Frios gourmet pops Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Frios Gourmet Pops is a franchise selling colorful gourmet ice pops from tie-dye trucks and small shops at events and neighborhoods. Franchisees run a mobile or kiosk operation booking events and managing product and service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Frios gourmet pops franchise requires a total initial investment of $72K – $91K, including a $38K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $72K – $91K
- 2nd pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 109
- 32nd pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Full-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $72K – $91K including a $38K franchise fee.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports "Number of Pops Purchased" per outlet for the 2024 Calendar Year (50 Operational Franchise Outlets), NOT gross sales in dollars. Total across all outlets: Average 29,972 pops, Median 26,592, Low 2,016, High 99,024. No dollar sales/revenue figures are disclosed.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 65/100 (higher is better).
- FLAG7 units terminated last reporting year (6.4% of the system). Ask existing franchisees why.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Frios Franchising Company, LLC
- Parent company
- FGP Holding, LLC
- Predecessor
- FRIOS Gourmet Pops LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Clifford L. 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
- CEO
- Clifford L. Kennedy III
- Headquarters
- AL
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 25
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 93% below the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown10 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
- $72K – $91K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $38K – $38K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- Flat weekly fee ranging from $125 to $875 based on the nu…
- Ad fund
- Up to 2% of Gross Sales, currently not assessed
- Total fee load
- 2.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | Weekly flat fee based on number of territories and weeks of operation. 1 territory: $125/week (weeks 1-26 and 27-52), $150/week (weeks 53-104), $175/week (weeks 105-520). Scales with additional territories. |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Training fee | $150 |
| Transfer fee | $8K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $6K – $7K |
| Total fee load | 2.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Frios gourmet pops did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Frios gourmet pops unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
70%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 reports "Number of Pops Purchased" per outlet for the 2024 Calendar Year (50 Operational Franchise Outlets), NOT gross sales in dollars. Total across all outlets: Average 29,972 pops, Median 26,592, Low 2,016, High 99,024. No dollar sales/revenue figures are disclosed.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 2.0% — below the Full-Service Restaurants average of 7.6%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports pops purchased rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System expanding at 83.1% CAGR over 3 years across 109 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Frios gourmet pops Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 109
- Opened
- 30
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 7
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 3
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 10.2%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +83.1%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +83.1%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 30
- Closed (3yr)
- 1
- Terminated (3yr)
- 7
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 3
- 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 12 · 25 states 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.
25
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
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
- N/A
- limited sample (3 loans) — rate not shown below 10
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
- 3
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
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 65 / 100 verdict
- 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
- 03MINOROnly 109 units with 21.3% YoY growth is modest for a gourmet concept; growth rate doesn't offset small base
- 04MED10-year term is lengthy with no disclosed exit provisions or buyback guarantees
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 2.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 150,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | 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 | AL |
| 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
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 1 mo
- From signing to launch
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Square
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Square
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
76 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 $72K – $91K, 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 Item 19 in the Frios gourmet pops FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Frios gourmet pops FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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 108 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 A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 65 out of 100 (higher is better), 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
Are you the franchisor?
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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.