Top Bakery Franchise Opportunities to Consider for 2024

The bakery franchise space in the restaurant world is a 17.1-billion-dollar opportunity for franchise owners and continues to grow. From international chains to emerging brands, there are a variety of bakery franchise concepts to consider in the world of sweet and savory baked goods.

Looking to get in on a sweet bakery franchise opportunity in a fan-favorite segment? Here are some of our favorite bakery franchises for 2024.

Paris Baguette*

• Unit count of this bakery franchise: 4,000+
• Start-up costs: $718,065-$1,801,600
• 1851 Brand Newsroom

Paris Baguette brings a unique bakery café concept to communities around the country, with over 170 locations across the U.S. The menu includes French-inspired bakery items such as cakes, pastries, coffees and breads among a variety of other options. The bakery franchise is built around centering the local café as the heart of the neighborhood, providing foot traffic and a genuine experience that stands out as unique in the space. As other concepts lean into becoming full-service restaurants, Paris Baguette focuses on the community aspect and high-quality products to build customer loyalty and drive repeat business.

Dunkin

• Unit count of this bakery franchise: 13,360+
• Start-up costs: $526,900-$1,809,500

America runs on Dunkin’ for a reason: the brand offers not only great-tasting coffee but also bagels, muffins, English croissants and a variety of donuts. Whether you’re an adult on the way to work and need a breakfast sandwich or picking up a dozen donuts for a group of children, Dunkin’ has a bakery menu that suits everyone. Dunkin' has impressive brand recognition among consumers and runs consistent advertising to always be part of the national conversation. Dunkin' also says they sell more than two billion cups of coffee a year, which is a testament to how much of the day-to-day experience the brand is for a lot of Americans.

BIGGBY COFFEE*

• Unit count of this bakery franchise: 390-plus
• Startup cost: $328,000-$591,000
• 1851 Brand Newsroom

Find your nearest BIGGBY (pronounced “big-B”) for a tasty midday pick-me-up and cup of coffee. This brand is filled with delights ranging from savory bagels and muffins to donut holes, chocolate chunk cookies, red velvet and coffee cake muffins and more. BIGGBY offers a variety of bakery franchise location types to fit different real estate models: drive-thru only, lobby only, combo locations, and kiosks. BIGGBY is in more than a dozen states as of 2024 and is consistently ranked as a top franchise to own.

Cinnabon

• Unit count of this bakery franchise: 1,850+
• Startup cost: $254,750-$674,400 (for a traditional buildout)

There’s nothing much better than a warm cinnamon bun with sweet, drizzly icing on top; in fact, the freshly baked treats often stop people in their tracks in malls, airports and rest stops. Cinnabon has perfected its bakery franchise business model by honing in on its one signature delight — the signature cinnamon roll, and guests keep coming back for more. Cinnabon's secret is in the use of Makara cinnamon, a blend with a stronger aroma than traditional cinnamon that most Americans are familiar with for cooking and baking. Consumer interest makes Cinnabon a huge draft for franchisees.

Nothing Bundt Cakes

• Unit count of this bakery franchise: 600+
• Startup cost: $483,600-$699,700

Bring back the memories of your mom or grandma’s homemade cakes with a trip to Nothing Bundt Cakes. Every store has a local, mom-and-pop feel and a variety of Bundt cakes for guests to choose from. The brand prides itself on using high quality ingredients — no skipping the eggs, butter and cream cheese — to bring offer guests Bundt cake perfection. Nothing Bundt Cakes emphasizes joy and fun as central elements of their brand and says that franchisees should have a passion for delighting guests but do not necessarily need baking experience to be successful in their bakery franchise system.

Shipley Do-Nuts

• Unit count of this bakery franchise: 340+
• Startup cost: $495,000-$1,100,000+

Shipley Do-Nuts has more than 300 locations across the country, with the majority in Texas and across the South. The brand's signature donut recipe was developed in the 1930s and perfected to create donuts that could withstand the Texas heat. That recipe is still successful today, as the brand serves up more than 60 varieties of hand-cut donuts and kolaches to customers daily. The extensive history of the brand and consumer loyalty across multiple markets makes this a great concept to consider among bakery franchise brands.

Tim Hortons

• Unit count of this bakery franchise: 5,700+
• Startup cost: $298,650-$1,394,000+

The world's third-largest coffee brand has long been a staple of the Canadian coffee-and-donut-lover diet, but it's also expanding into the U.S. There are more than 650 locations of the bakery franchise in America as of 2024 and the brand's 60+ years of franchise experience and strong name recognition make it a great opportunity for investment. Fans of the brand are obsessed with the coffee and signature donut bite “Timbits.”