Start a Ben's Soft Pretzels Franchise in 2025

Franchise 500 Rank: N/R Not ranked last year

Initial investment: $86K - $340K

Units as of 2023: 97 51.6% over 3 years

Ben's Soft Pretzels is an American heartland business that was founded in 2008 by three entrepreneurs who were passionate about great-tasting food. Elizabeth Miller, Benjamin Miller, and Scott Jones opened their first bakery at the Concord mall in Elkhart, Indiana. They offer Amish-inspired soft pretzels that are jumbo-sized and have a crave-inducing gourmet taste.

The Ben's Soft Pretzels franchise headquarters are in Elkhart, Indiana. Since beginning to franchise in 2013, Ben’s Soft Pretzels has grown to over 50 franchises spread across the U.S. This franchise is a well-known player in the soft pretzels market and offers a quick-serve business model. The perfect candidate for a Ben's Soft Pretzels franchisee is a dedicated person, preferably with business experience, who yearns to offer customer satisfaction while operating their business.

Why You May Want to Start a Ben's Soft Pretzels Franchise

As a franchisee, you'll offer a delicious product whose quality and taste are key selling points. Your Ben's Soft Pretzels franchise location will adopt a simple but effective business model complemented by cutting-edge hardware you'll receive through your training.

Ben's Soft Pretzels franchises offer consumers baking that's Amish-inspired and made fresh, on-site daily. Infused with imported German salt, these hand-rolled pretzels are not only twice the size of ordinary pretzels, but they're yeast-raised and preservative-free. In addition, franchisees are expected to offer these delicious products with exceptional customer service with the secret ingredient: love.

What Might Make a Ben's Soft Pretzels Franchise a Good Choice?

Franchisees have the option to open a traditional store or a mobile store. Each has a different investment price. To be part of Ben's Soft Pretzels team, you should make sure you're financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include advertising fees and royalty fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the franchise's set net worth and liquid capital requirements.

A Ben's Soft Pretzels franchise is an all-season business and has a unique product with little market competition. For this enterprise, you'll manage a staff size dependent on your location and the space available in your shop. Franchisees benefit from training in business operations, including how to make the products. You'll receive multiple days of training at Ben's Soft Pretzels University, another several days of in-store training, and continuous education to keep you updated on the business.

How To Open a Ben's Soft Pretzels Franchise

To find out more information on opening a Ben's Soft Pretzels franchise, you must first submit a franchise inquiry form. You may then receive a copy of the company's Franchise Disclosure Document to review the brand and the franchising process.

After reviewing your application, you may receive initial contact from a franchise development team member. This individual will be your point person through discovery day, training, site selection, lease negotiations, and opening day for your location. In addition, Ben's Soft Pretzels stands alongside your business with its fine-tuned marketing plan that helps connect with your customers, community leaders, and influencers around your bakery.

Company Overview

About Ben's Soft Pretzels

Industry	Food
Related Categories	Pretzels, Baked Goods, Miscellaneous Baked Goods
Founded	2008
Parent Company	Ben's Soft Pretzels Franchising Corp.
Leadership	Scott Jones, CEO & Cofounder
Corporate Address	2840 Lillian Ave. Elkhart, IN 46514
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2013 (12 years)
# of employees at HQ	10
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises throughout the US.
# of Units	97 (as of 2023)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Ben's Soft Pretzels franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$30,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$86,000 - $339,500
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$300,000 - $5,000,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$50,000 - $500,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	50% off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	6%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	1.5%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	5 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Ben's Soft Pretzels has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	28 hours
Classroom Training	15 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	Yes
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	Yes
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	Yes
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes