The published range is $801,500 to $1,582,000 all-in per unit, per the latest FDD filing.
| Line item | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $35,000 | FDD Item 5 |
| Total initial investment — low | $801,500 | FDD Item 7 |
| Total initial investment — high | $1,582,000 | FDD Item 7 |
| Royalty rate (ongoing) | 4% of gross | FDD Item 6 |
| Marketing fee (ongoing) | 2% of gross | FDD Item 6 |
The Original Mels® is a specialty retail franchise.
Initial investment ranges from $801,500 to $1,582,000. Detailed breakdown of where the capital goes is in the full FDD — unlock below.
Item 19 of the latest FDD reports median and quartile unit revenue. Unlock for the full distribution, breakeven timeline, and peer comparison.
| Metric | Top quartile | Median | Bottom quartile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross revenue | $1,742,000 | $1,301,847 | $847,000 |
| Unit count (reporting) | 812 | 527 | 294 |
| Breakeven month | Mo 14 | Mo 22 | Mo 34+ |
The systems The Original Mels® franchisees run — mandated vendors, approved alternatives, and annual cost benchmarks. If you sell into this vertical, this is your map.
| System | Category | Mandated? | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| POS Platform | Payments | Approved pair | $1,800 |
| Scheduling / CRM | Operations | Yes | $6,000 |
| Reporting System | Analytics | Yes | $2,400 |
Total initial investment ranges from $801,500 to $1,582,000 per unit, per the latest FDD filing. The initial franchise fee is $35,000.
The Original Mels® charges a 4% royalty on gross revenue, plus a 2% marketing fee.
Capital, breakeven, satisfaction, territory.
Tech stack, decision makers, approach sequence.
Growth, comps, exit patterns, parent diligence.
YoY FDD diff, renewal terms, peer comps.