Bruster's Real Ice Cream vs Country Style Ice Cream Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Bruster's Real Ice Cream vs Country Style Ice Cream 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
Country Style Ice Cream Franchise
Investment $229,200 - $1,315,000$240,000 - $265,000
Franchise Fee $35,000N/A
Royalty Fee 5%-
Advertising Fee 3%-
Year Founded 1989-
Year Franchised 1993-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Bruster's Real Ice Cream Franchise
Country Style Ice Cream 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 COMMUNITYThe 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

 
Bruster's Real Ice Cream Franchise
Country Style Ice Cream 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

 
Bruster's Real Ice Cream Franchise
Country Style Ice Cream Franchise
Training On-The-Job Training: 68 hours Classroom Training: 12 hours 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 *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 -
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

-
Operations Absentee Ownership Allowed

Number of Employees Required to Run: 15 - 30

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

 
Bruster's Real Ice Cream Franchise
Country Style Ice Cream Franchise
US Expansion Yes-
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion No-

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.

"Top
#23 in Gator's Top franchises.



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.