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Updated RecentlyCold Stone Creamery vs Country Style Ice Cream Franchise Comparison
Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Cold Stone Creamery vs Country Style Ice Cream including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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| Investment | $50,200 - $467,525 | $240,000 - $265,000 |
| Franchise Fee | $15,000 - $27,000 | N/A |
| Royalty Fee | 6% | - |
| Advertising Fee | 3% | - |
| Year Founded | 1988 | - |
| Year Franchised | 1994 | - |
| Term Of Agreement | 10 years | - |
| Term Of Agreement | 10 years | - |
| Renewal Fee | - | - |
Business Experience Requirements |
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| Experience | - | The most important qualification is the willingness to sacrifice the time necessary to establish a successful operation. Financial strength and management ability or experiences are also key ingredients. |
Financing Options |
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| In-House/3rd Party | In-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 |
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| 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 program shall be approximately 50 hours over eight days in duration. Franchisee shall complete initial training program at least three weeks before the commencement of operation of the franchised store. |
| 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) | It is not a requirement to be an owner/operator. However, it is required that the owner participate in the training program and highly encouraged that the owner participate in the operation of the store at a level that control can be maintained. |
Expansion Plans |
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| US Expansion | Yes | - |
| Canada Expansion | No | - |
| 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
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About Country Style Ice Cream
Country Style was founded in 1947 when Wayne Lindgren decided to follow his brother Chester "Whitey" Lindgren into the world of ice cream. The brothers collaborated to produce a quality soft serve mix and Wayne along with his wife Desyl opened the first Country Style on 23rd Avenue and 43rd Street in Moline, Illinois. Later, Whitey and Wayne joined forces at the 16th Street and 23rd Avenue Moline store. Wayne eventually bought out Whitey's share of the business. Committed to quality, Wayne and Desyl then set out to establish Country Style as the finest quality soft serve ice cream in the country. Throughout the years, their dedication and hard work produced a following that spread across the country. The words "tastes like homemade" are often heard at Country Style and can be attributed to the high standards originally set by Wayne and Desyl. Kent Kindelsperger purchased Country Style on February 8, 1988 and continues to head the company. After experimenting with different store venues, Country Style has found a niche and brand with a free standing dairy farm building that serves exceptional ice cream. Country Style's history as a top quality soft serve ice cream provider sets a strong foundation to market the brand across the country.