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BRUSTER'S

BRUSTER'S

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream franchises operate retail ice cream stores offering premium ice cream, sherbet, Italian ices, frozen yogurt, frozen desserts, beverages, food products, and related retail items, all made fresh on-site daily. The business model centers on franchising freestanding or end-cap locations (1,400-1,600 sq ft) that provide on-premises dining, carry-out, and approved third-party delivery services using a standardized system of recipes, operations, and Proprietary Marks. They target consumers seeking high-quality, fresh frozen treats in a modern environment, including families and dessert enthusiasts in local communities.

219locations
$415K–$1144K
Since 1993
Food & BeverageBridgewater, PAwww.Bruster’s.comDisclaimer

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Franchise Costs

Franchise Fee
$40,000
Initial Investment
$414,900 – $1,143,700
Royalty Rate
5.00%
Brand Fund
3.00%

5% royalty + 3% ad fund

Financial Performance


Item 19 Financial Performance

Average Gross Revenue
$746,650
Median Gross Revenue
$685,840
Top Quartile Revenue
$1,096,870
Bottom Quartile Revenue
$449,474
Average Gross Profit
$569,693.95

Data Based On: Data for 183 franchised outlets open and operating a standard 7-day schedule for Calendar Year 2025, operating a minimum of 358 days, as reported in Table 1.

* Average gross revenue is calculated as a weighted average for Calendar Year 2025 from Table 1, 'Average Unit Volume (AUV) of Franchise-Owned Bruster's Ice Cream Stores'. The calculation uses the AUV for the Top-Range ($1,096,870), Mid-Range ($693,606), and Bottom-Range ($449,474) segments, each corresponding to 61 stores. The weighted average is (61 * $1,096,870 + 61 * $693,606 + 61 * $449,474) / 183 total stores = $746,650. This matches the 'Overall 2025' AUV provided in Table 1. Median gross revenue ($685,840), revenue top quartile ($1,096,870), and revenue bottom quartile ($449,474) are directly extracted from the 'Overall 2025', 'AUV Top-Range', and 'AUV Bottom-Range' rows for 2025 in Table 1, respectively. Average gross profit is calculated by multiplying the average gross revenue ($746,650) by (1 - Average COG %). The Average COG % for franchised locations in 2025 is 23.70% as stated in Table 4, 'Cost of Goods (COG) as a Percentage of Gross Sales of Franchise and Company-Owned Ice Cream Stores'. Therefore, $746,650 * (1 - 0.2370) = $569,693.95. No explicit information on net income, net profit, EBITDA, or overall operating expense ranges (beyond COGS) is provided to estimate net profit ranges.

Extracted Item 19 Section

Avg. Revenue: $746,650

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How BRUSTER'S Compares

Key Insights

  • Top 10 largest franchise system in Desserts & Ice Cream
  • Lower than average SBA loan default rate in Desserts & Ice Cream
FranchiseInvestmentFeeRoyaltyLocations
BRUSTER'S
Current
$415K – $1.1M$40K5.0%219
RITA'S FRANCHISE COMPANY, LLC; RITA'S ICE-CUSTARD-HAPPINESS$315K – $713K$35K6.5%569
MENCHIE'S$180K – $515K$54K6.0%295
DIPPIN' DOTS$139K – $399K$35K6.0%260
MARBLE SLAB CREAMERY$355K – $477K$25K6.0%249
HAAGEN DAZS SHOP$213K – $592K$30K4.0%215
Desserts & Ice Cream Average
28 franchises
$326K – $656K$37K7.0%

* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 28 Desserts & Ice Cream franchises by location count.

Locations & Growth


Outlet Growth Over Time

Total outlets at end of each year

Geographic Distribution (2025)

Outlets by state across the United States

Top States
1GA
50
2VA
22
3PA
21
4FL
20
5CA
17
6SC
16
7MD
12
8NC
10
9TX
8
10TN
7
11AL
6
12AZ
5
13NY
4
14OH
3
15KY
3

+10 more states

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SBA Loan History


Historical SBA 7(a) loan data for BRUSTER'S franchisees (20102025)

Total Loans
109
Average Loan
$589,869
Total Volume
$64.3M
Default Rate
3.7%

Loans by Year

SBA 7(a) loan activity over time

* Data sourced from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan records. Default rate calculated from charged-off loans.

109 SBA loans on record

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Franchisee Contacts

223 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.

223 Contacts Available

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Due Diligence


Litigation (Item 3)

Franchisee Cases1

Plaintiff claimed injury from products negligently served at a franchised location, with claims against the franchisee, franchisor, and parent company. Litigation is ongoing.

Bankruptcy (Item 4)

Bankruptcy HistoryNo
No bankruptcy history reported

System Health (Item 20)

Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year

Terminations
0
Non-Renewals
0
Reacquired
0
Ceased Ops
4
Transfers
5
Sold to Franchisees
N/A
Projected New
6

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Frequently Asked Questions

The total initial investment to open a BRUSTER'S franchise ranges from $414,900 to $1,143,700. This includes a franchise fee of $40,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 5.0% of gross sales.