How much does a Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe franchise cost?
Opening a Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe franchise takes a total initial investment of $416,300 to $1,043,500, according to the brand's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports total median of $1,272,595 across 28 outlets.
Pickleman’s Franchising, LLC franchises Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe restaurants. Category: Food & Beverage.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2025 FDD. The total is $416,300 to $1,043,500. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Improvements/Construction/and Interior decorating ($150,000 to $550,000), Equipment/Furniture/Fixtures/Smallwares ($130,000 to $250,000), and Additional Funds – 3 months ($36,000 to $55,000). Together they make up about 82% of the high-end estimate.
The initial franchise fee is $35,000, about 8.4% of the low-end total.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $35,000 | $35,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Lease Deposit and Rent2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $10,000 | $24,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Improvements/ | $150,000 | $550,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Architect Fees2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $10,000 | $25,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Equipment/ | $130,000 | $250,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Signage2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $15,000 | $40,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Licenses, Dues, Deposits, etc.2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $4,000 | $10,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Travel and Living Expenses while Training2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $10,000 | $20,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Office Equipment2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $1,500 | $5,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Inventory/ | $6,000 | $12,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Professional Fees2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $1,000 | $5,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Insurance (per quarter)2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $3,800 | $4,500 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Additional Funds – 3 months2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $36,000 | $55,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Grand Opening Advertising2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $4,000 | $8,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
| Total estimated initial investment2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 | $416,300 | $1,043,500 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7 |
Source Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe, 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 7, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Item 19
What Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe franchisees actually report earning
Total Median
$1,272,595
Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe's 2025 FDD, Item 19, for the 2024 calendar year. Basis: Franchised Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafes that were open and operating during the entire 2024 calendar year.
Sample size: 28 outlets. The FDD also reports total average of $1,368,244. 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
- Three franchised outlets were excluded from Table 1 because they opened in 2024 and were not operating for the entire 2024 calendar year.
- Eight franchises were excluded from Table 2 because they were open and operating for less than three years as of December 31, 2024.
- Three franchised outlets were excluded from Table 3 because they opened in 2024 and were not operating for the entire 2024 calendar year.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe, 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 28, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Item 20
How many Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe outlets there are, and how many closed
Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe ended 2024 with 31 franchised outlets and 1 company-owned outlet. In that year 3 franchised outlets opened and none left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2022 through 2024, Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe opened 8 franchised outlets and 1 outlet left the system. That is a net gain of 7, from 24 to 31 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 1 was bought back by the franchisor.
On average, about 1.3% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 80.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 28 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 30 |
| 2023 | 28 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 28 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 30 |
| 2022 | 24 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 28 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 30 |
Source Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe, 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 30, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Compare
How Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe 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 Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe's estimated range is $729,900. It costs more to open than 61% of Food & Beverage franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 1.3% for Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe. That is lower than 88% of the 165 Food & Beverage franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe's franchised system grew 29%. The typical Food & Beverage franchise here grew 4.4%.
- Earnings disclosure. 152 of the 256 Food & Beverage franchises here publish earnings figures in Item 19. Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe 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 Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe files a new FDD
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