Handel’s Homemade Ice CreamFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream franchise requires a total initial investment of $461K – $997K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.1M[2]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $461K – $997K
- 79th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.1M
- 36th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 44th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 153
- 78th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
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
Franchising since 1989. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
The system grew 24% year-over-year. Fast growth means demand, but can strain support.
Bottom line
- Total investment $461K – $997K including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $1.1M/year (median $959K).
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 58/100.
- System growing at 66.7% CAGR over 3 years with 153 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Handel’s Enterprises, LLC
- Parent company
- Handel’s Holdco, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Handel's Holdco, LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Jennifer A. Schuler
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 3830 Starr Centre Drive, Canfield, Ohio 44406
- Auditor
- Schroedel, Scullin & Bestic, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $15.4M
- vs $18.3M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
Franchisees operate ice cream retail shops focused on premium, homemade-style ice cream products. Day-to-day operations include inventory management, staff scheduling, in-store production/assembly, point-of-sale transactions, and local marketing to drive foot traffic in their protected territory.
- CEO
- Jennifer A. Schuler
- Headquarters
- OH
- Founded
- 1989
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 15
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50K | $50K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $20K | $50K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $391K | $897K |
| Total initial investment | $461K | $997K |
Source: Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
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
$149K
14.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
19%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
5.1 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $461K – $997K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $50K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $600 |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.1M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $959K
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 116 units
- vs category median 28 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $188K→$2.6M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $634K→$1.6M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Transparency
- 7 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 453 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 153
- Opened
- 28
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 8
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 95%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +23.9%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +66.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 28
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 2
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 17
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 50.0%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 9 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Wisconsin
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 5 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 5
- Loan volume
- $533K
- Median loan
- $50K
- 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
- 2
- 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
Handel's presents moderate-to-caution risk: litigation threatens brand integrity, missing profitability data obscures true returns, and regulatory missteps suggest inconsistent franchise operations oversight.
Litigation (Item 3)
4 case reference(s): 1 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $13,200
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Schroedel, Scullin & Bestic, LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 58 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHActive consumer class action litigation alleging false advertising regarding 'homemade' claims—core to brand identity and marketing
- 02MEDRegulatory action by California Commissioner regarding FDD delivery timing raises compliance concerns at corporate level
- 03MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19—inability to assess actual profitability despite $1.06M average revenue
- 04MEDHigh initial investment range ($460k–$996k) with 6% royalty and no disclosed average net profit creates uncertainty on ROI timeline
- 05MINORRapid unit growth (23.9% YoY) may indicate quality control challenges or oversaturation in existing markets
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 | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Designated Territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 14 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Ohio |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
4 case reference(s): 1 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 4 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 86 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
98 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream franchise?
The total investment to open a Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream franchise ranges from $461K – $997K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.1M. The median is $959K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Handel’s Homemade 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 Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream has 153 total units in the United States, including 9 franchised units and 8 company-owned units. 28 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Handel’s Homemade Ice Cream as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 58 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.