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    Franchise opportunities compared

    Auntie Anne's vs Rainbow Cone Five Flavors

    Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.

    Auntie Anne's2026 FDDRainbow Cone Five Flavors2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Auntie Anne's

    $115,225 – $1,811,400

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Rainbow Cone Five Flavors

    $137,860 – $4,969,378

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Auntie Anne's

    $4,800

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 29

    Rainbow Cone Five Flavors

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    Auntie Anne's

    7%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 30

    Rainbow Cone Five Flavors

    6%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Auntie Anne's and Rainbow Cone Five Flavors disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
    • Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Auntie Anne's: 7, Rainbow Cone Five Flavors: 25). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Auntie Anne's

    $115,225 – $1,811,400
    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Rainbow Cone Five Flavors

    $137,860 – $4,969,378
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Auntie Anne's

    $4,800
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 29

    Rainbow Cone Five Flavors

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified
    Royalty (Item 6)

    Auntie Anne's

    7%
    Royalty fee — standard Shops current percentage
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 30

    Rainbow Cone Five Flavors

    6%
    Royalty
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Auntie Anne's

    2%
    Advertising contribution — Co-Branded Shops, Auntie Anne’s share — 2%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 31

    Rainbow Cone Five Flavors

    3%
    Brand marketing fund contribution maximum — 3%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Auntie Anne's

    1,236
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 95

    Rainbow Cone Five Flavors

    27
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 81
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Auntie Anne's

    +80
    Calculated: 1,156 at end of 2023 → 1,236 at end of 2025

    Rainbow Cone Five Flavors

    +27
    Calculated: 0 at end of 2022 → 27 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Auntie Anne's

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Rainbow Cone Five Flavors

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)

    Auntie Anne's

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Rainbow Cone Five Flavors

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    Auntie Anne's

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Rainbow Cone Five Flavors

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    Auntie Anne's
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Enclosed Mall Franchises
    $638,196
    other Enclosed Mall franchises
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 91
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Cinnabon Co-Branded Franchises
    $977,242
    other Cinnabon Co-Branded franchises
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 93
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Outlet Center Franchises
    $1,005,518
    other Outlet Center franchises
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 92
    +4 more groups in the full report
    Rainbow Cone Five Flavors
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Crew
    $15 /hour
    other Crew wages range
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 71
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Salaried managers
    $47,000 /year
    other Salaried manager wages range
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 71
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Affiliate-owned Express unit #2 inside Buona Beef restaurant
    $171,093
    other Gross sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 76
    +22 more groups in the full report

    Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.

    Auntie Anne's vs Rainbow Cone Five Flavors: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Auntie Anne's or Rainbow Cone Five Flavors?
    Auntie Anne's: $115,225 – $1,811,400 (2026 FDD · Item 7); Rainbow Cone Five Flavors: $137,860 – $4,969,378 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Auntie Anne's. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    How do Auntie Anne's and Rainbow Cone Five Flavors royalties compare?
    Auntie Anne's: 7% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 30); Rainbow Cone Five Flavors: 6% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16). Royalties as disclosed in Item 6; other recurring fees are listed separately.
    Which has more locations, Auntie Anne's or Rainbow Cone Five Flavors?
    Auntie Anne's: 1,236 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 95); Rainbow Cone Five Flavors: 27 (2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 81). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Auntie Anne's and Rainbow Cone Five Flavors disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Auntie Anne's has reviewed Item 19 figures for 7 location groups; Rainbow Cone Five Flavors has reviewed Item 19 figures for 25 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

    Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

    How Franopolis reviews FDD figures

    Keep researching

    Full Auntie Anne's report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

    Full Rainbow Cone Five Flavors report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

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