Camp Jellystone Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Camp Jellystone franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2024), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Camp Jellystone discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it B.
What their own earnings claim actually says
2023 results for 57 of 77 franchises by camper night volume. Revenue, expense, profit per camper night provided. No assurance of earnings; results vary by experience, competition, location, service quality, amenities.
What a Camp Jellystone franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $75,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 4.5% 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 | 6.5% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $324,000 – $2,370,000 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Conversion: 4.5% royalty + 2% marketing. New build: 6% first 2 yrs, 4.5% thereafter + 2% marketing. Liquidated damages apply.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Camp Jellystone system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 77 |
| Ceased operations | 1 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 1 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 1.3% of outlets |
2023: 1 termination, 1 non-renewal, 0 ceased operations. Low recent failure rate.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2024. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Camp Jellystone worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 6.5% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $324,000 | pricier than 75% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade B | more honest than 84% of other franchises franchises |
| Closure rate | 1.3% of outlets | about average |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every other franchises franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Camp Jellystone
The franchisor's framing: 2023 results for 57 of 77 franchises by camper night volume. Revenue, expense, profit per … 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
Camp Jellystone franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Camp Jellystone franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $324,000–$2,370,000, including a $75,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Camp Jellystone franchise owners make?
- 2023 results for 57 of 77 franchises by camper night volume. Revenue, expense, profit per camper night provided. No assurance of earnings; results vary by experience, competition, location, service quality, amenities. We grade this disclosure B for honesty.
- What are the Camp Jellystone franchise fees?
- Camp Jellystone's FDD discloses a $75,000 initial franchise fee, a 4.5% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 6.5% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Conversion: 4.5% royalty + 2% marketing. New build: 6% first 2 yrs, 4.5% thereafter + 2% marketing. Liquidated damages apply.
- What is the Camp Jellystone franchise profit margin?
- Camp Jellystone does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 2023 results for 57 of 77 franchises by camper night volume. Revenue, expense, profit per camper night provided. No assurance of earnings; results vary by experience, competition, location, service quality, amenities. Recurring fees alone take about 6.5% 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 Camp Jellystone franchise failure rate?
- 2023: 1 termination, 1 non-renewal, 0 ceased operations. Low recent failure rate.
- How many Camp Jellystone locations are there?
- Camp Jellystone's FDD reports 77 total outlets, with 1 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 Camp Jellystone have complaints or lawsuits?
- Camp Jellystone discloses no material litigation in Item 3 of the filing we reviewed. That's a positive signal, though it covers only what the franchisor is required to report.
- Is a Camp Jellystone franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Camp Jellystone scores B on disclosure honesty, carries about 6.5% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Camp Jellystone to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 32463-202410-03 (Clean FDD 2024). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Camp Jellystone or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.