Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams is a premium ice-cream franchise serving small-batch, made-from-scratch ice cream in inventive flavors. Franchisees run scoop shops managing production, service, and staffing.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams franchise requires a total initial investment of $698K – $955K, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $983K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $698K – $955K
- 45th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- $983K
- Company-owned only11th pct Retail
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 6th pct Retail
- Units
- 87
- 27th pct Retail
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Retail 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 $698K – $955K including a $40K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $983K/year (median $921K) (company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance), with an estimated 8% cash-on-cash return (based on Net Profit ($) (13)).
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 45/100 (higher is better).
- FLAGBankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams Franchise, LLC
- Parent company
- Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- David Stever
- Incorporated in
- Ohio
- HQ
- 401 North Front Street, Suite 300, Columbus, Ohio 43215
- Auditor
- Plante & Moran, PLLC
- Audited financials
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Overview
About
- CEO
- David Stever
- Headquarters
- Ohio
- Founded
- 2025
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 16
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 100% above the typical retail franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $15K | $30K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $643K | $885K |
| Total initial investment | $698K | $955K |
Source: Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $698K – $955K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K – $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.3%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 12.5 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Transfer fee | $25K |
| Renewal fee | $20K |
| Inventory (initial) | $20K – $26K |
| Total fee load | 7.3% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales land near the retail norm.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
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
$79K
8.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
9%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
10.8 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
FDD-reported earnings vs. model
The FDD reports $120K as Net Profit ($) (13). Our model estimates $79K SLEBITDA from the same revenue using category-average cost assumptions. These numbers differ because Net Profit ($) (13) deducts different expense categories than our model.
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
9%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$197K
on $983K purchase
Total debt
$787K
SBA $0.5M + senior + seller note
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: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
- Avg gross sales
- $983K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $921K
- Avg net profit ($) (13)
- $120K
- Reported as Net Profit ($) (13) in FDD Item 19
- Cash-on-cash
- 8.0%
- Based on Net Profit ($) (13) / investment midpoint
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- actual
- Sample size
- 85 outlets
- vs category median 47
- Range (low → high)
- $421K→$1.9M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $783K→$1.4M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Transparency tier
- full
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 10 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 278 Retail brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $983K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.2x. Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 7.3% — below the Retail average of 8.9%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 10/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
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 Retail averages
How Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 87
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 4.6%
- Company-owned
- 87
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 16 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.
16
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
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
Moderate-to-cautious risk profile: high capital requirements, thin margins, small system size, and lack of transparent financial disclosure create meaningful downside exposure despite absence of litigation or going concern issues.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
In re: California Pizza Kitchen Inc. et al., Chapter 11 filed July 29, 2020 (US Bankruptcy Court, S.D. Texas, Case No. 20-33752), discharged March 3, 2021. Scott Hargrove, Jeni's Chief Marketing Officer, served as an executive of California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. at the time of the filing but was not personally a debtor.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Plante & Moran, PLLC
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 45 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDOnly 87 units system-wide with unknown growth trajectory suggests limited scale, unproven replicability, and potential market saturation concerns
- 02MINORNet income represents only 12.6% of average revenue ($125.5k / $997k), indicating thin margins vulnerable to cost inflation in perishable goods sector
- 03MINORAbsence of Item 19 (Financial Performance) disclosure prevents validation of claimed averages and obscures franchise performance variability
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.3% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 60 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 14 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 9 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Columbus, Ohio (within 50 miles of franchisor's/successor's principal place of business) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | OH |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 70 hrs
- Training location
- Virtually, at a Training Shop, and at your Shop
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 12 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams franchise?
The total investment to open a Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams franchise ranges from $698K – $955K, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $983K. The median is $921K. Important context: Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams 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 Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams (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 Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams has 87 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 87 company-owned units.
Is Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 45 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
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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.