The real numbers on owning a GREAT HARVEST franchise
Bakery Cafe Franchise · FDD 2025 · from public state filings
CDisclosure honesty
This franchisor discloses earnings (Item 19) — but read how.
★★★☆☆FranchiseValidate transparency rating: 3/5
Investment
$298,145–$854,639
Total fees
7.5% of sales
Outlets
159
Closure signals
3 ceased, 1 terminated
Lawsuits
2
Is GREAT HARVEST worth it? How it compares to 32 similar franchises
Ongoing fees
7.5% of sales
lower than most (median 8%)
Startup cost
from $298,145
pricier than 64% of peers
Disclosure honesty
Grade C
more honest than 64% of bakery, dessert & ice cream franchises
Closure rate
1.9% of outlets
about average
Disclosed lawsuits
2
about average
Benchmarked against every bakery, dessert & ice cream franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
What their own earnings claim actually says
2024 gross sales data for 49 bakery cafes (35 single-site, 14 hub/spoke). Single-site average $948K, median $823K. Hub/spoke average $1.76M. 2023 income/expense data from 26 reporting outlets only.
Failure & turnover reality (Item 20)
System declined 2 outlets in 2024. Modest closures suggest moderate stability.
Legal history (Item 3)
2 matters disclosed.
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The franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. We do — reconstructed from their own FDD.
Franchisor's framing: 2024 gross sales data for 49 bakery cafes (35 single-site, 14 hub/spoke). Single-site average $…
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Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI on your investment
Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
Decoded real failure / closure rate
How it ranks vs comparable franchises
Validation-call playbook — who to call + the exact questions
The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $298,145–$854,639, including a $35,000 initial franchise fee.
How much do GREAT HARVEST franchise owners make?
2024 gross sales data for 49 bakery cafes (35 single-site, 14 hub/spoke). Single-site average $948K, median $823K. Hub/spoke average $1.76M. 2023 income/expense data from 26 reporting outlets only. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
What is the GREAT HARVEST franchise failure rate?
System declined 2 outlets in 2024. Modest closures suggest moderate stability.
Is a GREAT HARVEST franchise worth it?
It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. GREAT HARVEST scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 7.5% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 2 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Source: MN CARDS 32933-202502-07 (Clean FDD 2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with GREAT HARVEST or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.