Frios Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Frios franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2025), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Frios discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Pop purchase data for 50 operational franchises (2024): average 29,972 pops, median 26,592. Company outlet purchased 25,848. Data varies by territory count, time commitment, outlet type.
What a Frios franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $37,500 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Advertising fund | 2% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 2% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $71,615 – $211,417 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty: $125-$175/week based on tenure/territories. Tech fee $250/mo. Marketing $1,500/yr minimum. Brand fund up to 2% (currently waived).
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Frios system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 109 |
| Ceased operations | 1 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 7 |
| Transferred to new owners | 6 |
| Closure rate | 0.9% of outlets |
1 cease-operations, 7 terminations, 6 transfers in 2024; system grew +19 outlets net.
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 Frios worth it? — how it compares to 59 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 2% of sales | lower than most (median 7.5%) |
| Startup cost | from $71,615 | cheaper than most (median $209,354) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 0.9% of outlets | about average |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
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 Frios
The franchisor's framing: Pop purchase data for 50 operational franchises (2024): average 29,972 pops, median 26,592… 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
Frios franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Frios franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $71,615–$211,417, including a $37,500 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Frios franchise owners make?
- Pop purchase data for 50 operational franchises (2024): average 29,972 pops, median 26,592. Company outlet purchased 25,848. Data varies by territory count, time commitment, outlet type. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Frios franchise fees?
- Frios' FDD discloses a $37,500 initial franchise fee, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 2% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty: $125-$175/week based on tenure/territories. Tech fee $250/mo. Marketing $1,500/yr minimum. Brand fund up to 2% (currently waived).
- What is the Frios franchise profit margin?
- Frios does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Pop purchase data for 50 operational franchises (2024): average 29,972 pops, median 26,592. Company outlet purchased 25,848. Data varies by territory count, time commitment, outlet type. Recurring fees alone take about 2% 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 Frios franchise failure rate?
- 1 cease-operations, 7 terminations, 6 transfers in 2024; system grew +19 outlets net.
- How many Frios locations are there?
- Frios' FDD reports 109 total outlets, with 1 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 6 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Frios have complaints or lawsuits?
- Frios 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 Frios franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Frios scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 2% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Frios to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 33815-202504-09 (Clean FDD 2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Frios or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.