Cold Stone Creamery vs Rita's Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
Rita's Franchise
Investment $50,200 - $467,525$15,100 - $435,000
Franchise Fee $15,000 - $27,000$10,000 - $30,000
Royalty Fee 6%6.5%
Advertising Fee 3%3%
Year Founded 19881984
Year Franchised 19941989
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years
Renewal Fee -50% of current franchise fee


Business Experience Requirements
 
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
Rita's Franchise
Experience --

Financing Options
 
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
Rita's Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees No/YesNo/No
Start-up Costs No/YesNo/Yes
Equipment No/YesNo/Yes
Inventory No/YesNo/No
Receivables No/YesNo/No
Payroll No/YesNo/No

Training & Support
 
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
Rita's 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.5 days at Cool University and 4 days on site
Support Cold 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.Cool Support Center, newsletter, meetings, toll-free phone line, grand opening, security/safety procedures, field operations/evaluations
Marketing Cold 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®Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertising
Operations 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)

 50% of all franchisees own more than one unit

Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: average 2 full-time, 15 part-time

Expansion Plans
 
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
Rita's Franchise
US Expansion YesYes
Canada Expansion NoNo
International Expansion YesNo

Company Overviews

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





About Rita's

From a small porch front in 1984 in Northeast Philadelphia and a seasonal phenomenon, Rita's continues to see unprecedented growth as it continues to grow across the nation becoming a year round spectacular with its cult-like following. Rita's - made fresh daily - Italian ice obsession is hitting everyone's taste buds and creating a passion not just for the brand but the opportunity to become a Rita's Italian ice franchise owner. It's no wonder we are wired for success and fueled up for our expansion not only across the nation, but internationally we are making our presence known. Rita's franchisees come from all walks of life with one thing in common - the desire to choose their own destiny with a proven system providing on-going support; not to mention all having a passion for Rita's cool treats and foregoing happiness. There's no better time than today to begin evaluating the Rita's business model. Why not get a taste of success and view our fresh and desirable products!


The total investment necessary to begin operation of a standard Rita’s shop is between $175,500 and $435,000. These figures include between $50,000 to $55,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or its affiliate.
The total investment necessary to begin operation of an express Rita’s shop is between $121,100 and $309,900. These figures include between $33,000 to $33,500 that must be paid to the franchisor or its affiliate.
If you enter into an agreement for a standard Rita’s shop or express Rita’s shop, we may offer you the opportunity to enter into an addendum to operate a Rita’s satellite shop and/or a Rita’s mobile unit.
The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Rita’s satellite shop is between $131,550 and $296,400. These figures include between $19,200 to $25,500 that must be paid to the franchisor or its affiliate.
The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Rita’s mobile unit is between $15,100 and $144,600. These figures include between $10,000 to $13,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or its affiliate.