Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it B.
What their own earnings claim actually says
67 traditional stores (CY2025): avg gross revenue $365,166 (range $85,561–$870,824). 49% met/exceeded average. Excludes 6 new stores and 25 non-traditional locations.
What a Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies 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 | 6% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 3% 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 | $309,500 – $493,850 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty 6% weekly; Brand Fund 3% weekly; multiple optional fees (tech, training, compliance). Deposit $10k applied to fee.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 98 |
| Ceased operations | 20 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 2 |
| Closure rate | 20.4% of outlets |
20 ceased operations in 2025; net decline 15 units annually (2023–2025). Weak retention.
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 Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies worth it? — how it compares to 59 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 9% of sales | steeper than 74% of bakery, dessert & ice cream franchises |
| Startup cost | from $309,500 | pricier than 60% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade B | more honest than 85% of bakery, dessert & ice cream franchises |
| Closure rate | 20.4% of outlets | worse than 91% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
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 Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies
The franchisor's framing: 67 traditional stores (CY2025): avg gross revenue $365,166 (range $85,561–$870,824). 49% m… 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
Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $309,500–$493,850, including a $35,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies franchise owners make?
- 67 traditional stores (CY2025): avg gross revenue $365,166 (range $85,561–$870,824). 49% met/exceeded average. Excludes 6 new stores and 25 non-traditional locations. We grade this disclosure B for honesty.
- What are the Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies franchise fees?
- Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies' FDD discloses a $35,000 initial franchise fee, a 6% royalty on gross sales, a 3% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 9% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty 6% weekly; Brand Fund 3% weekly; multiple optional fees (tech, training, compliance). Deposit $10k applied to fee.
- What is the Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies franchise profit margin?
- Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 67 traditional stores (CY2025): avg gross revenue $365,166 (range $85,561–$870,824). 49% met/exceeded average. Excludes 6 new stores and 25 non-traditional locations. Recurring fees alone take about 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 Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies franchise failure rate?
- 20 ceased operations in 2025; net decline 15 units annually (2023–2025). Weak retention.
- How many Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies locations are there?
- Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies' FDD reports 98 total outlets, with 20 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 2 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies have complaints or lawsuits?
- Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies 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 Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies scores B 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 Mrs. Fields and Mrs. Fields Cookies or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.