Bruster's Real Ice Cream franchise research

Investment by format

Format-specific estimates only. Do not combine one format's minimum with another format's maximum.

Investment sourceFDD p.18 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$20,000 to $40,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

5% · 5% of Gross Sales, payable weekly (3rd day of each 7-day accounting Period) via ACH

Marketing contribution

3% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

No technology fee currently in effect; franchisor reserves right to charge up to $150/month (capped at 5% annual increase) in the future

Other fees

Transfer fee $20,000; Relocation fee $10,000; Interest of 1.5%/month on late payments

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$20,000 to $40,000 for a single store (3 months); $60,000 to $120,000 under a 3-store Development Agreement

Fees sourceFDD p.12 ↗

Working capital is drawn from Item 7. The Investment source below locates the investment section, not an independently verified working-capital scalar.

Investment sourceFDD p.18 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Average Unit Volume (AUV) of gross sales (average, median, and top/mid/bottom-range AUV) for franchised and affiliate-owned stores; also average/median Cost of Goods (COG) as % of Gross Sales

Reporting period

Calendar year 2025 (with historical AUV table covering 2014-2025, and COG table covering 2019-2025)

Sample

183 of 219 franchised stores open 358+ days in CY2025 (Table 1/2); 1 affiliate-owned store open 358+ days in CY2025 (Table 3)

Reported average

$746,650

Reported median

$685,840

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Results depend on the disclosed metric, sample and period; consult the full filing.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.56 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

205

Year-end outlets

219

Net change

+14

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

18

Terminations

0

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

4

Reacquisitions

0

Transfers

5

Transfers are not closures. Net change is ending minus starting outlets for the stated scope and year, or complete openings less terminations, non-renewals, other closures and reacquisitions. Missing inputs stay unknown.

Unit growth sourceFDD p.60 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

73 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$605,000

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

47 loans

Historical charge-off share

10.00%

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

1 / 10

Formula

CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100

This is a historical loan-level share, not a franchise failure probability or location survival rate. Loan size is not total investment. Other loan statuses are excluded from the seasoned denominator. Activity combines 7(a) and 504 approvals, excluding canceled and not-funded records; this is not a rolling five-year count. FY2024-25 franchise tags are sparse after directory suspension; fewer tagged loans do not establish brand decline. Recent charge-off cohorts are immature.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median loan amounts are financing context, not startup cost. The median window is separate from the seasoned charge-off cohort.

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Questions before you invest

How much does Bruster's Real Ice Cream franchise cost?

standard free-standing store, franchisee buys real estate: $1,215,120 to $2,669,060; standard end-cap store, franchisee leases real estate: $414,900 to $1,143,700; development agreement, 3 end-cap stores (leased): $1,244,700 to $3,391,100 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $20,000 to $40,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.18 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do Bruster's Real Ice Cream owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: Average Unit Volume (AUV) of gross sales (average, median, and top/mid/bottom-range AUV) for franchised and affiliate-owned stores; also average/median Cost of Goods (COG) as % of Gross Sales. Sample: 183 of 219 franchised stores open 358+ days in CY2025 (Table 1/2); 1 affiliate-owned store open 358+ days in CY2025 (Table 3). Period: Calendar year 2025 (with historical AUV table covering 2014-2025, and COG table covering 2019-2025).

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.56 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for Bruster's Real Ice Cream?

10.00%; numerator / denominator: 1 / 10. Historical 7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals; CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100, snapshot 2026-06-30. This is not a franchise failure probability. Median SBA loan: $605,000; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 47 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗