Duck Donuts
Food & Beverage · Baked Goods & Snacks
- Active units
- 130
- Avg unit volume
- $537k
- Royalty
- 6.0%
Franchised, year-end 2024
of weekly Net Sales
About Duck Donuts
Duck Donuts is the fastest-growing donut shop in the U.S., and it's not hard to see why. Our customers keep coming back for our warm, fresh, and always duck-licious offerings! It all started on the sandy beaches of the Outer Banks in Duck, North Carolina, where Founder Russ DiGilio and his family enjoyed vacations but couldn't find a place to get that sweet staple of happiness – a warm, fresh donut. So, they decided to create their own, leading to the opening of the first Duck Donuts in 2007. Now, you can enjoy the taste of the Outer Banks in your own backyard by visiting one of our 100+ locations across the country! At Duck Donuts, we are dedicated to delivering smiles and warm, delicious made-to-order donuts created just the way you like. We treat our guests like family and pride ourselves on providing a superior product and exceptional customer service. We are actively engaged in our communities and strive to make positive changes every day. Stop by your local Duck Donuts and sweeten up your day!.
Key terms
- Franchise fee
$40k
- Multi-Unit discounted initial franchise fee
30,000 for the second and each additional Duck Donuts outlet under a Multi-Unit Development Agreement; credits from Development Fee applied at signing.
- Existing franchisee additional unit
Reduced Initial Franchise Fee of 30,000 for purchase of an additional Duck Donuts franchise by existing franchisees in good standing.
- Brand fund
2.0% of Net Sales
- Local advertising
1.0% of Net Sales
- Footprint
1,000 – 1,400 sq ft
- Multi-Unit Development Agreement - Development Fee
$60k
- Veteran discount
10.0% off franchise fee — 10% discount of the initial franchise fee to first responders and to active members and honorably discharged veterans (including spouse or widow); does not apply to discounted fees under the Multi-Unit Development Agreement.
Brand Percentile Rankings
Rankings compare brands in the same operating year. Fee and investment figures come from the FDD (2026 filing); filings on file: 2024, 2025, 2026.
Growth
- Total locations145
Franchised units open at year-end
- New openings23
Gross new units opened during the calendar year
- 1-year unit growth rate1.4%
Net unit growth versus prior year
- 3-year unit CAGR4.4%
Compound annual growth rate of unit count over the trailing 3 years
- Unit growth ratio3.3×
Cumulative opens / closures through year-end
Unit economics
- Annual unit volume (Median)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- Annual unit volume (25th percentile)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- Annual unit volume (75th percentile)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- 1-year Median AUV growth rate-7.0%
Year-over-year change in median AUV
- Store-level EBITDA Margin—
Median unit-level EBITDA / AUV
Investment profile
- Estimated initial investment$511k
Midpoint of estimated initial investment range
↓ Lower is better - Time to open365 months
Midpoint of average time from agreement to opening
↓ Lower is better - Royalty rate6.0%
Percent of net sales paid to the franchisor
↓ Lower is better - Sales-to-investment ratio—
Median AUV / estimated initial investment midpoint
- Cash-on-cash returns—
Median unit-level EBITDA / estimated initial investment midpoint. Steady-state estimate; year 1 returns will be lower as the unit ramps to median volumes.
Franchisee healthLocked
- Unit closure ratio
- Transfer vs. closure ratio
- Percent multi-unit franchisees
- Litigation rate
- EBITDA multiple on sales & transfers
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Location footprint
Showing 180 of 206 mapped locations
Sources
Financial and operating figures are sourced from the brand's Franchise Disclosure Documents. Brand percentile rankings are based on comparisons to other brands that include the same metrics in their Franchise Disclosure Documents.