Baskin-Robbins vs Emerald City Smoothie Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Baskin-Robbins vs Emerald City Smoothie including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Baskin-Robbins Franchise
Emerald City Smoothie Franchise
Investment $123,952 - $558,830$75,250 - $286,900
Franchise Fee $12,500 - $25,000$15,000 - $25,000
Royalty Fee 5.9%6%
Advertising Fee 5%2%
Year Founded 19452005
Year Franchised 19482005
Term Of Agreement --
Term Of Agreement --
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Baskin-Robbins Franchise
Emerald City Smoothie Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Marketing skills
    		• -

    Financing Options
     
    Baskin-Robbins Franchise
    Emerald City Smoothie 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
     
    Baskin-Robbins Franchise
    Emerald City Smoothie Franchise
    Training On-The-Job Training: 2.5 weeks Classroom Training: 2.5 weeks -
    Support Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform* Use of the Emerald City Smoothie brand and all existing and new marketing materials * Assistance with real estate brokers, site selection, lease negotiation and construction based on best practices learned from over 30 store openings * A turn-key system that includes all architectural design, equipment, shelving, graphics, and signage at a reasonable cost * Extensive ECS Experience training for you and one staff member on drink making, developing a customer community, business management and marketing * Grand opening planning and support * "It's my store" customer involvement program * Peer-to-peer problem and solution sharing with other franchise owners * New drink introductions based on successful pilot programs at other franchises * Web presence for easy store location and product and service pre-selection * Periodic, high-return marketing strategies for pilot testing and implementation * Greater buying power for smoothie and health products as a member of our buying cooperative * Periodic visits to assist with general operations, employee training and to help you fine-tune the ECS experience * Analysis of store sales and performance versus system- wide benchmarks
    Marketing Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app-
    Operations

    Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed.

    		-

    Expansion Plans
     
    Baskin-Robbins Franchise
    Emerald City Smoothie Franchise
    US Expansion Yes-
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion Yes-

    Company Overviews

    About Baskin-Robbins

    As a teenager in the 1930s, Irv Robbins managed an ice cream shop in Tacoma, Washington. Bored with serving traditional flavors like chocolate and vanilla, Robbins began experimenting, mixing fruit and candies into the ice cream. After serving in World War II, Robbins bought an ice cream parlor in Glendale, California. Three years later, he convinced his brother-in-law, Burt Baskin, to join the business. The two men flipped a coin to see whose name would go first on the sign. Baskin won, and in 1945, Baskin-Robbins was born. Today, Baskin-Robbins has locations in more than 50 countries, each serving the company's famous 31 flavors of ice cream as well as frozen yogurt, sherbet, cakes and drinks. Baskin-Robbins is a subsidiary of Allied Domecq, parent company of Dunkin' Donuts and Togo's. Franchisees may operate combination stores, co-branding Baskin-Robbins with either Dunkin' Donuts or Togo's. 

    Veteran Incentives  First-store franchise fee waived; royalty fee reduced for first 5 years
    "Top    ""    "Entrepreneur
    #100 in Canada's Top franchises.          
                                                                                                   
    "franchiserankingscom"
    #30 on Franchise Rankings.com
    #13 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
    #38 in Franchise 500 for 2021.








    About Emerald City Smoothie

    If you are looking for a significant franchise opportunity with a low cost of entry and a high upside potential, you may be a great candidate to be an Emerald City Smoothie franchise owner. We've also built our uniqueness beyond the product. We build customer loyalty everyday through: * A personal service philosophy that turns our employees into part of our customer's fitness-support team, which keeps customers coming back, according to the Parker LePla Emerald City Smoothie Customer Study * Supplements for any health goal from weight loss to bulking up * Smoothie recipes that won the "best of" smoothie category in a Seattle poll, featuring a unique blending process that creates a smooth, refreshing, but never-watery, taste * Branding and design that helps draw customers into your stores and makes selection of high-margin add-on products easy. Click here for a virtual tour of one of our world-class locations. * Marketing, training, site selection, and quality control services. Emerald City Smoothie also features all the benefits of franchising including our formula for operating to help avoid many mistakes commonly made by new business owners. Today, one out of every seven dollars spent by Americans for retail goods and services is spent in a franchised or independent product distribution business (source: IFA Franchise Opportunity Guide, p. 31, Fall/Winter 2004). Franchising generates an estimated $1.5 trillion in the U.S. economy annually (source: www.franchise.org/opportunities). The combination of the franchisor's expertise and your hard work create the potential for a strong business. With a franchise, you are in business for yourself, not by yourself!