Einstein Bros. Bagels franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening an Einstein Bros. Bagels franchise takes $585,000 – $1,024,000 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $12,500 – $47,000. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 5% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 4%. To qualify, Einstein Bros. Bagels asks for $536,300 in liquid cash and a $1,000,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Einstein Bros. Bagels franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $12,500 | $47,000 | $12,500 to $47,000 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $585,000 | $1,024,000 | $585,000 to $1,024,000 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $536,300 | $536,300 | $536,300 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $585,000 | $1,024,000 | $585,000 to $1,024,000 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 5% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 4% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 10 years |
See the full Einstein Bros. Bagels cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Einstein Bros. Bagels's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Einstein Bros. Bagels's disclosed cost sits against the Food & Beverage category:
- Minimum startup cost of $585,000 — about 2.1× the Food & Beverage median of $282,500.
- Initial franchise fee of $12,500 — about 64% below the Food & Beverage median of $35,000.
Category medians are computed from the Food & Beverage brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Food & Beverage franchises
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How Einstein Bros. Bagels's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2021: began the window at 262 units; 208 units opened, 83 closed, ending at 54 units. (partial records: 2017, 2018 are not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Einstein Bros. Bagels or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Einstein Bros. Bagels for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Einstein Bros. Bagels is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Einstein Bros. Bagels grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Einstein Bros. Bagels can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Einstein Bros. Bagels franchise
Einstein Bros. Bagels is a food & beverage franchisor with 54 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2021, it began the window at 262 units; its filings record 208 unit openings and 83 closures, ending at 54 units (partial records: 2017, 2018 are not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is Einstein Bros. Bagels Franchise Corporation.
No franchise-related lawsuits reported in the disclosure data we hold (FDD Item 3, as of 2026-05) — an absence in our sources, not a guarantee; confirm against the brand's current FDD.
From the franchisor's materials
Caribou Coffee Development Company, Inc. offers franchises for the operation of CARIBOU COFFEE & EINSTEIN BROS. BAGELS™ stores using the above logo trademark and related trademarks. The Stores primarily sell coffees, teas, fresh-baked bagels, cream cheese spreads, soups, salads, sandwiches, and other food and beverage products from kiosk style locations within a host facility, such as shopping malls, strip shopping centers, public transportation facilities, convention centers, grocery stores, university food courts, movie theaters, health clubs, hospitals and similar venues.
Einstein Bros. Bagels franchise: quick answers
- How much does an Einstein Bros. Bagels franchise cost?
- $585,000 – $1,024,000 all-in to open, per Einstein Bros. Bagels's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Einstein Bros. Bagels units are there?
- 54 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Einstein Bros. Bagels's units held up?
- 85.7% of units at risk between 2019 and 2021 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).