Ricky's Candy, Cones & Chaos vs Cold Stone Creamery Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Ricky's Candy, Cones & Chaos vs Cold Stone Creamery including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Ricky's Candy, Cones & Chaos Franchise
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
Investment $378,500 - $563,800$50,200 - $467,525
Franchise Fee $30,000$15,000 - $27,000
Royalty Fee 5%6%
Advertising Fee -3%
Year Founded 20031988
Year Franchised 20041994
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Ricky's Candy, Cones & Chaos Franchise
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
Experience
  • General business experience
  • Work well with children
  • -

    Financing Options

     
    Ricky's Candy, Cones & Chaos Franchise
    Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/YesNo/Yes
    Start-up Costs No/YesNo/Yes
    Equipment No/YesNo/Yes
    Inventory No/NoNo/Yes
    Receivables No/NoNo/Yes
    Payroll No/NoNo/Yes

    Training & Support

     
    Ricky's Candy, Cones & Chaos Franchise
    Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
    Training -Franchising with Cold Stone Creamery® means you’ll never be alone in your business. As one of the world’s premier ice cream franchises, Cold Stone Creamery’s support network has launched hundreds of entrepreneurs without any experience in either the service industry or the restaurant industry into growing businesses in communities across the country and around the world. “Cold Stone Creamery has one of the most robust training platforms in the entire franchise industry,” says John Wuycheck, SVP of Franchise Development. “Our franchisees make real investments of both time and money to franchise with Cold Stone Creamery, and we honor that by going above and beyond in providing an exceptional initial and ongoing training platform. We’ve been helping entrepreneurs establish new Cold Stone Creamery businesses for a long time, and we’ve built an iconic business model that requires no previous experience to become a top performer. As a franchisor, we’re honored to report that franchisee satisfaction is at an all-time high.” Initial New franchisees attend KTEC (Kahala Training and Education Center). In addition, new franchisees spend two weeks in a store where we cover every aspect of their new business, including making the ice cream, preparing and serving Cold Stone Creamery products, managing inventory and supporting their business through savvy marketing. On-The-Job New franchisees spend 80 hours in a store to learn the ins and outs of the business, including how to correctly prepare and serve the brand’s products. Cold Stone Creamery also hosts monthly check-ins to help you meet your goals, to offer assistance and to ensure you have all the tools necessary to improve your business every day.
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Grand opening, Internet, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperativesCold Stone Creamery will meet with you regularly to help you and answer any of your questions. Every new franchisee receives monthly check-in calls from a Regional Director of Operations or Area Developer.
    Marketing Co-op advertising, National media, Regional advertisingCold Stone Creamery franchisees have access to in-house marketing and public relations teams, which significantly reduces expenses. These teams help with national, regional and local marketing, along with public relations from the grand opening through the life of the business. We train franchisees to manage their stores’ social media accounts, including Facebook®, Twitter® and Instagram® -" and newer platforms such as Snapchat®
    Operations 30% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 10 - 12

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    35% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 15

    Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)


    Expansion Plans

     
    Ricky's Candy, Cones & Chaos Franchise
    Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
    US Expansion -Yes
    Canada Expansion NoNo
    International Expansion NoYes

    Company Overviews

    About Ricky's Candy, Cones & Chaos

    NO LONGER FRANCHISING 

    Own Your Own Ricky's Candy, Cones and Chaos Candy Store and Ice Cream Franchise It's A Sweet Opportunity Candy and ice cream combined are a $45 billion industry with an annual growth rate of about 2 percent. Check out this tasty list of facts: *Candy boasts terrific margins. *Ice cream sales have become an all-season business. *Super premium ice cream has been the fastest growing segment of the frozen treats market. There is a growing demographic of young parents who cater birthday parties for their children outside of their homes. Residents of the Northeast consume more candy than any other region in the United States Ricky's Candy, Cones and Chaos is the ultimate ice cream and candy experience for customers and a sweet franchise opportunity for you! It includes thousands of bulk candy choices; a delicious super-premium ice cream you make in the store; candy novelties and other great gifts; and a color-filled party room terrific for kids' birthdays. These three business centers - candy, cones and 'chaos' - provide an all-season business opportunity for the dedicated franchisee. The Sa-weeetist Franchise Support Anywhere Ricky's Candy, Cones and Chaos will give franchise operations unparalleled support including: *Site evaluation and selection. *Lease and contract negotiations. *Staff consultation during construction process. *Name-brand products and proprietary products. *In-house management training program at our flagship location. *On-site operations assistance prior to and during your store opening. *Marketing assistance. *On-going assistance as needed. Ricky's Candy, Cones and Chaos Candy Store and Ice Cream Franchise The Ultimate in Fun and Excitement Ricky's Candy Cones and Chaos is the ultimate ice cream and candy experience; something for kids ages 5 to 85! Families love our "Chaos Center," where they can build their own fabulous sundae. And our candy choices are nothing less than extraordinary! Bin after bin, you'll find thousands of treats to choose from - bag 'em, put 'em in a tin, or have them wrapped for the ultimate candy gift! For the ultimate birthday, team or group event, book our party room! Kids can make their own candy jewelry, share sweet treats with friends, and have loads of fun! Ricky's Candy, Cones and Chaos puts fun first.

    About Cold Stone Creamery

    Founders, Donald and Susan Sutherland, have an energy for frozen yogurt! They scanned wherever for frozen yogurt that was "smooth and rich", instead of the customary hard-pressed or delicate serve assortments. In 1988, in the wake of coming up purge in their hunt, they opened the primary Cold Stone Creamery in Tempe, Arizona. Utilizing just the finest fixings, the Sutherlands delivered the most elevated quality frozen yogurt accessible - making it crisp every day in their store. Each dessert creation was then made to arrange for every client by mixing in blend ins on a solidified rock stone (the Cold Stone!), and served in a crisp prepared waffle cone. Word soon spread far and wide among frozen yogurt significant others that Cold Stone Creamery's dessert was the best, and the upheaval started! In 1995, the main establishment store opened in Tucson, Arizona, trailed by the first out-of-state store in Camarillo, California.

    The establishing store of Cold Stone Creamery opened in 1988
    We've been granting establishments since 1994
    About 1,000 stores working in the U.S. also, almost 300 stores around the world
    U.S. Domains Currently Open
    Single and Multi-Unit Deals Available
    Normal time to open is 6-12 months
    Co-marking Opportunities Available

    The Numbers You Need to Know

    $27,000 establishment fee*
    $250,000 total assets
    $100,000 fluid, non-financed stores
    Add up to beginning speculation - $50,200 - $467,525 *
    Sovereignty expense - 6% of gross deals
    Publicizing expense - 3% of gross deals

    *This charge is for a customary area and does exclude any rebates that might be appropriate. Distinctive expenses may apply for different sorts of areas. More nitty gritty venture data is accessible in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).

    The Buzz About Our Brand

    #53 on the 2013 "Establishment 500®" rundown in Entrepreneur® magazine
    #19 on the 2013 "Worldwide 30" list in QSR® magazine
    #46 on the 2012 "Top Global Franchises" list in Entrepreneur magazine
    #49 on QSR magazine's 2011 "QSR Top 50" positioning
    #54 on the 2011 "Establishment 500" rundown in Entrepreneur magazine
    #49 on Franchise Direct's® "Best 100 Global Franchises" list for 2011

    #123 on the 2010 Franchise Times® "Beat 200 Franchise Systems"
    "franchiserankingscom"
    #79 on Franchise Rankings.com