"Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2021), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
"Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" discloses little or no owner-earnings data (Item 19) — the franchisor won't put real profit in writing.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Item 19 not provided in excerpts. Franchisor directs prospective franchisees to contact current/former franchisees listed in Item 20.
What a "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 3% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 8% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $414,900 – $2,669,060 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
5% royalty + 3% marketing fund on Gross Sales. Multi-unit discounts available. Veterans receive 50% fee discount.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
"Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 220 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 17 |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets |
220 total outlets as of 2025; 17 transfers 2023-2025; no recent terminations or closures disclosed.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2021. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" worth it? — how it compares to 59 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 8% of sales | about average |
| Startup cost | from $414,900 | pricier than 73% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade F | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets | better than most (median 0.9%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 1 | about average |
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 "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's"
The franchisor's framing: Item 19 not provided in excerpts. Franchisor directs prospective franchisees to contact cu… 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
"Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $414,900–$2,669,060, including a $40,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" franchise owners make?
- "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" discloses little or no earnings data (Item 19) — meaning the franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. That's a red flag worth questioning.
- What are the "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" franchise fees?
- "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's"'s FDD discloses a $40,000 initial franchise fee, a 5% royalty on gross sales, a 3% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 8% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 5% royalty + 3% marketing fund on Gross Sales. Multi-unit discounts available. Veterans receive 50% fee discount.
- What is the "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" franchise profit margin?
- "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" discloses no Item 19 earnings representation, so no profit margin can be derived from the FDD at all. Any margin figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
- What is the "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" franchise failure rate?
- 220 total outlets as of 2025; 17 transfers 2023-2025; no recent terminations or closures disclosed.
- How many "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" locations are there?
- "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's"'s FDD reports 220 total outlets, with 0 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 17 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" have complaints or lawsuits?
- "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" discloses 1 legal matter 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 "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" scores F on disclosure honesty, carries about 8% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 1 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2021). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with "Bruster's Real Ice Cream" and "Bruster's" or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.