| ||||
Updated RecentlyLittle Scoops vs Icebox/Soupbox Franchise Comparison
Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Little Scoops vs Icebox/Soupbox including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
||
| Investment | $87,000 - $152,000 | $69,500 - $174,500 |
| Franchise Fee | $20,000 | $14,000 - $20,000 |
| Royalty Fee | $350/wk | 4% |
| Advertising Fee | - | - |
| Year Founded | 2002 | 1995 |
| Year Franchised | 2003 | 1998 |
| Term Of Agreement | 10 years | 10 years |
| Term Of Agreement | 10 years | 10 years |
| Renewal Fee | - | Negotiable |
Business Experience Requirements |
||
| Experience | - | |
Financing Options |
||
| In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
| Franchise Fees | No/No | No/No |
| Start-up Costs | No/Yes | No/No |
| Equipment | No/Yes | No/No |
| Inventory | No/No | No/No |
| Receivables | No/No | No/No |
| Payroll | No/No | No/No |
Training & Support |
||
| Training | Ongoing support as needed | - |
| Support | Meetings, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives | Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives |
| Marketing | Co-op advertising, Ad slicks | Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertising |
| Operations |
0% 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) |
0% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 10 Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators) |
Expansion Plans |
||
| US Expansion | Yes | - |
| Canada Expansion | No | No |
| International Expansion | No | Yes |
Company Overviews
About Little Scoops
At Little Scoops, we believe birthday parties are about fun, not only for the kids, but also for the parents. A party at Little Scoops allows you to celebrate along with your kids, without having to worry about the clean up or the arrangement. Little Scoops is a children’s party place, featuring a retro 1950’s ice cream parlor motif. Partygoers are treated to a variety of interactive games all set to age-appropriate music and supervised by a staff of trained professionals. Pizza and soft drinks are served at all parties with other food options available at your request. At every Little Scoops party, children get to make their own ice cream sundaes with various colorful toppings.
About Icebox/Soupbox
Before opening his first store, Jamie Taerbaum stood outside a Baskin-Robbins store to figure out how many customers an ice cream store could expect at different times of day, on different days of the week, and in different weather conditions. Armed with this research, the young business school graduate opened the original Icebox/Soupbox store in 1995 in Chicago.
In the spring and summer, Icebox operates as a retailer of Icyfruit, a mixture of fruit juice, sugar, water and chunks of fruit that comes in 20 flavors. Throughout the fall and winter, it becomes a Soupbox store, offering a wide variety of soups.