Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe

Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe Franchise FDD, Costs & Fees (2025)

Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe offers a diverse menu of gourmet sandwiches, soups, salads, and pizzas, made with premium ingredients and served in a fast and friendly environment.

Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe is a growing fast-casual restaurant concept known for its toasted sandwiches, artisan soups, thin-crust pizzas, crisp salads, and scratch-made cookies. Launched in 2005 in Columbia, Missouri, the brand has expanded its reach to over 30 locations throughout the United States.

Operating from its headquarters in Hallsville, Missouri, Pickleman’s began offering franchise opportunities in 2008. Since then, it has built a strong reputation within the quick-service dining sector.

Pickleman’s menu is crafted to meet a variety of tastes and dietary needs, featuring gourmet sandwiches, handcrafted pizzas, hearty soups, fresh salads, and premium cookies.

The brand stands out by focusing on fresh, high-quality ingredients and exclusive recipes, offering a balanced, flavorful dining experience that appeals to health-conscious and quality-driven customers alike.

Initial investment

Here's what you would need to invest if you were to start this franchise. These costs are provided by the franchisor in the Franchise Disclosure Document.

Type of Expenditure	Amount
Initial Franchise Fee	$35,000
Lease Deposit and Rent	$10,000 – $24,000
Improvements/Construction and Interior Decorating	$150,000 – $550,000
Architect Fees	$10,000 – $25,000
Equipment/Furniture/Fixtures/Smallwares	$130,000 – $250,000
Signage	$15,000 – $40,000
Licenses, Dues, Deposits, etc.	$4,000 – $10,000
Travel and Living Expenses while Training	$10,000 – $20,000
Office Equipment	$1,500 – $5,000
Inventory/Supplies	$6,000 – $12,000
Professional Fees	$1,000 – $5,000
Insurance (per quarter)	$3,800 – $4,500
Additional Funds – 3 months	$36,000 – $55,000
Grand Opening Advertising	$4,000 – $8,000
Total	$416,300 – $1,043,500

Type of Expenditure	Amount
Initial Franchise Fee	$35,000
Lease Deposit and Rent	$10,000 – $24,000
Improvements/Construction and Interior Decorating	$150,000 – $550,000
Architect Fees	$10,000 – $25,000
Equipment/Furniture/Fixtures/Smallwares	$130,000 – $250,000
Signage	$15,000 – $40,000
Licenses, Dues, Deposits, etc.	$4,000 – $10,000
Travel and Living Expenses while Training	$10,000 – $20,000
Office Equipment	$1,500 – $5,000
Inventory/Supplies	$6,000 – $12,000
Professional Fees	$1,000 – $5,000
Insurance (per quarter)	$3,800 – $4,500
Additional Funds – 3 months	$36,000 – $55,000
Grand Opening Advertising	$4,000 – $8,000
Total	$416,300 – $1,043,500

Franchise Disclosure Document

Number of units

Training

Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe provides a structured training program to support franchisees and ensure smooth operations of their Cafes. Here are the programs they offer:

Initial Training Program
Pickleman’s requires both the franchisee and one designated manager (or two if the franchisee will not manage the Cafe) to attend and successfully complete an initial training program. The training, lasting approximately six weeks, is conducted at an existing Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe location and covers subjects like opening procedures, shift changes, closing procedures, food safety, and equipment use.
On-Site Opening Assistance
After the initial training, Pickleman’s provides on-site assistance with a training team for 10 consecutive days—2 days before and 8 days after the Cafe’s opening. This is to help the franchisee and staff practice operations in a real environment and refine their skills with direct supervision and feedback.
Subsequent and Refresher Training Programs
Pickleman’s may offer refresher training or subsequent training for new employees, replacement managers, or additional designated managers after the Cafe is open. These programs are not mandatory initially but could become required later, and they may come with a reasonable fee of up to $1,000 per person per day if imposed.

Territory Protection

Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe establishes an Assigned Territory for each franchisee when the location is mutually agreed upon in the Franchise Agreement. The franchisee is required to operate exclusively at the designated site, and any relocation requires the franchisor’s written consent.

This approach ensures that franchisees are clearly committed to a specific location as set forth in the agreement. While Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe defines a specific operational territory, the agreement does not explicitly provide broad, exclusive territory protection beyond that designated location.

The focus is on enforcing the agreed-upon site and limiting the possibility of relocating without consent rather than reserving a wider geographic area exclusively for each franchisee. Ultimately, the territory provisions are designed to maintain consistency in operations rather than to offer comprehensive market exclusivity.

KEY FRANCHISE STATS

All you need to know about this franchise

Started franchising

2008

Franchisees

11%

Franchise fee

$35,000

Investment

$416,000 - $1,044,000

Revenue (AUV)

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$1,273,000

9.7%

Operating Profit

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n.a.

Home based

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Passive investment

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Competitors

Below are some of

Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe

key competitors in the

Other Food

sector.

Franchise

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New

11%

$35,000

$416,000

$1,044,000

$1,273,000

n.a.

Southern Steer Butcher

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