How much does a Great Harvest franchise cost?
Opening a Great Harvest franchise takes a total initial investment of $591,742 to $871,077, according to the brand's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports median of $866,756 across 95 outlets.
Great Harvest franchises Great Harvest Bakery Cafe outlets. Category: Food & Beverage.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Great Harvest franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2026 FDD. The total is $591,742 to $871,077. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Leasehold Improvements ($270,000 to $375,000), Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment ($215,550 to $315,000), and Additional Funds – 3 months ($25,625 to $48,170). Together they make up about 85% of the high-end estimate.
The initial franchise fee is $40,000, about 6.8% of the low-end total.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $40,000 | $40,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Your Training Expenses2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $2,049 | $10,300 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Premises Deposits2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $4,500 | $7,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Leasehold Improvements2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $270,000 | $375,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Signage2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $4,059 | $15,321 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $215,550 | $315,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Computer Systems2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $2,209 | $4,200 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Initial Inventory2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $10,000 | $26,586 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Grand Opening Marketing2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $12,000 | $12,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Professional Fees2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $2,250 | $10,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Licenses and Permits2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $500 | $2,500 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Insurance2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $3,000 | $5,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Additional Funds – 3 months2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $25,625 | $48,170 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
| Total estimated initial investment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 | $591,742 | $871,077 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17 |
Source Great Harvest, 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 17, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-21. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Item 19
What Great Harvest franchisees actually report earning
Median
$866,756
Great Harvest's 2026 FDD, Item 19, for the January 1 – December 31, 2025. Basis: 95 Bakery Cafes that were open for the entire Fiscal year.
Sample size: 95 outlets. The FDD also reports average of $965,873. We lead with the median because an average is pulled upward by the strongest outlets; the median is the middle outlet.
What the franchisor excluded from this figure
- We have excluded the financial performance of the 3 Great Harvest Bakery Café franchised outlets as they were opened operating for the full calendar year, the 7 Spokes as they do not operate like traditional outlets, 10 Bread Only locations with no seating and 40 locations serving select sandwiches and Bread only with minimal seating.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Great Harvest outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Great Harvest, 2026 FDD, Item 19, p. 41, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-21. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Item 20
How many Great Harvest outlets there are, and how many closed
Great Harvest ended 2025 with 155 franchised outlets and no company-owned outlets. In that year 4 franchised outlets opened and 6 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2023 through 2025, Great Harvest opened 14 franchised outlets and 28 outlets left the system. That is a net loss of 14, from 169 to 155 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 1 was not renewed and 27 closed for other reasons.
On average, about 5.8% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 17.
Our arithmetic from the FDD's Item 20 table below. "Left the system" counts every outlet the franchisor reports as terminated, not renewed, bought back, or closed for other reasons.
| Year | Start | Opened | Terminated | Non-renewed | Reacquired | Ceased, other | End | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 157 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 155 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 49 |
| 2024 | 160 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6 | 157 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 49 |
| 2023 | 169 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 160 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 49 |
Source Great Harvest, 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 49, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-21. Read from a scanned copy of this FDD; figures and page citations were transcribed from the page images.
Compare
How Great Harvest compares with other Food & Beverage franchises
Measured against the 256 Food & Beverage franchises on this site, using each brand's own FDD.
- Cost to open. The middle of Great Harvest's estimated range is $731,410. It costs more to open than 62% of Food & Beverage franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 5.8% for Great Harvest. That is higher than 51% of the 165 Food & Beverage franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. Great Harvest's franchised system shrank 8.3%. The typical Food & Beverage franchise here grew 5.0%.
- Earnings disclosure. 152 of the 256 Food & Beverage franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. Great Harvest is one of them.
Our arithmetic from each brand's Item 7 and Item 20. Growth and departure comparisons leave out brands with fewer than 10 outlets, where one opening or closure distorts the figures. See every Food & Beverage franchise side by side.
Alert me when Great Harvest files a new FDD
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