How much does a Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café franchise cost?
Opening a Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café franchise takes a total initial investment of $658,065 to $934,170, according to the brand's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports median net sales of $1,054,269 across 204 outlets.
Schlotzsky’s franchises Schlotzsky’s Bakery-Café Restaurants, including Traditional Franchises with a Cinnabon Express franchise. Category: Food & Beverage.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2025 FDD. The total is $658,065 to $934,170. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Construction and Build Out Costs ($288,000 to $360,000), Equipment Package ($133,950 to $152,600), and Additional Funds - 3 Months ($39,000 to $51,000). Together they make up about 60% of the high-end estimate.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 | $35,500 | $35,500 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 |
| Construction and Build Out Costs2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 | $288,000 | $360,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 |
| Permitting2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 | $1,800 | $11,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 |
| Equipment Package2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 | $133,950 | $152,600 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 |
| Millwork2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 | $20,000 | $22,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 |
| Furniture2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 | $2,850 | $6,600 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 |
| Menu Board, Graphics and Interior Signage2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 | $6,840 | $7,920 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 |
| Exterior Signage2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 | $15,300 | $18,550 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 |
| Computer System2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 | $23,400 | $26,900 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 |
| Smallwares2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 | $6,700 | $7,500 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 |
| TV/ | $0 | $3,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 |
| Architect/ | $5,000 | $30,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 33 |
| Rent2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $3,300 | $7,800 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Grand Opening Marketing2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $15,000 | $25,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Legal and Accounting Fees2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $3,000 | $12,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Insurance2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $1,825 | $9,100 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Misc. Opening Costs/ | $500 | $5,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Security Deposits2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $7,000 | $10,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Management Training Program Fee2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $0 | $10,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Travel and Living Expenses during Training2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $10,000 | $40,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| On-Site Training Fee2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $0 | $9,600 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Opening Inventory2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $7,500 | $25,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Cinnabon Express Bakery Initial Franchise Fee2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $8,000 | $8,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Cinnabon Express Bakery2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $23,600 | $40,100 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $39,000 | $51,000 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
| Total estimated initial investment2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 | $658,065 | $934,170 | 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34 |
Source Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café, 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 34, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Item 19
What Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café franchisees actually report earning
Median Net Sales
$1,054,269
Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café's 2025 FDD, Item 19, for the Fiscal Year 2024. Basis: Certain Traditional Franchises that were eligible franchises in Fiscal Year 2024.
Sample size: 204 outlets. The FDD also reports average net sales of $1,126,331. 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
- Franchised Non-Traditional Restaurants were excluded.
- Franchised Restaurants that do not include a Cinnabon Express franchise were excluded.
- Franchised Restaurants that are co-branded with another brand other than Cinnabon were excluded.
- Affiliate-owned Restaurants were excluded.
- Traditional Franchises that were not eligible franchises in Fiscal Year 2024 were excluded.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café, 2025 FDD, Item 19, p. 79-80, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Item 20
How many Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café outlets there are, and how many closed
Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café ended 2024 with 280 franchised outlets and 28 company-owned outlets. In that year 4 franchised outlets opened and 19 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2022 through 2024, Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café opened 20 franchised outlets and 40 outlets left the system. That is a net loss of 20, from 300 to 280 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 29 were terminated, 3 were not renewed, and 8 were bought back by the franchisor.
On average, about 4.5% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 22.
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 | 295 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 280 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 85 |
| 2023 | 299 | 8 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 295 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 85 |
| 2022 | 300 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 299 | 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 85 |
Source Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café, 2025 FDD, Item 20, p. 85, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-09-15.
Compare
How Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café 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 Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café's estimated range is $796,118. It costs more to open than 65% of Food & Beverage franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 4.5% for Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café. That is lower than 56% of the 165 Food & Beverage franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café's franchised system shrank 6.7%. 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. Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café 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 Schlotzsky’s Bakery Café files a new FDD
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