Franopolis

    Franchise opportunities compared

    Carvel Corporation vs La Madeleine French Bakery Cafe

    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.

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Carvel Corporation and La Madeleine French Bakery Cafe 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 (Carvel Corporation: 5, La Madeleine French Bakery Cafe: 5). Different groups are not directly comparable.
    DisclosureCarvel CorporationLMLa Madeleine French Bakery Cafe
    Financial commitment
    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)
    $38,850 – $1,051,200
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    $448,250 – $2,254,000
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)
    $3,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 30
    Not available
    No single standard fee identified
    Royalty (Item 6)
    $6.00
    OTHER FEES Type of Fee 1, 4 Amount Date Due Remarks Royalty Fee — 6%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 31
    $5.00
    Refranchised affiliate Full Bakery royalty maximum
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)
    $2.00
    Marketing Obligation Currently, each calendar quarter, you must spend not less than — 2%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 32
    $2.25
    Brand Marketing Fund current
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 17
    System scale & health
    Total outlets (Item 20)
    720
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 93
    Not available
    No reviewed outlet counts
    Net outlet change (Item 20)
    +68
    Calculated: 652 at end of 2023 → 720 at end of 2025
    Not available
    Only one year reported
    Outlet exits (Item 20)
    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)
    1950
    From a verified franchisor listing
    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)
    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Performance (Item 19)
    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 104eligible singlebranded full Streetside Shoppes — 2nd Quartile
    26 shoppes
    other 2nd Quartile Sample size · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 92
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 104eligible singlebranded full Streetside Shoppes — Top Quartile
    $779,624
    other Top Quartile Mean net sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 92
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 104eligible singlebranded full Streetside Shoppes — 3rd Quartile
    26 shoppes
    other 3rd Quartile Sample size · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 92
    +2 more groups in the full report
    Franchised (24 locations) — other measures — Top 50% of Covered Franchised Bakery & Cafés at Traditional Locations
    $2,322,556
    other Franchised Traditional · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 69
    Franchised (24 locations) — other measures — Bottom 50% of Covered Franchised Bakery & Cafés at Traditional Locations
    $1,800,992
    other Franchised Traditional · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 69
    Franchised (8 locations) — other measures
    $1,804,288
    other Franchised Express Non-Traditional · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 70
    +2 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.

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