Always Ice CreamFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Always Ice Cream franchise requires a total initial investment of $249K – $600K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $678K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $249K – $600K
- 45th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $678K
- 19th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 44th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 5
- 22nd pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Quick-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Started franchising in 2024. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
The franchisor's auditor raised doubt about continued operations. This is a serious risk signal.
39% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line). Above the 20% threshold most investors target.
Bottom line
- Total investment $249K – $600K including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $678K/year, with an estimated 39% cash-on-cash return (based on P&L Bottom Line).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 48/100.
- Auditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- ALWAYS ICE CREAM SYSTEMS, LLC
- CEO title
- Manager
- Mark Cohen
- Incorporated in
- MD
- HQ
- 129A Mitchells Chance Road, Edgewater, Maryland 21037
- Auditor
- Platform CPAs, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- Most recent fiscal year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2025
- Auditor flagged doubt about continued operations. Verify against the latest FDD before deciding.
Affiliated brands
- Always Ice Cream Company
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Franchisees operate ice cream retail locations, managing daily customer service, inventory, point-of-sale operations, and staffing. Operations likely include product preparation, seasonal marketing, and local promotional activities within an assigned protected territory.
- CEO
- Mark Cohen
- Headquarters
- MD
- Founded
- 2024
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 13 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $30K | $30K | |
| Advance Advertising and Promotion Costs | $2K | $2K | |
| Equipment and Supplies | $100K | $238K | |
| Opening Inventory | $20K | $30K | |
| First Month's Rent | $3K | $10K | |
| Signs | $20K | $30K | |
| Lease Deposits | $2K | $10K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $50K | $200K | |
| Miscellaneous Start-Up Costs | $5K | $10K | |
| Utility Deposits | $0 | $4K | |
| Impact Fees and Permits | $2K | $10K | |
| Insurance | $1K | $10K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months | $15K | $25K | |
| Total initial investment | $249K | $608K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$102K
15.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
23%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.4 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $249K – $600K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 2.6 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $678K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Avg p&l bottom line
- $164K
- Reported as P&L Bottom Line in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 38.7%
- Based on P&L Bottom Line / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- Company Managed Stores
- Sample size
- 4 units
- vs category median 28 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $580K→$776K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $451K→$762K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Transparency
- 10 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 453 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Always Ice Cream Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 5
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 5
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 6
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 1 state reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
1
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 1 7(a) loan on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 1
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Early-stage ice cream franchise with minimal unit count, unclear growth data, and unverified financial claims presents moderate-to-cautionary risk despite no litigation and protected territory.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 3 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Platform CPAs, LLP⚠ Going-concern note flagged
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 48 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 5 units operating with unknown growth trajectory suggests early-stage system with unproven scalability
- 02MINORWide investment range ($248,625–$600,000) indicates inconsistent unit economics or undefined build-out standards
- 03MINORNo Item 19 financial performance representations (Avg Revenue/Net Income appear to be estimates, not verified FDD disclosures)
- 04MINOR6% royalty on $666,902 average revenue yields only ~$40,000 annually — thin franchisor margins may limit support infrastructure
- 05MINOR5-year term is shorter than industry standard (10 years), creating renewal uncertainty and reducing franchisee equity accumulation
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 5 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Maryland |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 3 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 56 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 62 hrs
- Training location
- Various locations (marked with *)
- Field support
- 62 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- POS system
- Toast
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
1 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Always Ice Cream · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Always Ice Cream franchise?
The total investment to open a Always Ice Cream franchise ranges from $249K – $600K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Always Ice Cream franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Always Ice Cream FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $678K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Always Ice Cream's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Always Ice Cream (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Always Ice Cream franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Always Ice Cream has 5 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 5 company-owned units.
Is Always Ice Cream a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Always Ice Cream as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 48 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.