Smoothie King vs Ben & Jerry's Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Smoothie King vs Ben & Jerry's including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Smoothie King Franchise
Ben & Jerry's Franchise
Investment $269,550 - $845,985$152,200 - $546,800
Franchise Fee $30,000$16,000 - $37,000
Royalty Fee 6%3%
Advertising Fee 3%4%
Year Founded 19871978
Year Franchised 19881981
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years
Renewal Fee -50% of then current fee


Business Experience Requirements
 
Smoothie King Franchise
Ben & Jerry's Franchise
Experience
  • General business experience
  • Marketing skills
  • Are socially conscious, and active in your community.
  • Are passionate about operating an ethical, responsible business.
  • Will apply your full-time best efforts to the business.
  • Have at least two years of business management experience with P&L responsibility.
  • Have excellent business acumen, project management skills, and the ability to build and execute a business plan.
  • Are systems-oriented, and understand and value a franchise system.
  • Have the ability to recruit, train, and motivate staff, according to our standards.
  • Have a competitive drive and are committed to succeed, with realistic expectations.
  • Demonstrate honesty, integrity and humility and are a team player.
  • Possess strong interpersonal and communication skills and are fluent in English.
  • Know how to use a computer and apply technology.
  • Have a college degree or higher (preferred).
  • Have a strong credit history and a minimum net worth of $350,000, with $100,000 in liquidity (cash and securities, not including retirement accounts).
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    Financing Options
     
    Smoothie King Franchise
    Ben & Jerry's Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/NoNo/Yes
    Start-up Costs No/YesNo/Yes
    Equipment No/YesNo/Yes
    Inventory No/YesNo/Yes
    Receivables No/NoNo/Yes
    Payroll No/NoNo/Yes

    Training & Support
     
    Smoothie King Franchise
    Ben & Jerry's Franchise
    Training -We’ve got a great recipe for operating a scoop shop, and a world-class team to provide “scoop-to-nuts” expertise. We guide you every step of the way, beginning with your search for the right location, to training, to marketing, and to ongoing operational support for the life of your business. On-The-Job Training: 24 hours Classroom Training: 35 hours
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperativesNewsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
    Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, National mediaAd Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media Website development Email marketing
    Operations 60% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 6 - 9

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (75% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    		 75% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed.

    Expansion Plans
     
    Smoothie King Franchise
    Ben & Jerry's Franchise
    US Expansion YesNo
    Canada Expansion NoNo
    International Expansion YesNo

    Company Overviews

    About Smoothie King

    When visits to various doctors did little to relieve the allergies Steve Kuhnau was suffering from, the nurse began reading up on nutrition, hoping a change in diet would help his symptoms. Once he began eating fresh foods and cutting fat out of his diet, Kuhnau started feeling better. His next task was to find a way to tackle the midday fatigue caused by hypoglycemia. Using his nursing expertise and the drink mixing experience he gained as a soda jerk in high school, Kuhnau began experimenting with high protein drinks. The resulting product combined fresh fruits, vitamins and other supplements and inspired the creation of Kuhnau's company, Smoothie King.
    Each Smoothie King store sells smoothies and a variety of vitamins, minerals, low fat snacks and nutritional supplements. Offering 40 percent off its initial franchise fee agreements for the first 40 agreements in 2013 IN St. Louis.

    The total investment necessary to begin operation of a traditional Smoothie King Business ranges from for an end-cap or in-line location, $269,550 to $545,035, and for a free-standing drive-thru location, $577,100 to $845,985. This includes $28,250 to $36,990 that must be paid to the franchisor.
    If you sign an Area Development Agreement, you also must pay the franchisor a development fee of $12,500 for each Smoothie King franchise you commit to develop after the first franchise. You must develop a minimum of 5 Smoothie King Businesses under the Area Development Agreement.
    Veteran Incentives  20% off franchise fee
    ""  "Entrepreneur

    #14 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
    #19 in Franchise 500 for 2021.







    About Ben & Jerry's

    Ben & Jerry's is named for its founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, who grew up together in Merrick, Long Island. In 1978, they took a $5 correspondence course on ice-cream-making, then leased an old gas station building in Burlington, Vermont to open their first ice cream shop.  Ben & Jerry’s has over 580 franchised ice cream scoop shops and PartnerShops worldwide. We have over 350 scoop shops in the United States and over 350 scoop shops Internationally.

    Seeking new franchise units in Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, Australia/New Zealand, Canada and Western Europe.

    ""    "Entrepreneur

    #63 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
    #138 in Franchise 500 for 2021.