Shake's Frozen Custard vs Happy Joe's Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Shake's Frozen Custard Franchise
Happy Joe's Franchise
Investment $162,000 - $287,000$24,470 - $1,030,625
Franchise Fee $30,000$15,000 - $17,000
Royalty Fee 5%4.5%-5%
Advertising Fee 3%1.5%
Year Founded 19911972
Year Franchised 19981973
Term Of Agreement 10 years15 years
Term Of Agreement 10 years15 years
Renewal Fee 50% of initial franchise fee10% of fee or $2K


Business Experience Requirements

 
Shake's Frozen Custard Franchise
Happy Joe's Franchise
Experience
  • General business experience

  • General business experience

  • Financing Options

     
    Shake's Frozen Custard Franchise
    Happy Joe's Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/NoNo/Yes
    Start-up Costs No/YesNo/Yes
    Equipment No/YesNo/Yes
    Inventory No/NoNo/Yes
    Receivables No/NoNo/Yes
    Payroll No/NoNo/Yes

    Training & Support

     
    Shake's Frozen Custard Franchise
    Happy Joe's Franchise
    Training As necessaryOn-The-Job Training: 300 hours Classroom Training: 40 hours
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluationsPurchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software
    Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicksCo-op Advertising Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social media Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app
    Operations 25% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 20

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (75% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    33% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 45

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)


    Expansion Plans

     
    Shake's Frozen Custard Franchise
    Happy Joe's Franchise
    US Expansion YesYes
    Canada Expansion NoNo
    International Expansion NoYes

    Company Overviews

    About Shake's Frozen Custard

    Shake's Frozen Custard was established on three principles: Quality, Service, and Cleanliness. Today, these simple principles serve as the foundation from which Shake's, the Brand, continues to evolve. Our uncompromising dedication to the highest level of quality standards and our deep passion for service are, and will forever remain, the heart and soul of Shake's Frozen Custard. At Shake's Frozen Custard, we have an unrelenting focus on the future but we build our dreams on experience. Don and Debbie Osborne, founders of Shake's Frozen Custard, take great pride in having created a friendly, family oriented business. We realize that business success is fueled by individual customer experiences. Shake's Frozen Custard has an incredible ability to knock down the barriers of time and space in transporting us to those moments in our memory in which we experienced excitement, contentment, satisfaction, fun or any number of the seemingly infinite descriptors of human emotion. Shake's Frozen Custard offers the highest quality, premium ice cream today with the fast, friendly "service with a smile" of days gone by.Shake's Frozen Custard is a vibrant, one of a kind experience driven by a variety of interactive zones and viewing stations all leading to the presentation of the "World's best frozen dessert!" Shake's is much, much more than a simple restaurant. Shake's is a multi-sensory experience in which friends, families and loved ones build long lasting memories of quality, fun, and excitement. Every component of the facility generates a symphonic atmosphere that lends itself to the creation of wholesome, multi-generational, electrifying experiences. Customers of all ages enjoy reliving memories of "homemade" ice cream outings of days gone by with those special people in their lives.
    Shake's Frozen Custard provides our customers with a timeless and exciting experience - creating Memories of pure, powerful joy through a steadfast commitment to uncompromising quality, service, and cleanliness.

    About Happy Joe's

    Lawrence Joseph Whitty had worked in the bakery business for years before becoming an assistant manager at a Shakey's pizzeria. He decided to combine his baking skills with the experience he had gained from working at a pizza restaurant, where he would often hear families decide to go out for ice cream for dessert. Combining pizza and ice cream, Whitty opened the first Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream Parlor in East Davenport, Iowa, in 1972. His signature item was the Happy Joe's Special, a pizza with Canadian bacon and sauerkraut that Whitty created from leftovers in his mother's kitchen. After a franchisee suggested adding tacos to the menu, Whitty created the restaurant's best-selling product, the Taco Pizza.

    Seeking new franchisees in the following regions/states:

     Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota and Wisconsin

    The total investment necessary to begin operations of a Happy Joe’s Full Size Restaurant or Happy Joe’s PizzaGrille Restaurant is $279,750 to $1,030,625. This includes $0 to $16,500 that must be paid to the franchisor or an affiliate.
    The total investment necessary to begin operations of a Happy Joe’s DELCO Facility is $164,500 to $423,000. This includes the $0 to $16,500 that must be paid to the franchisor or an affiliate.
    The total investment to begin operations of a Happy Joe’s Satellite ranges from $24,470 to $132,340. This includes the $0 to $16,500 paid to the franchisor or an affiliate.
    The total investment necessary to begin operations of a Happy Joe’s Area Developer business ranges from $17,625 to $94,100. This includes the development fee ranging from $15,000 to $45,000 that must be paid to the franchisor.