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GREAT AMERICAN COOKIES
Great American Cookies franchises retail restaurants specializing in selling fresh-baked cookies, brownies, cupcakes, and related food items and beverages under the GREAT AMERICAN COOKIES brand. Franchisees can operate traditional or non-traditional restaurants, satellites, multi-unit developments, or co-branded locations such as with Marble Slab Creamery, following a standardized system with proprietary recipes and ingredients supplied by affiliates. The business targets consumers in high-traffic venues like malls, shopping centers, airports, and other non-traditional sites seeking indulgent baked treats.
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Franchise Costs
6% royalty + 2% ad fund + $70-$125/mo technology fee
Financial Performance
Item 19 Financial Performance
Data Based On: Selected historical and unaudited financial and operating data for 256 Great American Cookies only and Great American Cookies restaurants that are co-branded with Marble Slab Creamery or Pretzelmaker U.S. franchised Restaurants for January 1, 2024 to December 31, 2024, that were in operation for 12 full months.
* Average gross revenue and median gross revenue are directly from 'Table 1 - Net Sales' for 'Total' units (256 units). Revenue top quartile and revenue bottom quartile are weighted averages calculated using the unit counts and midpoints of the revenue ranges from 'Table 2 - Range of Net Sales'. For the bottom quartile (64 units), 30 units from 'Under $249,999' (estimated midpoint $158,957) and 34 units from '$250,000 to $399,999' (estimated midpoint $325,227) were used: (30 * $158,957 + 34 * $325,227) / 64 = $247,288. For the top quartile (64 units), 29 units from 'Over $850,000' (estimated midpoint $1,103,463.5) and 35 units from '$700,000 to $849,999' (estimated midpoint $775,027.5) were used: (29 * $1,103,463.5 + 35 * $775,027.5) / 64 = $923,850. Other profit metrics (gross profit, net income, net profit, EBITDA, and best guess profit range) are set to null because the document explicitly states on page 8 that it 'omits all operating costs and expenses related to operation of a restaurant except food, paper and restaurant level labor', preventing a comprehensive profit calculation.
Extracted Item 19 Section
Avg. Revenue: $539,902
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Unlock financial performance dataGREAT AMERICAN COOKIES Franchise Analysis
Craving a sweet spot in the bakery game? Great American Cookies tempts with fresh-baked indulgences in high-traffic spots, but recent system shifts and a checkered financial past raise eyebrows. Item 19 lays bare revenue realities for existing units, while SBA loan records and litigation footnotes hint at real-world hurdles—will the dough rise or flatten for new backers?
Item 7 pegs initial investment at $340,500-$462,650, covering $25,000 franchise fee, build-out for traditional or non-traditional setups like malls or airports, and gear for proprietary cookie recipes supplied by affiliates. Ongoing fees bite at 6% royalty, 2% ad fund, plus $70-$125 monthly tech charge—standard for food franchising but stacking up fast on slimmer mall traffic days. Item 19 shines here: average gross revenue hits $539,902, median $509,530 across 395 units, suggesting solid per-store pulls if you're in a prime spot, though no profit breakdowns leave EBITDA guesses to your math.
System health shows contraction from 400 to 395 locations (-1% growth), offset by 19 projected new units and whopping 91 transfers—maybe owners shuffling or offloading? 67 SBA loans averaging $325,563 signal accessible financing, but yes on bankruptcy history and litigation over rescission, breach, and fraud claims scream due diligence. FAT Brands oversight since 2008 brings scale via co-branding like Marble Slab, yet that dip and legal noise mean this cookie might crumble without killer location scouting.
Analysis based on the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. All figures should be independently verified before making investment decisions.
How GREAT AMERICAN COOKIES Compares
Key Insights
- Top 10 largest franchise system in Coffee & Bakery
- One of the lowest SBA loan default rates in Coffee & Bakery
| Franchise | Investment | Fee | Royalty | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
GREAT AMERICAN COOKIES Current | $341K – $463K | $25K | 6.0% | 395 |
| PANERA BREAD BAKERY-CAFÉ | $633K – $4.9M | $35K | 5.0% | 1,112 |
| SCOOTER'S COFFEE | $1.2M – $1.3M | $40K | 6.0% | 882 |
| NOTHING BUNDT CAKES | $667K – $1.0M | $45K | 6.0% | 643 |
| 7 BREW | $894K – $2.2M | $35K | 4.5% | 297 |
| TOUS LES JOURS | $731K – $1.7M | $40K | 5.0% | 184 |
Coffee & Bakery Average 39 franchises | $489K – $1.1M | $39K | 5.5% | – |
* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 39 Coffee & Bakery franchises by location count.
Locations & Growth
Outlet Growth Over Time
Total outlets at end of each year
Geographic Distribution (2024)
Outlets by state across the United States
+18 more states
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Unlock location growth dataSBA Loan History
Historical SBA 7(a) loan data for GREAT AMERICAN COOKIES franchisees (2010 – 2025)
Loans by Year
SBA 7(a) loan activity over time
* Data sourced from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan records. Default rate calculated from charged-off loans.
67 SBA loans on record
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Unlock SBA loan historyFranchisee Contacts
301 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.
301 Contacts Available
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Unlock contactsDue Diligence
Litigation (Item 3)
Disputes involving rescission of international multi-unit development agreement and breach of contract/fraudulent misrepresentation in connection with the sale of a franchise restaurant.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
GAC Franchising, LLC, parent company, and affiliates (FAT Group) filed voluntary Chapter 11 petitions on January 25, 2026, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas (Case No. 26-90157 for GAC).
System Health (Item 20)
Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year
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Unlock due diligence reportsFrequently Asked Questions
The total initial investment to open a GREAT AMERICAN COOKIES franchise ranges from $340,500 to $462,650. This includes a franchise fee of $25,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 6.0% of gross sales.
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