Dirty Dough is a stuffed-cookie brand built for craveable, high-margin desserts and fast turns. The Dirty Dough franchise offers brick-and-mortar shops and a mobile unit option, letting operators match capital and market density. A tight production flow, limited SKUs, and eye-catching branding support strong off-premise, late-night, and event demand.
What is the Dirty Dough franchise
The Dirty Dough franchise standardizes a simple dessert line built around oversized, gooey, stuffed cookies with rotating flavors. Shops run a compact kitchen for thaw/proof/bake, finish, and pack, plus a visible display to drive impulse purchases. The menu travels well for delivery and large orders, so locations lean into digital channels, office drops, school events, and catering. The brand also fields a mobile format for fairs and on-site events that can seed future territories or supplement fixed stores.
Dirty Dough franchise cost & fees
| Item | Amount / Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $35,000 | One-time per unit |
| Total Initial Investment | $162,000 – $428,000 | Typical range across formats |
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales | Ongoing system fee |
| Marketing / Ad Fund | 4% of gross sales | National/brand marketing |
| Liquid Capital (guideline) | $100,000 | Candidate benchmark |
Figures reflect publicly available franchise materials and directory summaries.
Footprint, build-out & staffing
- Formats: brick-and-mortar dessert shop (inline/end-cap) or mobile unit for events and pop-ups.
- Site traits (shops): strong visibility, evening footfall, and easy pickup access; proximity to campuses, entertainment districts, and high-density residential helps late-night sales.
- Kitchen line: thaw/proof, bake, finish, and display; cold storage sized to flavor count; POS with order-ahead integration; dedicated packing area for delivery/catering to avoid front-counter bottlenecks.
- Staffing: General Manager or lead, bakers/finishers, cashiers/expediters; cross-training enables tight teams on late evenings and weekends.
- Throughput levers: disciplined bake-off schedule by daypart, precise holding specs, clear expo roles, and order-throttling windows for third-party marketplaces.
Training & support
Owners receive site criteria and prototype guidance, equipment and smallwares specs, and opening checklists. Training covers bake cycles, finishing standards, food safety, display merchandising, and guest-flow choreography at the counter and pickup shelf. Marketing support includes creative assets for grand opening, flavor-drop calendars, social content, and loyalty mechanics to drive repeat frequency. Post-launch, operators track speed, accuracy, and flavor sell-through to adjust production and labor.
Steps to open
- Discovery & planning — align territory, format (shop or mobile), capital plan, and timing.
- Site selection / route plan — for shops: visibility, access, late-night potential; for mobile: event calendar and commissary base.
- Design & build-out / upfit — apply the brand prototype, order equipment, signage, menu boards, and POS; for mobile, complete trailer upfit and utilities.
- Hiring & training — assemble the team; certify bake/finish and service routines; rehearse rushes with order-ahead and delivery integration.
- Grand opening — execute funded launch, flavor-drop schedule, neighborhood outreach, campus/office sampling, and event tie-ins.
- Operate & scale — manage production curves and labor by hour, push catering and mobile/event revenue, and evaluate additional units as KPIs stabilize.
Dirty Dough Franchise Info: https://dirtydoughcookies.com/
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Starting investments from:$162,000
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Company type:Bakery
- Year company was founded:2018
- Corporate address:1537 W Broadway Rd, Tempe, Arizona, 85282, USA