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Wetzel's Pretzels Franchise FDD, Costs & Fees (2025)

Pretzel bakery franchise offering freshly baked pretzels, pretzel dogs, and other pretzel-based snacks, providing a tasty and satisfying treat.

Established in 1994 and launched as a franchise in 1996, Wetzel's Pretzels offers a business model that caters to the demand for on-the-go snacks, featuring flexible location formats and straightforward operations.

Headquartered in Pasadena, California, the franchise is renowned for its hand-rolled pretzels and lemonade, combined with a versatile franchise model that suits various settings. Wetzel's Pretzels provides an attractive franchise opportunity for entrepreneurs looking to enter the fast-casual snack food sector.

The franchise prides itself on being fun and simple to manage, requiring fewer employees and offering convenient operational hours. Its market availability, prominent presence in high-profile venues, and experienced leadership team further enhance its appeal for franchisees.

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.

Wetzel's Pretzels offers 3 types of franchises:

Franchise Model Initial Investment Range
WETZEL’S PRETZELS® Bakery $183,000 to $710,450
Remote Mobile Unit $62,000 to $144,500
WETZEL’S PRETZELS® Concession Truck or Trailer $172,125 to $317,900

We are summarizing below the main costs associated with opening a single WETZEL’S PRETZELS® Bakery franchise.

For more information on the various types of franchises and its costs, refer to the Franchise Disclosure Document (Item 7).

Single WETZEL’S PRETZELS® Bakery

Type of Expenditure Amount
Initial Franchise Fee$20,000 – $40,000
Lease Review Fee$3,500 – $7,000
Business Premises$5,000 – $25,000
Leasehold Improvements$50,000 – $400,000
Food Preparation Equipment$53,000 – $95,000
Utility Deposits, Licenses, Permits$1,000 – $15,000
Insurance$500 – $2,500
Signs & Menu Boards$5,000 – $17,000
Digital Display Boards$5,000 – $7,500
POS System$500 – $1,000
Initial Inventory & Smallwares$5,500 – $12,000
Training Fee for Additional Trainee$0 – $750
Training Expenses$1,000 – $4,000
Grand Opening Advertising$500 – $2,500
Office Equipment & Supplies$500 – $2,500
Professional Fees$1,000 – $3,200
Architect, Engineers & Construction Manager$6,000 – $22,000
Additional Funds (First 90 Days)$25,000 – $55,500
Total Estimated Initial Investment$183,000 – $712,450

Wetzel's Pretzels offers 3 types of franchises:

Franchise Model Initial Investment Range
WETZEL’S PRETZELS® Bakery $183,000 to $710,450
Remote Mobile Unit $62,000 to $144,500
WETZEL’S PRETZELS® Concession Truck or Trailer $172,125 to $317,900

We are summarizing below the main costs associated with opening a single WETZEL’S PRETZELS® Bakery franchise.

For more information on the various types of franchises and its costs, refer to the Franchise Disclosure Document (Item 7).

Single WETZEL’S PRETZELS® Bakery

Type of Expenditure Amount
Initial Franchise Fee$20,000 – $40,000
Lease Review Fee$3,500 – $7,000
Business Premises$5,000 – $25,000
Leasehold Improvements$50,000 – $400,000
Food Preparation Equipment$53,000 – $95,000
Utility Deposits, Licenses, Permits$1,000 – $15,000
Insurance$500 – $2,500
Signs & Menu Boards$5,000 – $17,000
Digital Display Boards$5,000 – $7,500
POS System$500 – $1,000
Initial Inventory & Smallwares$5,500 – $12,000
Training Fee for Additional Trainee$0 – $750
Training Expenses$1,000 – $4,000
Grand Opening Advertising$500 – $2,500
Office Equipment & Supplies$500 – $2,500
Professional Fees$1,000 – $3,200
Architect, Engineers & Construction Manager$6,000 – $22,000
Additional Funds (First 90 Days)$25,000 – $55,500
Total Estimated Initial Investment$183,000 – $712,450

Wetzel's Pretzels

2025

Franchise Disclosure Document

Number of units

Training 

Wetzel's Pretzels provides a comprehensive training program for new franchisees. The training is structured in two main parts:

  1. Corporate Headquarters Training: This is a one-week program held at Wetzel's Pretzels' corporate headquarters. Known as the LEAD training program, it covers essential aspects of the business, including operations, customer service, and product preparation. The program aims to equip franchisees with the knowledge and skills needed to run their store effectively.
  2. In-Store Training: Following the corporate training, franchisees spend an additional week in an existing Wetzel's Pretzels store. This hands-on experience allows them to apply what they've learned in a real-world setting, focusing on practical skills and daily operations.

Territory Protection

Wetzel's Pretzels provides franchisees with a "Protected Area," which is defined based on the location's urban, suburban, light suburban, or rural/second city characteristics. The size of this area varies, typically ranging from one mile in urban areas to up to five miles in rural or second city locations, depending on the population density within a three-mile radius.

This Protected Area is intended to prevent the franchisor from authorizing any other company-owned or franchisee-operated TWISTED BY WETZEL'S™ Bakery within its bounds. However, it does not grant exclusivity over customers, meaning franchisees do not have exclusive rights to customers within or outside their Protected Area.

Although franchisees are granted a Protected Area, the franchisor reserves the right to adjust the delivery service provisions, including the delivery area size, based on market conditions and other factors. This ensures flexibility and responsiveness to changing market dynamics.

Competitors

Below are some of

Wetzel's Pretzels

key competitors in the

Baked Goods

sector.

Franchise
Franchisees
Initial fee
Total investment
Revenue
Sign up
Gross Profit
Sign up
EBITDA
Sign up

389

New
+
21%
21%

$40,000

$62,000

$712,000

n.a.

$727,000

$xxx,xxx

79.1%

xx%

n.a.

16.5%

xx%

n.a.

Competitors

Al Manakeesh

Al Manakeesh is a Middle Eastern bakery-restaurant brand offering manakeesh flatbreads, shawarma, and Lebanese specialties, serving neighborhood diners and families, and known for freshly baked dough, traditional flavors, and casual, counter-service settings that highlight Levantine comfort food.

Franchisees

?

0
+
n.a.
n.a.
Investment

?

$261,000 - $403,000

Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant

Golden Krust Caribbean Restaurant is a quick‐service franchise offering Caribbean-style patties, rotis, rice dishes and meals, serving diaspora communities and casual diners, and known for signature flavors, cultural brand heritage and growing franchise network.

Franchisees

?

101
+
-6%
-6%
Investment

?

$213,000 - $776,000

MidnighTreats

MidnighTreats is a late-night food-truck or small-format franchise offering waffles, desserts and sweet-snacks on-demand, serving late-night crowds, event patrons, and dessert lovers, and known for mobile flexibility, viral menu appeal and lean startup model.

Franchisees

?

2
+
n.a.
n.a.
Investment

?

$133,000 - $296,000

Schmackary's

Schmackary’s is a gourmet cookie-and‐dessert franchise offering handmade cookies, ice cream sandwiches, and specialty treats, serving dessert lovers and gift buyers, and known for bold flavors, urban brand presence and experiential retail-tainment.

Franchisees

?

0
+
n.a.
n.a.
Investment

?

$267,000 - $657,000

BAGEL BOSS

BAGEL BOSS is a bagel-and-deli franchise offering New York–style bagels, breakfast sandwiches, deli items and coffee, serving morning commuters and families, and known for authentic bagel craft, strong local presence and franchise scalability.

Franchisees

?

18
+
64%
64%
Investment

?

$510,000 - $1,175,000

House of Bread

House of Bread is a bakery-café franchise offering freshly baked artisan breads, pastries, sandwiches and café meals, serving families and casual diners, and known for hand-crafted baking, community-driven brand and multi-stream revenue.

Franchisees

?

5
+
25%
25%
Investment

?

$198,000 - $584,000

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