Ben & Jerry's Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Ben & Jerry's franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2025), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Ben & Jerry's discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it D.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Discloses only gross sales for 11 special venue shops (median $463K, avg $636K, range $182K–$1.97M). No costs, no net income, no profitability data. High-end average inflated by single $1.97M outlier. Excludes 158 traditional shops.
What a Ben & Jerry's franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $18,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 3% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 2% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 5% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $154,200 – $526,300 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty capped at 5% but currently 3%; ad fund 2%; refurbishment up to $15K every 5 years; POS SaaS $100/month ongoing.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Ben & Jerry's system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 17 |
| Ceased operations | 5 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 29.4% of outlets |
System shrank from 38 to 17 outlets in 3 years; 22 ceased operations via 'other reasons'; zero new openings in 2024.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2025. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Ben & Jerry's worth it? — how it compares to 59 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 5% of sales | lower than most (median 7.5%) |
| Startup cost | from $154,200 | cheaper than most (median $209,354) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade D | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 29.4% of outlets | worse than 98% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 6 | more litigious than 92% of peers |
Benchmarked against every bakery, dessert & ice cream franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Ben & Jerry's
The franchisor's framing: Discloses only gross sales for 11 special venue shops (median $463K, avg $636K, range $182… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
Ben & Jerry's franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Ben & Jerry's franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $154,200–$526,300, including a $18,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Ben & Jerry's franchise owners make?
- Discloses only gross sales for 11 special venue shops (median $463K, avg $636K, range $182K–$1.97M). No costs, no net income, no profitability data. High-end average inflated by single $1.97M outlier. Excludes 158 traditional shops. We grade this disclosure D for honesty.
- What are the Ben & Jerry's franchise fees?
- Ben & Jerry's FDD discloses a $18,000 initial franchise fee, a 3% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 5% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty capped at 5% but currently 3%; ad fund 2%; refurbishment up to $15K every 5 years; POS SaaS $100/month ongoing.
- What is the Ben & Jerry's franchise profit margin?
- Ben & Jerry's does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Discloses only gross sales for 11 special venue shops (median $463K, avg $636K, range $182K–$1.97M). No costs, no net income, no profitability data. High-end average inflated by single $1.97M outlier. Excludes 158 traditional shops. Recurring fees alone take about 5% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the Ben & Jerry's franchise failure rate?
- System shrank from 38 to 17 outlets in 3 years; 22 ceased operations via 'other reasons'; zero new openings in 2024.
- How many Ben & Jerry's locations are there?
- Ben & Jerry's FDD reports 17 total outlets, with 5 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 0 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Ben & Jerry's have complaints or lawsuits?
- Ben & Jerry's discloses 6 legal matters in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a Ben & Jerry's franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Ben & Jerry's scores D on disclosure honesty, carries about 5% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 6 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
Own a Ben & Jerry's? Add your real numbers (anonymous)
We publish only aggregated benchmarks — never your name. Contribute and we'll show you how your numbers compare.
Compare Ben & Jerry's to similar franchises
See all franchises ranked by disclosure honesty →
Source: MN CARDS 33829-202504-08 (Clean FDD 2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Ben & Jerry's or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.