Abbott's Frozen Custard vs Ben & Jerry's Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Abbott's Frozen Custard vs Ben & Jerry's including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Abbott's Frozen Custard Franchise
Ben & Jerry's Franchise
Investment $332,254 - $571,634$152,200 - $546,800
Franchise Fee $37,000$16,000 - $37,000
Royalty Fee 5.5%3%
Advertising Fee 0.19Cents/Gal.4%
Year Founded 19021978
Year Franchised 19771981
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years
Term Of Agreement 10 years10 years
Renewal Fee -50% of then current fee


Business Experience Requirements
 
Abbott's Frozen Custard Franchise
Ben & Jerry's Franchise
Experience -
  • Are socially conscious, and active in your community.
  • Are passionate about operating an ethical, responsible business.
  • Will apply your full-time best efforts to the business.
  • Have at least two years of business management experience with P&L responsibility.
  • Have excellent business acumen, project management skills, and the ability to build and execute a business plan.
  • Are systems-oriented, and understand and value a franchise system.
  • Have the ability to recruit, train, and motivate staff, according to our standards.
  • Have a competitive drive and are committed to succeed, with realistic expectations.
  • Demonstrate honesty, integrity and humility and are a team player.
  • Possess strong interpersonal and communication skills and are fluent in English.
  • Know how to use a computer and apply technology.
  • Have a college degree or higher (preferred).
  • Have a strong credit history and a minimum net worth of $350,000, with $100,000 in liquidity (cash and securities, not including retirement accounts).
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    Financing Options
     
    Abbott's Frozen Custard Franchise
    Ben & Jerry's 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/Yes
    Payroll No/NoNo/Yes

    Training & Support
     
    Abbott's Frozen Custard Franchise
    Ben & Jerry's Franchise
    Training 3 days at Scoop School and 10 days of on-site training at your location, where we teach you everything you need to know to operate and manage an Abbott's Frozen Custard store.We’ve got a great recipe for operating a scoop shop, and a world-class team to provide “scoop-to-nuts” expertise. We guide you every step of the way, beginning with your search for the right location, to training, to marketing, and to ongoing operational support for the life of your business. On-The-Job Training: 24 hours Classroom Training: 35 hours
    Support Grand opening, Internet, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperativesNewsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
    Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicksAd Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media Website development Email marketing
    Operations

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 4 - 6

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (80% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    		 75% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed.

    Expansion Plans
     
    Abbott's Frozen Custard Franchise
    Ben & Jerry's Franchise
    US Expansion -No
    Canada Expansion NoNo
    International Expansion YesNo

    Company Overviews

    About Abbott's Frozen Custard

    Abbott's Frozen Custard has stood for quality for over 100 years in Upstate New York. Back in the 1920s, people started treating themselves to Abbott's Frozen Custard down at Charlotte Beach on Lake Ontario. Today, the company has grown with franchises spreading out in Rochester, Syracuse and New York's Finger Lakes region. No matter where our stores are located, success has come about because our driving principle is to make the best frozen custard on earth .

    The total investment necessary to begin operation of an Abbott’s Frozen Custard franchise is between $332,254 and $571,634. This includes an initial franchise fee of $37,000, and other initial fees of $138,354 to $156,801 that must be paid to the franchisor or affiliates for your first Abbott’s Store.
    If you choose to enter into a Development Agreement, you must open a minimum of three stores. The total investment necessary under the Development Agreement is between $996,762 to $1,714,902. This includes $111,000 and other initial fees of $415,062 to $470,403 that must be paid to the franchisor or affiliates to open three stores.

    About Ben & Jerry's

    Ben & Jerry's is named for its founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, who grew up together in Merrick, Long Island. In 1978, they took a $5 correspondence course on ice-cream-making, then leased an old gas station building in Burlington, Vermont to open their first ice cream shop.  Ben & Jerry’s has over 580 franchised ice cream scoop shops and PartnerShops worldwide. We have over 350 scoop shops in the United States and over 350 scoop shops Internationally.

    Seeking new franchise units in Arizona, California, Colorado, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, Australia/New Zealand, Canada and Western Europe.

    ""    "Entrepreneur

    #63 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
    #138 in Franchise 500 for 2021.