Initial fee: Total fee is $35,000, of which $22,000 is due upon signing the franchise agreement and the remaining $13,000 is due three weeks prior to your opening.

A new laptop computer is included with the $35,000 fee.

Average total cost to open a Great Harvest bread store is $245,758. (Click here for details.)

Capital requirements of applicants: $70,000-$75,000 in liquid, unencumbered cash (cash and securities, not including retirement accounts). Applicants should have additional resources and/or the ability to borrow or acquire the balance that will be needed to open the bakery.

Average time from signing a franchise agreement to opening your doors is about 15 months. This timing is dependent on securing a location.

Start-up & initial training support include:

• Location hunting
• Demographic reports
• Lease negotiation assistance
• Equipment search assistance
• Train in operating GHBCs
• "Dillon Learning Week," a corporate training week in Montana
• "Bread Week" production focused week of training in Dillon, Montana
• Team of opening trainers
• 30 day post-opening visit
• 6 month visit
• 12 month visit

Location Hunter from the Dillon office to work with you on location hunting.

Tracker from the Dillon office to take you through the process from lease-signing to operating your bakery..

We recommend 1,800 to 2,100 square feet for your bakery.

Initially, your franchise agreement will contain a defined "Search Area" which is the smaller of approximately 100,000 people or a ten-mile maximum radius where you will be able to search for a location. Once you sign a lease, we'll define your territory.

Territory contains approximately 300,000 people or a ten-mile radius, whichever is smaller.

Term of the franchise agreement is ten years.

Royalty: 7% of total gross sales for five years from the effective date of your franchise agreement; 6% for the remainder of your ten-year term. Upon completing your first renewal, your royalty will be 5%. After you've been a majority owner for 15 years, you have an option for your royalty to drop to 4% if you meet the criteria outlined in your franchise agreement.