Bruster's Real Ice Cream vs Smoothie Factory Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Bruster's Real Ice Cream vs Smoothie Factory including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Bruster's Real Ice Cream Franchise
Smoothie Factory Franchise
Investment $229,200 - $1,315,000$141,500 - $424,500
Franchise Fee $35,000$30,000
Royalty Fee 5%5%
Advertising Fee 3%-
Year Founded 19891996
Year Franchised 19931997
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Bruster's Real Ice Cream Franchise
Smoothie Factory Franchise
Experience *20% CAPITAL IN THE PROJECT. *DEDICATION TO EITHER OPERATING OR OVERSEEING *A MANAGER THAT WORKS APPROPRIATE RETAIL HOURS CULTIVATING AND MOTIVATING YOUTH. *INVOLVEMENT IN THE COMMUNITY * A 620 or higher credit score * Investment capital equal to 30% of the purchase price * $10-$15K of working capital

Financing Options
 
Bruster's Real Ice Cream Franchise
Smoothie Factory Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees No/Yes-/-
Start-up Costs No/Yes-/-
Equipment No/Yes-/-
Inventory No/Yes-/-
Receivables No/Yes-/-
Payroll No/Yes-/-

Training & Support
 
Bruster's Real Ice Cream Franchise
Smoothie Factory Franchise
Training On-The-Job Training: 68 hours Classroom Training: 12 hours -
Support *Real Estate Review and approval *Project Management *Marketing program and materials *procurement of products for operation *operations manager to support in your opening and ongoing consultations at your storePurchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform -
Marketing Complete assortment of templates and plans annually along with the support of a field marketing representative for more one on one support.

Co-op Advertising Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app

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Operations Absentee Ownership Allowed

Number of Employees Required to Run: 15 - 30

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Expansion Plans
 
Bruster's Real Ice Cream Franchise
Smoothie Factory Franchise
US Expansion Yes-
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion No-

Company Overviews

About Bruster's Real Ice Cream

Consistently ranked among the nation's top Franchises by Entrepreneur Magazine, Bruster's Real Ice Cream is one of the fastest growing ice cream franchises. Bruster's Real Ice Cream started as a family-owned ice cream shop in 1989 when founder Bruce Reed opened his first store in Bridgewater, PA. Bruce grew up in the food service business working at his family's diner just blocks away from where he opened the first Bruster's ice cream store. Today, Bruster's has more than 230 stores in the eastern United States from New Hampshire to Florida, with a majority of them being locally owned and operated. Bruster's Real Ice Cream has been consistently ranked by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the nation's leading franchise companies. Bruster's philosophy is very simple. We believe that ice cream is one of life's great, simple pleasures that can be shared with family and friends of all ages. Bruster's Real Ice Cream store owners and managers share in that philosophy and our commitment to providing only the highest quality products and service to our customers. They are highly skilled experts in making only the freshest ice cream with the finest ingredients. Our owners and managers continue to rotate flavors to keep their product offering new and exciting every time a customer visits the store.

In addition, Bruster's Real Ice Cream is constantly developing and testing new products based on customer feedback.

The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Bruster’s franchised business is between $508,000 and $1,315,000 for a freestanding Unit, between $229,200 and $584,500 for an endcapUnit. This includes $35,000 that must be paid to the Franchisor or its affiliate(s) for a Unit.

Seeking new franchise units throughout the U.S., Asia, Canada, Central America, Middle East, Mexico, Philippines and South America    

#54 on Entrepreneur's ranking of the top 150 franchises offering incentives and other programs to help veterans become franchisees
Veteran Incentives  50% off franchise fee

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In Franchise Business Reviews Top 200.

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#23 in Gator's Top franchises.



About Smoothie Factory

Smoothie Factory - A Fresh Concept in Franchising!
Smoothie Factory is a leader in today's growing $2 billion juice and smoothie bar industry. Founded by an Olympic athlete, Smoothie Factory meets the ever increasing demand for healthier options to traditional fast food. We believe in the simple concept of providing guests with reasonably priced smoothies, non-fat frozen yogurt and other healthy snacks served quickly in attractive, clean, pleasant surroundings every day. In addition to our great food product, our stores retail value priced dietary supplements enabling the franchisee to have multiple revenue sources under one roof. Smoothie Factory has established over 70 locations nationwide, along with international licenses in China and Vietnam, with a brand that has become recognized for excellence in service, product and value.
Smoothie Factory Franchise Opportunity.
Smoothie Factory's most impressive benefit, perhaps, is its desire to continually enhance its franchising system, interior design and image. The result has been a solid, unbroken track record of success, and a company poised for rapid expansion - an unparalleled blend of vision, product offerings and a franchise opportunity that's just right for forward-thinking entrepreneurs. In addition, an unwavering commitment to value on nutritional products continues to be an ingredient in our recipe for success. In fact, we sell nutritional products too, for less, every day, at 30%-50% off MSRP, making our franchise community a leader in nutritional product sales.

The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Smoothie Factory' Store ranges from $257,000 to $365,700. This includes the $42,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or an affiliate.
The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Smoothie Factory' Non-Traditional Store ranges from $141,500 to $305,000. This includes the $27,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or an affiliate.
The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Smoothie Factory-RED MANGO Co-Branded Traditional Store ranges from $309,000 to $424,500. This includes the $47,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or an affiliate.
The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Smoothie Factory' Non-Traditional Store Co-Branded with a Third-Party Concept ranges from $75,500 to $189,500. This includes the $20,000 to $27,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or an affiliate.