Bruster's Real Ice Cream vs Baskin-Robbins Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
	Bruster's Real Ice Cream Franchise	Baskin-Robbins Franchise
Investment	$229,200 - $1,315,000	$123,952 - $558,830
Franchise Fee	$35,000	$12,500 - $25,000
Royalty Fee	5%	5.9%
Advertising Fee	3%	5%
Year Founded	1989	1945
Year Franchised	1993	1948
Term Of Agreement	10 years	-
Term Of Agreement	10 years	-
Renewal Fee	-	-
Business Experience Requirements
	Bruster's Real Ice Cream Franchise	Baskin-Robbins Franchise
Experience	20% CAPITAL IN THE PROJECT. DEDICATION TO EITHER OPERATING OR OVERSEEING A MANAGER THAT WORKS APPROPRIATE RETAIL HOURS CULTIVATING AND MOTIVATING YOUTH. INVOLVEMENT IN THE COMMUNITY	Industry experience General business experience Marketing skills
Financing Options
	Bruster's Real Ice Cream Franchise	Baskin-Robbins Franchise
	In-House/3rd Party	In-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees	No/Yes	No/Yes
Start-up Costs	No/Yes	No/Yes
Equipment	No/Yes	No/Yes
Inventory	No/Yes	No/Yes
Receivables	No/Yes	No/Yes
Payroll	No/Yes	No/Yes
Training & Support
	Bruster's Real Ice Cream Franchise	Baskin-Robbins Franchise
Training	On-The-Job Training: 68 hours Classroom Training: 12 hours	On-The-Job Training: 2.5 weeks Classroom Training: 2.5 weeks
Support	Real Estate Review and approval Project Management Marketing program and materials procurement of products for operation *operations manager to support in your opening and ongoing consultations at your storePurchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing	Complete assortment of templates and plans annually along with the support of a field marketing representative for more one on one support. Co-op Advertising Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app
Operations	Absentee Ownership Allowed Number of Employees Required to Run: 15 - 30	Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed.
Expansion Plans
	Bruster's Real Ice Cream Franchise	Baskin-Robbins Franchise
US Expansion	Yes	Yes
Canada Expansion	No	No
International Expansion	No	Yes

Company Overviews

About Bruster's Real Ice Cream

Consistently ranked among the nation's top Franchises by Entrepreneur Magazine, Bruster's Real Ice Cream is one of the fastest growing ice cream franchises. Bruster's Real Ice Cream started as a family-owned ice cream shop in 1989 when founder Bruce Reed opened his first store in Bridgewater, PA. Bruce grew up in the food service business working at his family's diner just blocks away from where he opened the first Bruster's ice cream store. Today, Bruster's has more than 230 stores in the eastern United States from New Hampshire to Florida, with a majority of them being locally owned and operated. Bruster's Real Ice Cream has been consistently ranked by Entrepreneur magazine as one of the nation's leading franchise companies. Bruster's philosophy is very simple. We believe that ice cream is one of life's great, simple pleasures that can be shared with family and friends of all ages. Bruster's Real Ice Cream store owners and managers share in that philosophy and our commitment to providing only the highest quality products and service to our customers. They are highly skilled experts in making only the freshest ice cream with the finest ingredients. Our owners and managers continue to rotate flavors to keep their product offering new and exciting every time a customer visits the store.

In addition, Bruster's Real Ice Cream is constantly developing and testing new products based on customer feedback.

The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Bruster’s franchised business is between $508,000 and $1,315,000 for a freestanding Unit, between $229,200 and $584,500 for an endcapUnit. This includes $35,000 that must be paid to the Franchisor or its affiliate(s) for a Unit.

Seeking new franchise units throughout the U.S., Asia, Canada, Central America, Middle East, Mexico, Philippines and South America

#54 on Entrepreneur's ranking of the top 150 franchises offering incentives and other programs to help veterans become franchisees

Veteran Incentives 50% off franchise fee

In Franchise Business Reviews Top 200.

#23 in Gator's Top franchises.

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.