Cold Stone Creamery vs Herrell's Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Cold Stone Creamery vs Herrell's including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
Herrell's Franchise
Investment $50,200 - $467,525$251,000 - $367,000
Franchise Fee $15,000 - $27,000$40,000
Royalty Fee 6%6%
Advertising Fee 3%-
Year Founded 19881973
Year Franchised 19941980
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
Herrell's Franchise
Experience -

What we expect from a franchisee * A belief in the Herrell's Ice Cream product and system

* Owner operation and interest in their community

* Respect for employees

* Franchisor respect and communication

* Customer service that exceeds the norm (win that customer back every time they come into your store)

* Cleanliness and neatness

* Desire to succeed in one's own business


Financing Options

 
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
Herrell's 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

 
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
Herrell's Franchise
Training Franchising with Cold Stone Creamery® means you’ll never be alone in your business. As one of the world’s premier ice cream franchises, Cold Stone Creamery’s support network has launched hundreds of entrepreneurs without any experience in either the service industry or the restaurant industry into growing businesses in communities across the country and around the world. “Cold Stone Creamery has one of the most robust training platforms in the entire franchise industry,” says John Wuycheck, SVP of Franchise Development. “Our franchisees make real investments of both time and money to franchise with Cold Stone Creamery, and we honor that by going above and beyond in providing an exceptional initial and ongoing training platform. We’ve been helping entrepreneurs establish new Cold Stone Creamery businesses for a long time, and we’ve built an iconic business model that requires no previous experience to become a top performer. As a franchisor, we’re honored to report that franchisee satisfaction is at an all-time high.” Initial New franchisees attend KTEC (Kahala Training and Education Center). In addition, new franchisees spend two weeks in a store where we cover every aspect of their new business, including making the ice cream, preparing and serving Cold Stone Creamery products, managing inventory and supporting their business through savvy marketing. On-The-Job New franchisees spend 80 hours in a store to learn the ins and outs of the business, including how to correctly prepare and serve the brand’s products. Cold Stone Creamery also hosts monthly check-ins to help you meet your goals, to offer assistance and to ensure you have all the tools necessary to improve your business every day.During your training you will receive detailed instructions as well as hands-on experience making our award-winning ice cream, including thorough familiarization with all equipment.
Support Cold Stone Creamery will meet with you regularly to help you and answer any of your questions. Every new franchisee receives monthly check-in calls from a Regional Director of Operations or Area Developer.Since the proof of the ice cream is in the eating, Herrell's Ice Cream will provide you with our absolutely best tasting, richest and creamiest ice cream recipes which have been perfected applying years of experience. How and where to order your inventory of perishable ingredients and supplies is crucial. During your pre-opening days in preparation for your opening, our staff will assist you in contacting various suppliers and in placing your initial orders. Once you are in operation, a member of the franchise staff will visit you on a regular basis. Areas such as ice cream making, daily operations, expense analysis, staff evaluation and promotional ideas can be discussed. The Herrell's Ice Cream and Herrell's Development staff is very supportive and is always only a phone call or e-mail away.
Marketing Cold Stone Creamery franchisees have access to in-house marketing and public relations teams, which significantly reduces expenses. These teams help with national, regional and local marketing, along with public relations from the grand opening through the life of the business. We train franchisees to manage their stores’ social media accounts, including Facebook®, Twitter® and Instagram® -" and newer platforms such as Snapchat®-
Operations 35% of all franchisees own more than one unit

Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 15

Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

-

Expansion Plans

 
Cold Stone Creamery Franchise
Herrell's Franchise
US Expansion Yes-
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion Yes-

Company Overviews

About Cold Stone Creamery

Founders, Donald and Susan Sutherland, have an energy for frozen yogurt! They scanned wherever for frozen yogurt that was "smooth and rich", instead of the customary hard-pressed or delicate serve assortments. In 1988, in the wake of coming up purge in their hunt, they opened the primary Cold Stone Creamery in Tempe, Arizona. Utilizing just the finest fixings, the Sutherlands delivered the most elevated quality frozen yogurt accessible - making it crisp every day in their store. Each dessert creation was then made to arrange for every client by mixing in blend ins on a solidified rock stone (the Cold Stone!), and served in a crisp prepared waffle cone. Word soon spread far and wide among frozen yogurt significant others that Cold Stone Creamery's dessert was the best, and the upheaval started! In 1995, the main establishment store opened in Tucson, Arizona, trailed by the first out-of-state store in Camarillo, California.

The establishing store of Cold Stone Creamery opened in 1988
We've been granting establishments since 1994
About 1,000 stores working in the U.S. also, almost 300 stores around the world
U.S. Domains Currently Open
Single and Multi-Unit Deals Available
Normal time to open is 6-12 months
Co-marking Opportunities Available

The Numbers You Need to Know

$27,000 establishment fee*
$250,000 total assets
$100,000 fluid, non-financed stores
Add up to beginning speculation - $50,200 - $467,525 *
Sovereignty expense - 6% of gross deals
Publicizing expense - 3% of gross deals

*This charge is for a customary area and does exclude any rebates that might be appropriate. Distinctive expenses may apply for different sorts of areas. More nitty gritty venture data is accessible in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).

The Buzz About Our Brand

#53 on the 2013 "Establishment 500®" rundown in Entrepreneur® magazine
#19 on the 2013 "Worldwide 30" list in QSR® magazine
#46 on the 2012 "Top Global Franchises" list in Entrepreneur magazine
#49 on QSR magazine's 2011 "QSR Top 50" positioning
#54 on the 2011 "Establishment 500" rundown in Entrepreneur magazine
#49 on Franchise Direct's® "Best 100 Global Franchises" list for 2011

#123 on the 2010 Franchise Times® "Beat 200 Franchise Systems"
"franchiserankingscom"
#79 on Franchise Rankings.com





About Herrell's

Herrell's Ice Cream offers a unique concept. Sure, these days everyone has gourmet ice cream, but at Herrell's we know the best ice cream is handmade on the premises ice cream. Our product is fresh, rich and delicious, using only the finest ingredients to ensure a perfectly flavored ice cream. The Smoosh-in, a Herrell's innovation, tantalizes its customers by allowing them to select their favorite flavor of ice cream and Smoosh-in, a variety of candies, nuts and cookies and top it with our award-winning hot fudge creating an infinite number of unique special flavor experiences.
Herrell's Ice Cream has gained a well-deserved reputation for excellence. We are the original and are still the best! As the owner of a Herrell's Ice Cream franchise, you will be backed by this excellent reputation. The success of Herrell's Ice Cream has resulted in many industry copycats, but the ice cream quality has never been matched. Dedicated to creativity and the pursuit of excellence, Herrell's Ice Cream continues to be at the top of distinctive taste and customer loyalty. As a Herrell's Ice Cream franchise owner, you too will benefit from the realization of a dream come true.
Since 1973, the Herrell's name has been synonymous with premium, gourmet ice cream made right in-house from the finest ingredients. At our flagship ice cream shop in Northampton, Massachusetts - in the heart of the Pioneer Valley - we still slow-churn our ice cream with care. And over the years, we've added many more frozen desserts and baked goods to tempt every taste!