Great Harvest^®

Food & Beverage • Year: 2024

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What Is Great Harvest?

Great Harvest is a retail bakery cafe franchise focused on whole-wheat baked goods and made-from-scratch sandwiches, salads, soups, granola, breakfast items and other café products. Sales are primarily retail with limited off-premises activity, and revenues are generated mainly from the sale of baked goods and café food items. Bakery cafes typically operate in high-traffic urban and suburban areas and the system includes bread-baking “hub” locations and non-bread-baking “spoke” locations that supply bread to nearby cafes.

Great Harvest Franchise: Pros and Cons

The franchisor's biggest strength is its 100 Training & Support score and 293 hours of initial training—well above industry norms—which greatly reduces early operational mistakes; the main risk is no mandatory ongoing training, while roughly 91% of Food & Beverage franchisors require it, meaning fewer formal refreshes as operations evolve.

Pros

A 100 Training & Support score plus 293 hours of initial training—well above industry norms—means the franchisor invests heavily in preparing new operators, reducing early operational mistakes and onboarding gaps.

The $7,500 initial franchise fee is well below the Food & Beverage norm (bottom 5%), leaving you with more cash on hand for build-out, equipment, and opening marketing.

Initial franchise fees are refundable and the franchisor does not treat initial fees as non‑refundable on failure—an uncommon, franchisee‑friendly policy that lowers your upfront downside risk.

Cons

The franchisor does not require mandatory ongoing training, while roughly 91% of Food & Beverage franchisors do—this implies less formal post‑opening training and fewer structured refreshes as operations evolve.

The franchisor does not reserve the right to use different trademarks (an unusual absence; 95.8% of peers do), which limits their flexibility to refresh branding or introduce alternate concepts that could drive system marketing.

Lawsuits & Legal Risk

100

Excellent

The franchise reported no material legal proceedings.

Territory Protection

62/100

Excellent

Grants a protected operating area where the franchisor will not place other physical units. Franchisor retains rights to sell via e-commerce and alternative distribution channels, to develop additional nearby units (no right of first refusal) per market-density planning, while franchisee holds site-specific relocation rights and faces no performance contingencies.

Training & Support

100

Excellent

The brand provides a comprehensive 293-hour training curriculum designed to prepare the two individuals included in the initial franchise fee for launch and early operations. The program includes on-site launch assistance as operational readiness support, and franchisees are responsible for travel and living expenses as well as any additional fees for on-site support.

Unit Growth Analysis

This franchise is on a modest but clear decline: unit counts fell from 169 (2022) to 162 (2023) to 156 (2024), a cumulative loss of 13 units (−7.7%) and a latest YoY of −3.7%. The contraction is moderating — the year-over-year rate eased from about −4.1% (2023) to −3.7% (2024) — which suggests continued attrition or closures that investors should monitor, but not a rapid collapse; remediation or stabilization efforts may be starting to take effect.

How Much Does It Cost to Open a Great Harvest Franchise?

Opening a Great Harvest franchise requires a total initial investment of $168,262 to $984,154, according to the 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document. This range covers the franchise fee, real estate, equipment, training, and initial working capital needed to launch and operate through the early months.

Minimum Investment

$168,262

Franchise Fee

Real Estate

Equipment & Assets

Reserves

Training

Other

Maximum Investment

$984,154

Minimum Investment Breakdown

Franchise Fee$35,000

Real Estate$2,840

Equipment & Assets$95,405

Reserves$20,000

Training$2,049

Other$12,968

Maximum Investment Breakdown

Franchise Fee$35,000

Real Estate$484,152

Equipment & Assets$371,586

Reserves$20,000

Training$10,300

Other$63,116

Investment Analysis

This investment analysis is coming soon. Have ideas for other analyses you'd like us to add? Get in touch.

The initial investment amounts shown are estimates only. Actual costs may vary based on location size, business model, and multi-unit ownership arrangements. We recommend reviewing the full Franchise Disclosure Document for complete details.

How Much Do Great Harvest Franchise Owners Make?

Great Harvest franchise locations reported average gross sales of $907,502 and median gross sales of $861,185 in 2024, based on financial performance data disclosed in Item 19 of the Franchise Disclosure Document.

Average Gross Sales:

$907,502

Median Gross Sales:

$861,185

High Gross Sales:

$2,633,768

Low Gross Sales:

$189,102

Sample Size:

Percent Attaining Average:

44.0%

Franchise vs Corporate Performance: Only franchised outlet results are reported, so there is no company-owned benchmark for comparison; the disclosed figures reflect owner-managed franchised new concept bakery cafes.

Performance Variability Analysis: Single-site franchised sales vary widely (from 189,102 to 2,633,768) with the mean (907,502) modestly above the median (861,185), indicating positive skew driven by higher-performing locations.

Data Scope and Limitations: Sales figures are for the 2023 calendar year from unaudited franchisee reports and represent 32 full-year single-site locations; expense details are limited to 2022 submissions and may not reflect 2023 cost levels.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to open a Great Harvest franchise?

The total initial investment for a Great Harvest franchise ranges from $168,262 to $984,154, according to the 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document. This includes the franchise fee, real estate, equipment, training, and working capital.

What is the Great Harvest initial franchise fee?

The initial franchise fee for Great Harvest is $7,500, as stated in the 2024 FDD. This fee is paid upon signing the Franchise Agreement.

How much do Great Harvest franchise owners make?

Great Harvest franchise locations reported average gross sales of $907,502 and median gross sales of $861,185 in 2024, based on Item 19 of the Franchise Disclosure Document. Actual earnings vary by location, market, and operator experience.

Does Great Harvest have any franchise lawsuits or legal issues?

Great Harvest received a legal risk score of 100 out of 100 in the 2024 FDD analysis. The franchise reported no material legal proceedings.

Does Great Harvest offer exclusive franchise territories?

Great Harvest received a territory protection score of 62 out of 100. Grants a protected operating area where the franchisor will not place other physical units.

What training does Great Harvest provide to new franchisees?

Great Harvest received a training and support score of 100 out of 100. The brand provides a comprehensive 293-hour training curriculum designed to prepare the two individuals included in the initial franchise fee for launch and early operations.

How many Great Harvest franchise locations are there?

Great Harvest had 156 total locations as of the 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document.

What type of business is Great Harvest?

Great Harvest is a retail bakery cafe franchise focused on whole-wheat baked goods and made-from-scratch sandwiches, salads, soups, granola, breakfast items and other café products.

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