How much is a Once Upon A Child franchise? $355,700 – $485,900 to open, per its disclosure filings
$355,700 – $485,900
Opening a Once Upon A Child franchise takes $355,700 – $485,900 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $48,200 – $55,900. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 5% on sales. To qualify, Once Upon A Child asks for $75,000 in liquid cash and a $250,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Once Upon A Child cost table
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $48,200 | $55,900 | $48,200 to $55,900 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $355,700 | $485,900 | $355,700 to $485,900 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $250,000 | $250,000 | $250,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $75,000 | $75,000 | $75,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $355,700 | $485,900 | $355,700 to $485,900 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 5% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Not disclosed |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 10 years |
What's in that number — and what isn't
The $355,700 – $485,900 range is derived from Once Upon A Child's filed initial-investment disclosure (FDD Item 7 class): build-out, equipment, and opening costs as the franchisor stated them. Your market's real estate, labor, and build-out prices can land you outside it.
Not in the opening number: the ongoing royalty of 5% on sales, and your operating losses while the unit ramps. Every figure marked "Not disclosed" above is a gap in the filings, not a zero.
How Once Upon A Child's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Once Upon A Child's disclosed cost sits against the Retail category:
- Minimum startup cost of $355,700 — about 2.2× the Retail median of $165,000.
- Initial franchise fee of $48,200 — about 1.3× the Retail median of $36,750.
Category medians are computed from the Retail brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Retail franchises
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Once Upon A Child 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 Once Upon A Child for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What is the Once Upon A Child franchise fee?
$48,200 – $55,900, one-time, per disclosure filings as of 2026-05.
What ongoing fees does Once Upon A Child charge?
A royalty of 5% on sales, per disclosure filings as of 2026-05.
How much money do you need to qualify for a Once Upon A Child franchise?
Once Upon A Child's filings ask for $75,000 in liquid cash and a $250,000 minimum net worth (as of 2026-05). Capital figures are the franchisor's stated minimums, not our advice.