GREAT HARVEST Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a GREAT HARVEST franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2025), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
GREAT HARVEST discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
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.
What a GREAT HARVEST franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 2.5% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 7.5% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $298,145 – $854,639 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
5% royalty, 2.5% brand fund, 1% min advertising ($500). $200 late fee. 24-month liquidated damages for default.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
GREAT HARVEST system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 159 |
| Ceased operations | 3 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 1 |
| Transferred to new owners | 6 |
| Closure rate | 1.9% of outlets |
System declined 2 outlets in 2024. Modest closures suggest moderate stability.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2025. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is GREAT HARVEST worth it? — how it compares to 59 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 7.5% of sales | about average |
| Startup cost | from $298,145 | about average (median $209,354) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 1.9% of outlets | about average |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 2 | more litigious than 68% 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 GREAT HARVEST
The franchisor's framing: 2024 gross sales data for 49 bakery cafes (35 single-site, 14 hub/spoke). Single-site aver… 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
GREAT HARVEST franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a GREAT HARVEST franchise cost?
- 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 are the GREAT HARVEST franchise fees?
- GREAT HARVEST's FDD discloses a $35,000 initial franchise fee, a 5% royalty on gross sales, a 2.5% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 7.5% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 5% royalty, 2.5% brand fund, 1% min advertising ($500). $200 late fee. 24-month liquidated damages for default.
- What is the GREAT HARVEST franchise profit margin?
- GREAT HARVEST does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 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. Recurring fees alone take about 7.5% 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 GREAT HARVEST franchise failure rate?
- System declined 2 outlets in 2024. Modest closures suggest moderate stability.
- How many GREAT HARVEST locations are there?
- GREAT HARVEST's FDD reports 159 total outlets, with 3 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 6 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does GREAT HARVEST have complaints or lawsuits?
- GREAT HARVEST discloses 2 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 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.