Start a Pinot's Palette Franchise in 2026

Franchise 500 Rank: N/R Not ranked last year

Initial investment: $119K - $259K

Units as of 2025: 70 7% over 3 years

Pinot's Palette is a paint and sip studio founded in 2009 by Craig Ceccanti, Charles Willis, and Beth Willis. The brand offers painting lessons in a step-by-step demonstration to help customers create masterpieces in a fun and exciting way. Customers bring beverages, wine, and cocktails to classes, and Pinot's Palette also offers fun activities such as karaoke and dancing.

The company started franchising in 2010. Currently, there are more than 100 franchise locations across the United States and Canada. Its headquarters are in Houston, Texas.

Why You May Want to Start a Pinot's Palette Franchise

Wine painting class studios have become very popular as recreational and fun places to spend quality time with friends and family. With most classes running in the evening, customers from stay-at-home moms, to working women, to couples spending their date sipping wine and painting flock to the studios.

Pinot’s Palette franchisees get exclusive support and training from the parent company. As a franchisee, you get to be your boss without the risks involved in starting a new business from scratch. You acquire an existing concept well-known to customers and a brand they connect to and enjoy.

The parent company provides art supplies to their franchisees to ensure quality products at competitive prices.

Is a Pinot's Palette Franchise a Good Choice?

Pinot's Palette offers its customers a variety of fun options. The different options include:

Studio painting sessions
Paint parties with children camps
Sip and paint activities at weddings
Team-building sessions with businesses
Fun games and leisure contests at schools

The company also offers virtual franchise opportunities, where customers pay for online painting sessions from the comfort of their homes.

You'll want to make sure you have enough capital available to start your paint and sip studio. The franchisor offers in-house financing to cover the franchise fee if franchisees qualify. They also offer financing options through third-party lenders to cover startup costs, equipment, inventory, and payroll. If you are a veteran, Pinot's Palette may offer a discount on the initial franchise fee.

A company representative will help you set up a marketing strategy, provide marketing materials, set up a company website and social media page. Pinot's Palette also enables you to recruit well-trained instructors to ensure your team provides quality classes to customers.

How To Start a Pinot's Palette Franchise

The first step towards opening a Pinot’s Palette franchise is filling out and submitting a franchise request form. A company representative may contact you to answer your franchising questions and outline the requirements to become a franchisee. At this point, you will be given the Franchise Disclosure Document to get a comprehensive picture of your options.

You will submit your financial statements to gauge your financial abilities as an aspiring franchisee. After approval, you will pay the franchise fee and sign the agreements. You will be given a corporate tour at the headquarters to polish your paint and sip industry knowledge.

The next step with Pinot's Palette is selecting a suitable location for your franchise. You and your team will get studio training in your new studio to perfect the business model and skills to Pinot's Palette standards. Finally, you will be given a company-assisted grand opening, which will mark the beginning of your paint and sip franchise.

Company Overview

About Pinot's Palette

Industry	Recreation
Related Categories	DIY/Paint-&-Sip Studios, Party/Event Services, Miscellaneous Services
Founded	2009
Parent Company	Twist Brands LLC
Leadership	Todd Owen, CEO & Co-owner
Corporate Address	P.O. Box 1710 Mandeville, LA 70470
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2010 (16 years)
# of employees at HQ	21
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming This company is offering new franchises in the following international regions: Canada
# of Units	70 (as of 2025)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Pinot's Palette 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.	$25,000
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.	$119,000 - $259,000
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.	$200,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$80,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	20% 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.	2%
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.	7 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	Pinot's Palette 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	42-62 hours
Classroom Training	72-82 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 National Media 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.	No
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
# of employees required to run	6
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