchmarked against every bakery, dessert & ice cream franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Baskin-Robbins
The franchisor's framing: Discloses only AUV/gross sales by quartile for 814 franchised restaurants; median $503K, a… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Baskin-Robbins franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Baskin-Robbins franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $307,400–$626,700, including a $25,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Baskin-Robbins franchise owners make?
- Discloses only AUV/gross sales by quartile for 814 franchised restaurants; median $503K, average $527K. No costs, expenses, or net income disclosed. Excludes 41 closures, 112 partially closed, and all Combo units—cherry-picking survivors. We grade this disclosure D for honesty.
- What are the Baskin-Robbins franchise fees?
- Baskin-Robbins's FDD discloses a $25,000 initial franchise fee, a 5.9% royalty on gross sales, a 5% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 10.9% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty 5.9% standard; reduced to 0.5%-1.0% in select territories; ad fee 5.0%; incentive programs temporarily reduce both fees for new openings.
- What is the Baskin-Robbins franchise profit margin?
- Baskin-Robbins does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Discloses only AUV/gross sales by quartile for 814 franchised restaurants; median $503K, average $527K. No costs, expenses, or net income disclosed. Excludes 41 closures, 112 partially closed, and all Combo units—cherry-picking survivors. Recurring fees alone take about 10.9% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the Baskin-Robbins franchise failure rate?
- 2025: 28 ceased operations, 12 terminations, net loss of 9 standalone units; system shrinking three consecutive years.
- How many Baskin-Robbins locations are there?
- Baskin-Robbins's FDD reports 967 total outlets, with 28 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 50 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Baskin-Robbins have complaints or lawsuits?
- Baskin-Robbins discloses 5 legal matters in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a Baskin-Robbins franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Baskin-Robbins scores D on disclosure honesty, carries about 10.9% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 5 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Source: MN CARDS 35663-202603-13 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Baskin-Robbins or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.