Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Gross sales data for 126 full-year shops (median $583,767) and 15 seasonal shops (median $261,664). Charts show sales by location type; excludes costs/expenses. No earnings projections provided.
What a Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $39,500 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 3% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 4% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 7% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $188,300 – $631,300 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty max 5% (current 3%); ad max 4% (current 2% local + 2% fund); POS $100/month; renewal $12,000.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 157 |
| Ceased operations | 4 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 5 |
| Closure rate | 2.5% of outlets |
4 ceased operations in 2025; minimal terminations; stable outlet count suggests low failure rate.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. 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 Scoop Shop worth it? — how it compares to 59 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 7% of sales | lower than most (median 7.5%) |
| Startup cost | from $188,300 | about average (median $209,354) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 2.5% of outlets | worse than 66% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 4 | more litigious than 82% 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 Scoop Shop
The franchisor's framing: Gross sales data for 126 full-year shops (median $583,767) and 15 seasonal shops (median $… 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 Scoop Shop franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $188,300–$631,300, including a $39,500 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop franchise owners make?
- Gross sales data for 126 full-year shops (median $583,767) and 15 seasonal shops (median $261,664). Charts show sales by location type; excludes costs/expenses. No earnings projections provided. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop franchise fees?
- Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop's FDD discloses a $39,500 initial franchise fee, a 3% royalty on gross sales, a 4% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 7% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty max 5% (current 3%); ad max 4% (current 2% local + 2% fund); POS $100/month; renewal $12,000.
- What is the Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop franchise profit margin?
- Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Gross sales data for 126 full-year shops (median $583,767) and 15 seasonal shops (median $261,664). Charts show sales by location type; excludes costs/expenses. No earnings projections provided. Recurring fees alone take about 7% 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 Scoop Shop franchise failure rate?
- 4 ceased operations in 2025; minimal terminations; stable outlet count suggests low failure rate.
- How many Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop locations are there?
- Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop's FDD reports 157 total outlets, with 4 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 5 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop have complaints or lawsuits?
- Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop discloses 4 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 Scoop Shop franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 7% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 4 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shop or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.