Franchise Facts Report → compare → Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child® vs Wild Birds Unlimited
Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child® vs Wild Birds Unlimited
Two retail franchises, compared on the numbers their own Franchise Disclosure Documents put on record — investment, fees, Item 19 earnings, outlet churn, and litigation. Not marketing copy.
| Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child® | Wild Birds Unlimited | |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment FDD Item 7 | $287,800 – $420,800 | $224,273 – $379,309 |
| Initial franchise fee FDD Item 5 | — | $40,000 |
| Royalty FDD Item 6 | — | 4% |
| Item 19 earnings disclosed FDD Item 19 | Yes | Yes |
| Avg unit revenue (headline) FDD Item 19 | $1,248,773 | in report |
| Franchised outlets FDD Item 20 | 416 | 340 |
| Net outlet change (latest yr) FDD Item 20 | +10 | +7 |
| Closure rate FDD Item 20 | 0.2% | 0.3% |
| Franchisee lawsuits FDD Item 3 | 1 | 0 |
| Risk level our read | Medium | Low |
| FDD year registration | 2024 | 2025 |
Are Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child® and Wild Birds Unlimited the same company?
No — Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child® and Wild Birds Unlimited are franchised by separate companies. Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child®'s franchisor is Winmark Corporation (Once Upon A Child); Wild Birds Unlimited's is Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc.. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
Cost to open
Wild Birds Unlimited is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $224,273 – $379,309, against $287,800 – $420,800 for Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child®.
How much does each make? (Item 19)
Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation — the detailed figures are in each brand's FDD and in the full report.
Closures & failure rate
Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child® reports 416 franchised outlets, net change +10 in the latest reported year, a 0.2% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Wild Birds Unlimited reports 340 franchised outlets, net change +7 in the latest reported year, a 0.3% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Outlet churn — closures, terminations, non-renewals — is the closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate; the full report puts both brands' churn against retail medians.
Litigation
Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child® discloses 1 franchisee-vs-franchisor proceeding in FDD Item 3. Wild Birds Unlimited discloses no franchisee-initiated proceedings in FDD Item 3.
This page is the headline numbers. The Deep report compares up to three brands on the complete FDD record — every fee line, the actual Item 19 figures and what they represent, each lawsuit, and churn benchmarked against retail peers.
Only looking at one of them?
Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child® vs Wild Birds Unlimited — frequently asked
Are Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child® and Wild Birds Unlimited the same company?
No — Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child® and Wild Birds Unlimited are franchised by separate companies. Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child®'s franchisor is Winmark Corporation (Once Upon A Child); Wild Birds Unlimited's is Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc.. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
What is the difference between Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child® and Wild Birds Unlimited?
Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child® and Wild Birds Unlimited are retail franchises from different franchisors (Winmark Corporation (Once Upon A Child) and Wild Birds Unlimited, Inc.). Wild Birds Unlimited is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $224,273 – $379,309, against $287,800 – $420,800 for Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child®. Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation — the detailed figures are in each brand's FDD and in the full report.
Is Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child® more profitable than Wild Birds Unlimited?
Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation — the detailed figures are in each brand's FDD and in the full report.
Which is cheaper to open — Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child® or Wild Birds Unlimited?
Wild Birds Unlimited is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $224,273 – $379,309, against $287,800 – $420,800 for Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child®.
Is Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child® or Wild Birds Unlimited growing faster?
Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child® reports 416 franchised outlets, net change +10 in the latest reported year, a 0.2% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Wild Birds Unlimited reports 340 franchised outlets, net change +7 in the latest reported year, a 0.3% closure rate (FDD Item 20).
Go deeper on each brand
Retail rankings
Figures are as disclosed in each brand's most recent registered FDD (Once Upon a Child | Once Upon A Child® 2024, Wild Birds Unlimited 2025). “—” means the FDD does not disclose it or the table did not parse cleanly — never an estimate.