Pretzelmaker
The total investment to open a Pretzelmaker franchise ranges from $34,800 to $295,800. The initial franchise fee is $37,800.
What is the Pretzelmaker franchise?
Pretzelmaker is a counter service restaurant that sells pretzels and snacks to customers. The estimated total initial investment is $34,800 to $295,800, and the initial franchise fee is $37,800. These figures are from the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document.
Pretzelmaker was founded in 1991 and is headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Loan Activity Score
48/100
SBA Default Rate
7.9%
Active Lenders
25
According to its Franchise Disclosure Document or public business records, Pretzelmaker has 30 locations, all owned by franchisees. Public SBA loan records show 25 lenders made 38 loans to franchisees of Pretzelmaker. PeerSense calculates Pretzelmaker's score as 48 out of 100, using public SBA loan performance and recent lending activity. Cost figures are based on the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document.
Franchising since 1991 · 30 locations
$34,800 to $295,800
$37,800
30
30 franchised
Proprietary PeerSense metric
FairDistinct lenders in public SBA records for Pretzelmaker
38
Total SBA loans
$133K
Average loan size
Source: public SBA 7(a) and 504 loan records through December 31, 2025
Referral fee at closing
SBA Lending Activity for Pretzelmaker
Loan Activity Score Breakdown
Established (25 to 99 loans)
Are lenders increasingly or decreasingly funding this brand? Growing trends score highest.
Blended default rate (recent + all time) compared to NAICS sector peers.
Quality lenders actively backing this brand, with penalty for lender pullback.
FDD availability, Item 19 disclosure, and overall data completeness.
Geographic spread of SBA funded locations across states.
SBA Lending Performance
SBA Default Rate
7.9%
vs 10.3% peer avg
SBA Loans
38
Total Volume
$5.1M
Active Lenders
25
8 selective
States
17
vs. SBA Sector Average
SBA loan default rate vs. all franchises in the same NAICS sector, not limited to direct competitors
Key Highlights
Franchise Financing Resources
Data Insights
Key performance metrics for Pretzelmaker based on SBA lending data
SBA Default Rate
7.9%
2.4% below peer avg
SBA Loan Volume
38 loans
Across 25 lenders
Lender Diversity
25 lenders
Avg 1.5 loans per lender
Investment Tier
Mid range investment
$34,800 to $295,800 total
Pretzelmaker: Deep SBA Data
Brand specific metrics derived directly from SBA 7(a) approval records: peak lending year, leading state, average loan size, and lender concentration. PeerSense computes these per brand so capital advisors and prospective franchisees can benchmark this opportunity against the rest of the franchise universe.
Peak SBA Year
1995
7 approvals. The best year on record for Pretzelmaker.
Top SBA State
Minnesota
7 SBA financed Pretzelmaker locations, the densest operator footprint.
Average Loan Size
$143K
Median $94K. Use as a sizing anchor when modeling your own Pretzelmaker unit.
Lender Concentration
30%
Moderately Spread
Share of Pretzelmaker approvals captured by the top 3 SBA lenders.
Pretzelmaker's SBA lending pipeline peaked in 1995 (7 approvals). Operator density is highest in Minnesota with 7 SBA financed locations. Average funded ticket sits at $143K, with the median at $94K. Lender mix is moderately spread: the top three SBA lenders account for 30% of approvals. Meaningful choice exists, but specific lenders carry the brand.
Payment Estimator
Estimated Monthly Payment
$360
Principal & Interest only
Indicative only, as of October 1, 2026. Not a quote, commitment or offer of credit. Final pricing, leverage and terms are determined by the lender at underwriting, after full transaction materials are reviewed. PeerSense sources the file. The lender sets pricing. What these terms mean.
Locations
Pretzelmaker, unit breakdown
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Page Review
Reviewed by Edward L. Freeman, Founder and Managing Director, PeerSense
- PeerSense is a capital advisory firm that places commercial financing with direct capital sources; it does not lend, fund, or approve loans, and the capital source sets final terms.
- Edward L. Freeman founded PeerSense in January 2020.
- He is a Registered Franchise Consultant with Business Alliance, Inc., a credential issued in March 2022, and worked as a franchise consultant there from March 2022 to May 2023.
- His recorded experience includes a $22 million SBA construction loan, with about $16 million funded on the deal.
- In the 12 months through September 30, 2026, PeerSense tracked 912 publicly announced financings with a disclosed size of $361.32 billion. PeerSense Capital Data Report · Methodology page
Last reviewed LinkedIn profileAbout Edward Freeman