Frios gourmet popsFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Frios gourmet pops franchise requires a total initial investment of $60K – $211K, including a $38K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: F. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $60K – $211K
- 1st pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 109
- 42nd pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Full-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
The system grew 21% year-over-year. Fast growth means demand, but can strain support.
Bottom line
- Total investment $60K – $211K including a $38K franchise fee.
- Item 19 discloses "Pops Purchased" rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- Verdict F (Bottom Quintile) with a risk score of 82/100.
- 7 units terminated last reporting year (6.4% of the system). Ask existing franchisees why.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Frios Franchising Company, LLC
- Parent company
- FGP Holding, LLC
- Predecessor
- is FRIOS Gourmet Pops LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Clifford L. “Cliff” Kennedy III
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 1201 West I-65 Service Road North, Mobile, Alabama 36618
- Auditor
- Reese CPA LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.1M
- vs $515K prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Affiliated brands
- Gulf Coast Treats
- has not in the past and does not now offer franchises in any lines of business
- is the supplier of Frios pops to franchisees
- maintains a pr
- FGP Manufacturing
- operates a Frios business similar to the Franchised Business in Mobile
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Franchisees operate small-format gourmet popsicle retail locations, typically in high-traffic areas like malls, parks, or street-front venues. Day-to-day operations include preparing/serving specialty flavored pops, managing inventory, handling point-of-sale transactions, and maintaining seasonal marketing. Most units appear to be mobile carts or kiosks rather than full brick-and-mortar stores.
- CEO
- Clifford L. “Cliff” Kennedy III
- Headquarters
- AL
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 25
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 10 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $38K | $38K | |
| Sweet Ride Van, Wrap, and Equipment | $15K | $17K | |
| Computer, Software, and Point of Sale System | $300 | $2K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $1K | $2K | |
| Initial Starter Pack | $6K | $7K | |
| Insurance Deposits - Three Months | $1K | $2K | |
| Travel for Initial Training | $750 | $2K | |
| Professional Fees | $250 | $3K | |
| Licenses and Permits | $200 | $500 | |
| Additional Funds - Three Months | $10K | $20K | |
| Total initial investment | $72K | $91K |
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.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $60K – $211K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $20K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $38K – $148K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- Flat weekly fee ranging from $125 to $875 based on the nu…
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 2.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | Varies by number of Territories and weeks of operation |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Training fee | $150 |
| Transfer fee | $8K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 2.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This brand's FDD disclosed "Pops Purchased" in Item 19 rather than annual gross sales. This metric cannot be directly compared across brands, so we omit it from rankings.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Frios gourmet pops Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 109
- Opened
- 30
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 11
- Terminated
- 7
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 3
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 10.1%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +21.3%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +83.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 2
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 6
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 20
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 6.7%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Termination rate
- 11.1%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 12.2%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 6 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 3 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 3
- Loan volume
- $259K
- Median loan
- $75K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 3
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Frios gourmet pops's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 3 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 3 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 2-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Lack of financial transparency (no Item 19) combined with going concern questions and modest unit growth creates material uncertainty around franchisee profitability and franchisor stability.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 3 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Reese CPA LLC
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 82 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (Item 19) — impossible to assess ROI or profitability
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — suggests financial instability or disclosure gaps in FDD
- 03MINORFlat weekly fee structure ($125-$875) is unusual and lacks transparency on actual cost burden relative to sales
- 04MINOROnly 109 units with 21.3% YoY growth is modest for a gourmet concept; growth rate doesn't offset small base
- 05MEDHigh initial investment ($59.5k-$211k) combined with no disclosed earnings creates unfavorable risk/reward ratio
- 06MED10-year term is lengthy with no disclosed exit provisions or buyback guarantees
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 | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Population-based |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Territory population | 150,000 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Mobile County, Alabama |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Alabama |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 3 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 12 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 2 hrs
- Training location
- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania or Fort Worth, Texas or virtually as designated by us
- POS system
- Square
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Square
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
75 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Frios gourmet pops · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Frios gourmet pops franchise?
The total investment to open a Frios gourmet pops franchise ranges from $60K – $211K, with an initial franchise fee of $38K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Frios gourmet pops franchise owners earn?
Frios gourmet pops does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Frios gourmet pops's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Frios gourmet pops (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 Frios gourmet pops franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Frios gourmet pops has 109 total units in the United States, including 59 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 30 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Frios gourmet pops a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Frios gourmet pops as a F-grade franchise with a risk score of 82 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.
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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.