Icebox/Soupbox vs TCBY Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Icebox/Soupbox vs TCBY including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Icebox/Soupbox Franchise
TCBY Franchise
Investment $69,500 - $174,500$330,000 - $435,000
Franchise Fee $14,000 - $20,000$35,000
Royalty Fee 4%6%
Advertising Fee -2%
Year Founded 19951981
Year Franchised 19981982
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years
Renewal Fee Negotiable-


Business Experience Requirements
 
Icebox/Soupbox Franchise
TCBY Franchise
Experience
  • General business experience

  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Marketing skills
    		•

    Financing Options
     
    Icebox/Soupbox Franchise
    TCBY Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/NoNo/Yes
    Start-up Costs No/NoNo/Yes
    Equipment No/NoNo/Yes
    Inventory No/NoNo/Yes
    Receivables No/NoNo/No
    Payroll No/NoNo/No

    Training & Support
     
    Icebox/Soupbox Franchise
    TCBY Franchise
    Training --
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperativesNewsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations
    Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertisingAd slicks, National media, Regional advertising
    Operations 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)

    		 International franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed.

    Expansion Plans
     
    Icebox/Soupbox Franchise
    TCBY Franchise
    US Expansion --
    Canada Expansion NoNo
    International Expansion YesYes

    Company Overviews

    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.

    About TCBY

    TCBY Enterprises Inc. was founded in 1981 by Frank Hickingbotham. Hickingbotham got the idea after he tried frozen yogurt for the first time, exclaiming, 'This can't be yogurt!' The initials of that outburst became the name of the company. Now renamed to stand for 'The Country's Best Yogurt,' TCBY has locations across the United States and in more than 60 countries. In 2000 TCBY merged with Capricorn Investors, the principal shareholder of Mrs. Fields' Holdings Inc. The merger allows TCBY to partner with Mrs. Fields' Original Cookies and other members of the Mrs. Fields family, including Pretzel Time and the Great American Cookie Co. Based in Little Rock, Arkansas, TCBY offers franchise units in both traditional and nontraditional locations. It has co-branding relationships with Subway, Blimpie's and Taco Bell.
     
    TCBY is the original and most well-known frozen yogurt brand, leading the market in nutrition, taste and product quality. Serving communities nationwide for 40 years, TCBY is a successful model that has fueled the growth of a thriving industry. TCBY, which currently has over 250 franchise locations worldwide, offers an extensive product line, with most yogurt flavors in varieties that are low in fat, nonfat, or no sugar added. TCBY launched its unique frozen yogurt classification "Super FroYo" in 2011, which is still the most nutritious frozen yogurt product available in the market, as well as was the first brand to market Greek Frozen Yogurt. Also based in Broomfield, Colorado, TCBYhas been a frozen yogurt innovator from the day its first shop opened in Little Rock, Arkansas.