Top 25 Santa Approved Franchise Brands Picked for the ‘Nice’ List in 2023

Santa Claus is making a list and checking it twice, and these franchises are sure to be on the nice list. From cookie brands to toy stores to children-centered concepts, potential franchisees should be sure to consider these 25 jolly brands that bring joy to their communities.

And, if you need an elf to help you find the right franchise, journey over to 1851 Growth Club. 

Here's our list:

Cookies and Sweet Treats

It is no secret that Santa loves cookies. These gourmet cookie and cake brands are sure to be Santa-approved, not only because consumers can indulge like Santa around the holidays, but also because the products make great presents and would be perfect to bring along to a holiday gathering.

Dirty Dough Cookies

• Unit Count: 49
• Initial Investment: $161,100 +

Dirty Dough Cookies rotates flavors weekly, so consumers never get bored. The brand also offers a handful of classics like the ever-popular chocolate chip cookie and the brookie, a mix between brownie and cookie. Consumers can leave one out for Santa or bring a box full to their next holiday party. 

Crave Cookies

• Unit Count: 20 +
• Initial Investment: $205,000 + 

With flavors like Cherry Danish and Death By Red Velvet, how could these massive cookies not receive Santa’s stamp of approval? Although the cookies have a gooey center, they are not raw and are safe to eat.

Nothing Bundt Cake

• Unit Count: 480+
• Initial Investment: $483,600 to $699,700

Bundt cakes make a perfect festive gift. Nothing Bundt Cake offers a variety of sizes: full bundt cakes, bundlets and bundtinis — its version of a cupcake — all topped with cream cheese frosting.

BIGGBY COFFEE*

• Unit Count: 295+
• Initial Investment: $202,450 to $418,700

Santa would certainly approve of a great cup of hot chocolate, and pulling an all-nighter on Christmas Eve is a lot easier with sweet drinks or coffee. BIGGBY’s slogan of “build the life you love” sums up the cheerful atmosphere that both franchisees and customers experience in this coffee shop. 

Fitness: Losing the Holiday Weight

After indulging in all of those desserts, Santa might want to consider prioritizing his health by hitting the gym. This is likely true of many near the end of the holiday season, with improved fitness being a New Year’s resolution for 48% of the population. The following franchises will be packed in the new year.

Workout Anytime Fitness

• Unit Count: 180 +
• Initial Investment: $784,950 to $2,073,050

Workout Anytime is a community-minded franchise that offers gym-goers with results-based workouts. Memberships are affordable, giving a wider demographic access to improve their fitness. 

Skyhawks Sports Academy

• Unit Count: 130
• Initial Investment: $30,800 to $89,750

Skyhawks Sports Academy offers a fun, skill-based sports experience for kids between the ages of 4 and 12, so the whole family can stay in shape. The brand offers sports-based camps and after-school programs, classes, and leagues, including baseball; basketball; flag football; soccer; volleyball; tennis; golf; cheerleading; track and field; and lacrosse.

The Little Gym

• Unit Count: 400 +
• Initial Investment: $465,250 to $637,000

The Little Gym helps children develop motor skills in a fun and non-competitive environment by combining music, movement and learning. The brand also offers physical activities to develop coordination, flexibility and strength, along with other skills that would land any kid on the “nice” list for problem-solving and patience. 

Home Services: Christmas Decor*ating and More

If you want Santa to stop at your house — and why wouldn’t you? — then you need spectacular lights to guide him. Gone are the days where consumers have to risk injury by climbing on the roof because Christmas decorating franchise concepts have it covered. 

While the outside of homes twinkle brightly for the holidays, many consumers are hosting holiday parties indoors, so the interiors need to sparkle. Santa adores these holiday decorating and home-cleaning service franchises that help consumers get their homes ready for the bustling holiday season.

Christmas Decor

• Unit Count: 300
• Investment Range: $11,400 to $31,900

Christmas Decor has become the leading holiday decorating brand in the U.S. and Canada. It was originally created as an off-season supplement to a landscaping business. Now it creates jobs for 3,000-plus seasonal workers that might otherwise be out of work over the holiday season. 

Sparkle Squad

• Unit Count: 15-20 expected to open this year
• Initial Investment: $133,767 to $146,667

When your home is lit up with holiday lights, Sparkle Squad can make sure your windows are looking superb, as well as add to the overall sparkling effect. This franchise also offers other home exterior services such as pressure washing and gutter cleaning. 

Shine

• Unit Count: 50 +
• Initial Investment: $111,390 to $186,400

Shine installs holiday lights on people’s homes: a third-party service that is becoming more popular. Shine offers franchisees multiple avenues of revenue with gutter cleaning, pressure washing, window cleaning and landscape lighting. Additionally, it’s a great add-on for entrepreneurs with existing outdoor businesses to keep a stream of income coming in and employees working all year long.

Footprints Floors*

• Unit Count: 150 + 
• Initial Investment: $78,505 to $113,030

When Santa comes down the chimney with a bag full of toys, he won’t want to walk across creaky, old floors. Footprints Floors franchise installs hardwood, tile and laminate floors for a quieter entry and exit from those hard Santa boots. For franchisees, there are perks too. This brand offers a robust support system and a low overhead cost because no show room is required.

Scoop Soldiers

• Unit Count: 20 +
• Initial Investment: $68,300 to $118,300

With many receiving a puppy on Christmas Day, this franchise supports the need to clean up after that puppy. Scoop Soldiers’ services are available at both residential and pet-friendly commercial properties. 

Two Maids

• Unit Count: 100 +
• Initial Investment: $93,440 to $123,890

Everyone likes a tidy home, especially for hosting loved ones around the holidays. Two Maids offers customers onetime and recurring clean options for their homes, along with deep cleaning and moving-in and moving-out cleaning services. 

Children-Centered Concepts

Santa would have no reason to exist without children on his nice list. From education concepts to childcare services, these children-centered franchises help kids develop skills and behaviors that keep them from being labeled “naughty” but still endlessly entertained. 

IDEA Lab Kids

• Unit Count: 20 +
• Initial Investment: $163,000 to $465,000

Idea Lab Kids is an after-school concept where kids are able to partake in engaging, hands-on STEAM activities. While kids are offered entertainment and education with topics such as robotics, franchisees are offered diversified revenue streams by offering after-school classes, workshops, birthday parties and summer camps.

Big Blue Swim School

• Unit Count: 35 +
• Initial Investment: $2,475,200 to $3,966,700

Big Blue Swim School allows parents to schedule year-round swimming lessons for children of various ages. Santa certainly approves of putting water safety first for young ones on his nice list. 

The Goddard School

• Unit Count: 600
• Initial Investment: $879,950 to $1,229,950

The Goddard School provides an educational approach to day care, with a preschool program that is offered to children ranging from 6 weeks to 6 years old. 

HobbyTown

• Unit Count: 130 +
• Initial Investment: $161,000 to $330,000

HobbyTown isn’t just a regular toy store: the brand sells products based on hobbies and specialized interests such as model airplanes, remote control cars or other games. 

Altitude Trampoline Park

• Unit Count: 83
• Initial Investment: $1,526,000 to $3,835,000

Altitude Trampoline Park is a family entertainment brand that provides people of all ages with the opportunity to access trampolines, soft play, basketball, dodgeball, interactive games and concessions. 

Bricks & Minifigs

• Unit Count: 39
• Initial Investment: $108,500

Bricks & Minifigs franchise stores specialize in buying, selling and trading LEGO products. With LEGO products retaining value like a few other toy brands, this concept is an excellent opportunity for franchisees and customers.

Children’s Lighthouse Learning Centers

• Unit Count: 95 +
• Initial Investment: $5,072,545 to $6,388,445

Children’s Lighthouse Learning Centers are early learning schools that provide opportunities for development in group learning, self-regulation and inquiry-based investigation. The brand’s focus is on four key areas: confidence, connection, continuous improvement and curriculum. The brand also has previously partnered with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and contributed with fundraising activities. 

KLA Schools

• Unit Count: 26
• Initial Investment: $1,121,000 to $5,804,750

KLA Schools is a childcare and preschool provider that focuses on a multi-sensory, hands-on curriculum to make education enjoyable for young children, while also placing an emphasis on STEAM education. 

Mathnasium*

• Unit Count: 1,100
• Initial Investment: $112,860 to $149,155

Mathnasium is a math education franchise with a focus on individualized instruction to help kids improve their confidence in a fun, engaging environment. Many franchisees are former teachers, so kids are getting expert-level help. 

Funtastik Labs

• Unit Count: 2
• Initial Investment: $257,250 to $352,250

Funtastik Labs is a STEAM entertainment center that provides hands-on experiences in science, arts and engineering for children through walk-in experiences, field trips and birthday parties. 

Do-Good Retail Brands

While Santa’s elves are great at making toys, he also approves of Christmas shopping with environmentally friendly retail brands that recycle and resell gently used items at an affordable price.

Once Upon a Child

• Unit Count: 400 +
• Initial Investment: $278,000 to $418,000

Once Upon a Child is a retail resale franchise that sells affordable and safe infant and children's apparel and accessories. With babies growing so fast, they often outgrow clothing and products quickly, and this brand allows budget-conscious and environmentally aware parents to purchase anything they might need. 

Play It Again Sports

• Unit Count: 290 +
• Initial Investment: $268,300 to $391,300  

Play It Again Sports is a retail franchise that buys and sells used and new sporting goods, giving more families access to sporting equipment and an avenue for a more active lifestyle. It is also great for the environment as goods are being recycled.

You can keep the festive feeling going all year by investing in one of these Santa-approved brands. Besides, who wants to experience the joy of cookies and a cozy, clean home only once a year anyway?

To check out our Santa-approved franchise list from 2022, click here.