Franchise opportunities compared
Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe vs Schlotzsky’s
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.
- Schlotzsky’s discloses 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 (Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe: 16, Schlotzsky’s: 2). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure |  Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe | SSchlotzsky’s |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $646,000 – $1,112,750 Total initial investment for one Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe — low estimate 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 15 | $668,775 – $2,261,500 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $35,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 11 | Not available No single standard fee identified |
| Royalty (Item 6) | 6% Royalty percentage of gross sales 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 12 | $6.00 Royalty rate 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 30 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | 3% Advertising fee percentage of gross sales — 3% 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 12 | $25,000 First restaurant in market advertising minimum 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 29 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 35 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 39 | 294 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 89 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | +6 Calculated: 29 at end of 2023 → 35 at end of 2025 | −23 Calculated: 317 at end of 2023 → 294 at end of 2025 |
| 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) | 2008 From a verified franchisor listing | 1971 From a verified franchisor listing |
| 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 | Franchised (8 locations) — other measures — Quartile2 of31full-yearfranchises $1,456,404 other Quartile2 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 36 Franchised (31 locations) — other measures and revenue $1,447,902 other Table1 Average · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 36 Franchised (27 locations) — other measures and revenue $1,435,041 other Table2 Average · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 36 +13 more groups in the full report | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Traditional franchise restaurants with a drive-thru that reported sales all 52… $1,739,247 other Table 1 drive-thru · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 87 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Traditional franchise restaurants without a drive-thru that reported sales all… $33 other Table 2 no drive-thru · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 87 |
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.