Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise discloses little or no owner-earnings data (Item 19) — the franchisor won't put real profit in writing.
What their own earnings claim actually says
No financial performance representations disclosed. Franchisor explicitly disclaims representations about franchisee future or past outlet financial performance.
What a Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise 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 | 7% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 2% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 9% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $504,000 – $825,000 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
7% weekly gross royalty; 2% marketing royalty not yet implemented; extensive operational penalties ($250-$1000 per occurrence)
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 18 |
| Ceased operations | 1 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 5.6% of outlets |
2025: 1 reacquired by franchisor (Louisiana); 2024: net -4 outlets, 3 terminations
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 Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise worth it? — how it compares to 32 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 9% of sales | steeper than 63% of coffee & donuts franchises |
| Startup cost | from $504,000 | pricier than 77% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade F | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 5.6% of outlets | about average |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every coffee & donuts franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise
The franchisor's framing: No financial performance representations disclosed. Franchisor explicitly disclaims repres… 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
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Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $504,000–$825,000, including a $35,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise franchise owners make?
- Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise discloses little or no earnings data (Item 19) — meaning the franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. That's a red flag worth questioning.
- What are the Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise franchise fees?
- Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise's FDD discloses a $35,000 initial franchise fee, a 7% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 9% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 7% weekly gross royalty; 2% marketing royalty not yet implemented; extensive operational penalties ($250-$1000 per occurrence)
- What is the Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise franchise profit margin?
- Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise discloses no Item 19 earnings representation, so no profit margin can be derived from the FDD at all. Any margin figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
- What is the Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise franchise failure rate?
- 2025: 1 reacquired by franchisor (Louisiana); 2024: net -4 outlets, 3 terminations
- How many Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise locations are there?
- Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise's FDD reports 18 total outlets, with 1 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 0 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise have complaints or lawsuits?
- Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise discloses no material litigation in Item 3 of the filing we reviewed. That's a positive signal, though it covers only what the franchisor is required to report.
- Is a Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise scores F on disclosure honesty, carries about 9% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Hurts Donut Company-Unit Franchise or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.