Business type: Franchise
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise Cost
Become a Cold Stone Creamery Franchisee.
Cold Stone Creamery® is one of the most talked about ice cream companies in the world today. And that’s just the way we like it! Renowned for offering super-premium ice cream for more than 25 years, people everywhere recognize the quality associated with our brand and are more likely to be repeat customers because of it.
Cold Stone Creamery owners are backed by a strong internal brand team with years of industry experience, those faithful ice cream fanatics who work at our worldwide headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona. Join more than 1,000 stores operating in the US and learn about the co-branding opportunities available today.
About
The Ultimate Ice Cream ExperienceTM
Cold Stone Creamery® is one of the most talked about ice cream companies in the world today. And that’s just the way we like it! Renowned for offering super-premium ice cream for more than 25 years, people everywhere recognize the quality associated with our brand and are more likely to be repeat customers because of it.
How good is our ice cream? Well, let's just say that on a scale of 1 to 10, we're somewhere around an 11.5. Our super-premium ice cream and waffle cones are made fresh daily right inside each store. Fresh-baked brownies, brand-name mix-ins, fruits and nuts are blended together on our frozen granite stone. From unique ice cream CreationsTM, cakes and shakes to ice cream cupcakes and cookie sandwiches, nobody serves up the ultimate indulgence like Cold Stone Creamery.
But we’re about more than just serving amazing ice cream. We like to think we’re really in the business of making people happy.
It's all about what we call the 10-Minute Vacation® - that 10-minute getaway people deserve from the world outside our doors. When they head inside any Cold Stone Creamery, that's what they'll get. From our enthusiastic, singing crew members, to the shared laughter of a family enjoying a treat together, if it’s making our customers, their friends or their loved ones happy, then we’re doing our jobs right!
Our franchise ownership experience
Kahala Brands, franchisor of Cold Stone Creamery, is proud of the extensive support provided to our franchisees. When you join Cold Stone you'll never be alone, because we'll be with you every step of the way. Our dedicated Cold Stone team will assist you with important pre-opening steps such as site selection, design and construction, as well as your grand opening plan. Our industry experience enables us to keep the cost of entry and operating costs as low as possible.
Training
Franchisees receive extensive training; ongoing coaching and operations manuals that help them master the operations of a Cold Stone Creamery store. Training takes place four to 10 weeks before your store opens and five days of classroom training at our Scottsdale, AZ headquarters, as well as five days of in-store training at an operating Cold Stone Creamery.
Our training program provides an overview of the business and franchise industry, details on store operations, our insights into providing exceptional customer service, details about products, instruction in how to use the Cold Stone Creamery point of sale system and our internal communications portal, financial management instruction, and more. You’ll also learn about store-opening procedures, food-product handling, sanitation procedures, back-office administration, equipment operation, storage and store management.
Testimonials
"My experience as a Cold Stone Franchisee has been rewarding both emotionally and financially. I love coaching and mentoring my team to be the very best at all they do." - Sharon G., Cold Stone Creamery Franchisee, Southern California
"Owning a Cold Stone Creamery has been a very rewarding experience." - Jeffrey S., Cold Stone Creamery Franchisee, Colorado
"My experience in the thirteen years since I opened my first Cold Stone Creamery has been nothing but positive. Besides, who doesn't want to put a smile on people's face every day!" - Esther W., Cold Stone Creamery Franchisee, California
Facts
- The founding store of Cold Stone Creamery opened in 1988
- We’ve been awarding franchises since 1994
- Nearly 1,000 stores operating in the U.S. and nearly 300 stores worldwide
- U.S. Territories Currently Open
- Single and Multi-Unit Deals Available
- Average time to open is 6-12 months
- Co-branding Opportunities Available
Numbers
- $27,000 franchise fee*
- $250,000 net worth
- $100,000 liquid, non-financed funds
- Total initial investment - $261,625 - $467,525*
- Royalty fee - 6% of gross sales
- Advertising fee - 3% of gross sales
*This fee is for a traditional location and does not include any discounts that may be applicable. Different fees may apply for other types of locations. More detailed investment information is available in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD)
