How much does a Smoothie King franchise cost?
Opening a Smoothie King franchise takes a total initial investment of $329,850 to $683,715, according to the brand's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. The FDD's Item 19 reports median net sales of $627,210 across 1,087 outlets.
Smoothie King franchises Smoothie King businesses, including end-cap or in-line locations and free-standing drive-thru locations. Category: Food & Beverage.
Item 7
What it costs to open a Smoothie King franchise
The franchisor's own estimated initial investment, as disclosed in its 2026 FDD. The total is $329,850 to $683,715. Each line below carries the FDD page it was read from.
Where the money goes
The largest costs are Leasehold Improvements ($145,000 to $300,000), Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment, Millwork and Graphics ($85,000 to $159,000), and Drive-Thru ($0 to $33,750). Together they make up about 72% of the high-end estimate.
The initial franchise fee is $25,000 to $30,000, about 7.6% of the low-end total.
Our arithmetic from the Item 7 table below.
| Expenditure | Low | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $25,000 | $30,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Three Months’ Rental & Deposit2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $5,000 | $25,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Technology Systems2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $9,100 | $12,215 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Grand Opening Marketing2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $15,000 | $15,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Travel and Training Expenses2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $0 | $6,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Insurance (First Year’s Premium)2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $2,500 | $7,500 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Other Prepaid Expenses2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $1,000 | $2,500 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Start-Up Supplies, Smallwares & Inventory2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $27,250 | $27,750 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment, Millwork and Graphics2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $85,000 | $159,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Architectural & Engineering Professional Services2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $3,500 | $17,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Signage2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $5,000 | $14,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Leasehold Improvements2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $145,000 | $300,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Legal, Accounting & Organizational Costs2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $500 | $4,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Miscellaneous Costs2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $1,000 | $5,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Drive-Thru2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $0 | $33,750 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $5,000 | $25,000 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
| Total estimated initial investment2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 | $329,850 | $683,715 | 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14 |
Source Smoothie King, 2026 FDD, Item 7, p. 14, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-10-12.
Item 19
What Smoothie King franchisees actually report earning
Median Net Sales
$627,210
Smoothie King's 2026 FDD, Item 19, for the December 31, 2024 to December 29, 2025. Basis: Franchised Units operated in the USA and open for the consecutive 13-month period, excluding Units not scheduled to be open daily, Units temporarily closed for more than eight weeks for remodeling, and Units that did not use the POS system required by Smoothie King.
Sample size: 1,087 outlets. The FDD also reports average net sales of $662,015. 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
- The 2025 figures exclude Units not scheduled to be open daily throughout the period, Units temporarily closed for more than an eight-week period during the reporting period, and Units that did not use the POS system required by Smoothie King.
- The 2024 figures also exclude two Units that sold non-Smoothie King approved items pursuant to prior versions of the franchise agreement.
- The 2023 figures also exclude two Units that sold non-Smoothie King approved items pursuant to prior versions of the franchise agreement.
This is a disclosure of what some existing outlets reported, not a projection of what a new Smoothie King outlet would earn. Your results will differ.
Source Smoothie King, 2026 FDD, Item 19, p. 51-58, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-10-12.
Item 20
How many Smoothie King outlets there are, and how many closed
Smoothie King ended 2025 with 1,200 franchised outlets and 42 company-owned outlets. In that year 81 franchised outlets opened and 30 left the system.
Three years at a glance
From 2023 through 2025, Smoothie King opened 246 franchised outlets and 96 outlets left the system. That is a net gain of 152, from 1,048 to 1,200 franchised outlets. Of the outlets that left, 10 were terminated, 5 were bought back by the franchisor, and 81 closed for other reasons. Those openings and departures do not add up to that change, because the FDD's own Item 20 row for 2024 does not add up either. We publish the franchisor's figures exactly as printed; see the note under the table below.
On average, about 2.9% of franchised outlets left the system each year, roughly 1 in 34.
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 | 1,149 | 81 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 1,200 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 63 |
| 2024 | 1,093 | 85 | 6 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 1,1491 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 63 |
| 2023 | 1,048 | 80 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 27 | 1,093 | 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 63 |
Source Smoothie King, 2026 FDD, Item 20, p. 59-63, via Public FDD bucket (storage.googleapis.com/franchiseindx_fdds) (source record). Figures read and verified 2026-10-12.
Compare
How Smoothie King 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 Smoothie King's estimated range is $506,783. It costs less to open than 58% of Food & Beverage franchises here.
- Outlets leaving each year. 2.9% for Smoothie King. That is lower than 74% of the 165 Food & Beverage franchises with at least 10 outlets.
- Three-year growth. Smoothie King's franchised system grew 15%. 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. Smoothie King 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 Smoothie King files a new FDD
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