The published range is $531,200 to $1,324,000 all-in per unit, per the latest FDD filing.
| Line item | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $30,000 | FDD Item 5 |
| Total initial investment — low | $531,200 | FDD Item 7 |
| Total initial investment — high | $1,324,000 | FDD Item 7 |
| Royalty rate (ongoing) | 5% of gross | FDD Item 6 |
| Marketing fee (ongoing) | 3% of gross | FDD Item 6 |
Bruster's Real Ice Cream is a specialty retail franchise with 176 locations system-wide.
The brand has reached sufficient scale that operational playbooks are well-established and multi-unit franchisees drive the growth story. At this size, decisions about technology, marketing, and real estate are typically centralized at corporate while day-to-day operations are franchisee-led.
Initial investment ranges from $531,200 to $1,324,000. Detailed breakdown of where the capital goes is in the full FDD — unlock below.
Item 19 of the latest FDD reports median and quartile unit revenue. Unlock for the full distribution, breakeven timeline, and peer comparison.
| Metric | Top quartile | Median | Bottom quartile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross revenue | $1,742,000 | $1,301,847 | $847,000 |
| Unit count (reporting) | 812 | 527 | 294 |
| Breakeven month | Mo 14 | Mo 22 | Mo 34+ |
The systems Bruster's Real Ice Cream franchisees run — mandated vendors, approved alternatives, and annual cost benchmarks. If you sell into this vertical, this is your map.
| System | Category | Mandated? | Annual cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| POS Platform | Payments | Approved pair | $1,800 |
| Scheduling / CRM | Operations | Yes | $6,000 |
| Reporting System | Analytics | Yes | $2,400 |
Total initial investment ranges from $531,200 to $1,324,000 per unit, per the latest FDD filing. The initial franchise fee is $30,000.
Bruster's Real Ice Cream charges a 5% royalty on gross revenue, plus a 3% marketing fee.
There are 176 Bruster's Real Ice Cream outlets system-wide as of the latest FDD filing. 174 are franchised and 2 are company-owned.
Capital, breakeven, satisfaction, territory.
Tech stack, decision makers, approach sequence.
Growth, comps, exit patterns, parent diligence.
YoY FDD diff, renewal terms, peer comps.