Ambrosio’s Take
Baskin-Robbins is one of the most recognized ice cream brands in the world, with nearly 1,000 U.S. locations and a system that has operated for an average of 27.6 years per restaurant. The outlet count has declined modestly each year since 2023, and average unit volume edged down 1.1% in 2025 to $526,669, neither of which is alarming in a mature system of this size but both worth understanding in context. What this FDD rewards a careful reader with is the recognition that Baskin-Robbins is fundamentally a real estate and traffic concept: the first quartile averaged $832,696 while the fourth averaged $263,978, a gap that reflects how decisively foot traffic, co-tenancy, and local demographics determine outcomes for an impulse-driven category like ice cream.
Ambrosio’s Take is a new feature on all Franchise Chatter FDD Talk posts based on the 2026 FDD.
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Section I – Estimated initial investment (franchise costs) for a Baskin-Robbins franchise, based on Item 7 of the company’s 2026 FDD
Section II – Initial franchise fee, royalty fee, and marketing fee for a Baskin-Robbins franchise, based on Items 5 and 6 of the company’s 2026 FDD
Section III – Number of franchised and company-owned Baskin-Robbins outlets at the start of the year and the end of the year for 2023, 2024, and 2025, based on Item 20 of the company’s 2026 FDD
Section IV – News updates on the Baskin-Robbins franchise opportunity
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- 2025 average, median, highest, and lowest unit volume for the 814 franchised Baskin-Robbins restaurants that operated for the full 2025 calendar year, by quartile and overall
Section VI – Key ratios, comparables, computations, and analyses for the Baskin-Robbins franchise opportunity (exclusive content for Platinum subscribers)
Section I – Baskin-Robbins Franchise Costs
- Baskin-Robbins franchise costs, based on Item 7 of the company’s 2026 FDD:
- Initial Franchise Fee: $25,000
- Real Estate Development: $123,000 to $269,400
- Equipment, Fixtures, and Signs: $115,000 to $185,000
- Restaurant Technology System: $15,000 to $29,500
- Licenses, Permits, Fees, and Deposits: $7,000 to $20,000
- Opening Inventory: $5,000 to $8,000
- Miscellaneous Opening Costs: $9,500 to $28,000
- Uniforms: $400 to $800
- Insurance: $3,500 to $10,000
- Travel and Living Expenses While Training: $1,000 to $15,000
- Marketing Start-Up Fee: $3,000 to $6,000
- Additional Funds for First 3 Months of Operation: $0 to $30,000
- Total Estimated Baskin-Robbins Franchise Costs: $307,400 to $626,700
Section II – Baskin-Robbins’ Initial Franchise Fee, Royalty Fee, and Marketing Fee
- Baskin-Robbins’ initial franchise fee, royalty fee, and marketing fee, based on Items 5 and 6 of the company’s 2026 FDD:
- Initial Franchise Fee: $25,000
- Continuing Franchise Fee: 5.9% of gross sales (0.5% of gross sales for Restaurants located in Hawaii and the Central States Territory; 1.0% of gross sales for Restaurants located in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington)
- Continuing Advertising Fee: 5.0% of gross sales (3.5% of gross sales for Restaurants located in Alaska and Hawaii; 2.5% of gross sales for Restaurants located in the Central States Territory; 2.5% of gross sales for Special Distribution Opportunities or SDOs)
Section III – Number of Franchised and Company-Owned Baskin-Robbins Outlets
Franchised
2023
- Outlets at the Start of the Year: 1,001
- Outlets at the End of the Year: 978
- Net Change: -23
2024
- Outlets at the Start of the Year: 978
- Outlets at the End of the Year: 976
- Net Change: -2
2025
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Colin started as a team member at 21 and now owns 6 locations in Tampa Bay. Lisa came from marketing and built 21 in San Diego. The most successful multi-unit owners move early and secure markets with room to grow. Use our free tool to search multiple ZIP codes and find franchises where you can still stack locations, before someone else does.- Outlets at the Start of the Year: 976
- Outlets at the End of the Year: 967
- Net Change: -9
Company-Owned
2023
- Outlets at the Start of the Year: 0
- Outlets at the End of the Year: 0
- Net Change: 0
2024
- Outlets at the Start of the Year: 0
- Outlets at the End of the Year: 0
- Net Change: 0
2025
- Outlets at the Start of the Year: 0
- Outlets at the End of the Year: 0
- Net Change: 0
Section IV – News Updates on the Baskin-Robbins Franchise
Section V – Financial Performance Representations (Average Revenues and/or Profits) for the Baskin-Robbins Franchise (Item 19, 2026 FDD)
- These financial performance representations provide actual, historical “AUVs,” or “Annual Unit Volumes,” for specific groups of franchised Baskin-Robbins Restaurants. “Unit Volume” has the same meaning as Gross Sales.
- This Item 19 includes financial information for Baskin-Robbins’ 2025 fiscal year (which Baskin-Robbins will call simply “2025” in this Item 19), which is the period from December 30, 2024 until December 28, 2025.
- The information in this Item 19 reflects 2025 historical data for the AUVs of certain franchised Baskin-Robbins Restaurants, and is not a forecast of future financial performance or a projection.
- There were 967 franchised Baskin-Robbins Restaurants operating in the United States at the end of 2025 (excluding Combo Restaurants), of which 96 operated at non-traditional locations/SDOs.
- Baskin-Robbins excluded from these financial performance representations:
- (a) all 32 of the franchised Baskin-Robbins Restaurants that first opened for business during 2025 and did not operate for the full year;
- (b) all 112 of the franchised Baskin-Robbins Restaurants that were closed and reported no sales for extended periods during 2025, often for more than a month, either as part of remodeling or rebuilding the restaurant, due to a hurricane weather-related casualty or fire/water damage, or because of a relocation or planned transfer; and
- (c) all 9 of the franchised Baskin-Robbins Restaurants that operated at Multi-Brand Locations.
- The financial performance representations in this Item 19 provide AUVs during 2025 for the remaining 814 franchised Baskin-Robbins Restaurants (called the “2025 Franchised Restaurants”), 80 of which operated at non-traditional locations/SDOs.
- Baskin-Robbins also excluded from these financial performance representations
- (a) the 41 franchised Baskin-Robbins Restaurants that closed in 2025, one of which was open for less than 12 months before it closed, and
- (b) all 1,219 franchised Combo Restaurants (which includes 2 Baskin-Robbins Express Restaurants).
- Neither Baskin-Robbins nor its affiliates operated any Baskin-Robbins Restaurants as of the end of 2025.
- The 2025 Franchised Restaurants that operated at traditional locations were located in various types of structures, such as free-standing buildings and shopping centers/store fronts. The 2025 Franchised Restaurants that operated at traditional locations typically range in size from 1,100 to 1,300 square feet.
- The majority of the 2025 Franchised Restaurants that operated at non-traditional locations/SDOs were located in gas and convenience stores, and some were also located in airports, travel plazas, casinos, malls, hotels, and entertainment and sports complexes. The 2025 Franchised Restaurants at non-traditional locations/SDOs typically range in size from 400 to 700 square feet.
- The 2025 Franchised Restaurants are located across the country and in a variety of urban, suburban, and rural locations and in varied markets with wide-ranging levels of competition.
- 103 of the 2025 Franchised Restaurants operated with drive-thru windows, and the remaining 711 did not have drive-thru windows.
- The 2025 Franchised Restaurants have operated for an average of 27.6 years.
Annual Unit Volumes for 2025 Franchised Restaurants
1st Quartile
- Number of Restaurants: 204
- Highest AUV: $2,317,892
- Median AUV: $775,806
- Lowest AUV: $641,320
- Average AUV: $832,696
- Number and Percentage Above Average: 82 / 40%
2nd Quartile
- Number of Restaurants: 204
- Highest AUV: $641,170
- Median AUV: $563,128
- Lowest AUV: $503,312
- Average AUV: $566,966
- Number and Percentage Above Average: 98 / 48%
3rd Quartile
- Number of Restaurants: 204
- Highest AUV: $502,638
- Median AUV: $440,648
- Lowest AUV: $380,283
- Average AUV: $440,463
- Number and Percentage Above Average: 103 / 51%
4th Quartile
- Number of Restaurants: 202
- Highest AUV: $379,788
- Median AUV: $306,644
- Lowest AUV: $15,859
- Average AUV: $263,978
- Number and Percentage Above Average: 133 / 65.8%
All Restaurants
- Number of Restaurants: 814
- Highest AUV: $2,317,892
- Median AUV: $503,430
- Lowest AUV: $15,859
- Average AUV: $526,669
- Number and Percentage Above Average: 366 / 45%
- “AUV” or “Annual Unit Volume” for the 2025 Franchised Restaurants is the same as annual Gross Sales, which means all revenue related to the sale of approved products and provision of services (including direct delivery, catering and/or delivery services through third parties) through the operation of the franchised Restaurant, but does not include money received for the sale of stored value cards and deposited into a central account maintained for the benefit of the System; taxes collected from guests on behalf of a governmental body; or the sale of approved products to another entity franchised or licensed by Baskin-Robbins for subsequent resale.
- Baskin-Robbins calculates the average AUVs in this Item 19 by adding the AUVs for each Baskin-Robbins Restaurant in the applicable group and dividing the sum by the number of Baskin-Robbins Restaurants in the applicable group. Baskin-Robbins obtains the AUVs for franchised Baskin-Robbins Restaurants from sales reports that franchisees submit to it and from data that it collected from franchisees’ POS systems. Baskin-Robbins has not independently audited that information.
- A Baskin-Robbins Restaurant’s sales may vary depending on a number of factors, such as the restaurant’s location and physical condition, other characteristics of the site (such as access and signage), seasonality, competition and demographics in the market, pricing decisions, the level and types of marketing the restaurant undertakes, the quality of management and service, commitment to training staff, a franchisee’s business acumen, and the length of time the Baskin-Robbins Restaurant has been open.
- The 2025 Baskin-Robbins Restaurants offer essentially the same products and services, face the same kinds of competitive challenges, and receive the same level of support from Baskin-Robbins that it expects new franchisees will experience.
- These financial performance representations do not reflect the costs of sales, operating expenses, or other costs or expenses that must be deducted from the AUV figures to obtain your net income or profit.
- Some outlets have sold this amount. Your individual results may differ. There is no assurance that you’ll sell as much.
Section VI – Baskin-Robbins Franchise Ratios, Comparables, Computations, and Analyses (Exclusive Content for Platinum Subscribers) ⬇️
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