Cold Stone Creamery vs Sloan's Ice Cream Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
Sloan's Ice Cream Franchise
Investment $50,200 - $467,525$587,952 - $896,600
Franchise Fee $15,000 - $27,000$40,000
Royalty Fee 6%6%
Advertising Fee 3%1% Nat'l
Year Founded 19881999
Year Franchised 19941999
Term Of Agreement 10 years5 years
Term Of Agreement 10 years5 years
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
Sloan's Ice Cream Franchise
Experience --

Financing Options
 
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
Sloan's Ice Cream 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
 
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
Sloan's Ice Cream 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.The initial training covers all material aspects of the operation of a Sloan's franchise and is comprised of classroom and on-the-job training.
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.-
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®-
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)

-

Expansion Plans
 
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
Sloan's Ice Cream Franchise
US Expansion YesYes
Canada Expansion NoNo
International Expansion Yes-

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 Sloan's Ice Cream

Since opening our first store in 1999, Sloan's has become an icon of Southern Florida for great ice cream and great fun. Our unmistakable look, terrific service and unforgettable ice cream have become a tourist attraction and a hot spot for local residents. While we think we have the greatest ice cream on the planet, what really differentiates Sloan's is the brand and systems that we have created to replicate the memorable experiences for all of our customers. Sloan's has been the recipient of numerous awards for best luxury ice cream. We are a family business and our franchisees can also be family businesses. Sloan Kamenstein created Sloan's out of a love of fine foods and sweets. As an accomplished chef and entrepreneur, Sloan still leads the company and is heavily involved in innovation, product development and growth. Sloan's builds its customer following by providing what we believe to be the best service, best product and best atmosphere. Each store is impeccably designed to create an emotional response for kids and adults and keep them coming back. Becoming a Sloan's franchisee gives you access to our brand, systems, training and support as you own and operate your very own Sloan's ice cream and candy store. You get:
*Sloan's logos, signage, designs and operational systems
*Buying power through our suppliers *Site selection and build out assistance
*Extensive training in Florida at our headquarters and in our stores
*On-site assistance just prior and during the opening of your location
*An in-depth operations manual for every aspect of store ownership
*Marketing materials and marketing assistance
*Ongoing support site visits from Sloan's staff
*Unlimited access to our team via phone and email
We are dedicated to the personal and professional growth of our franchisees. The opportunity to own your own business without being alone has never been sweeter.