King of Pops Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
King of Pops is a gourmet popsicle franchise selling handcrafted ice pops from carts, stores, and events. Franchisees run local operations, managing production, cart and retail sales, and seasonal marketing.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A King of Pops franchise requires a total initial investment of $15K – $69K, including a $9K 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
- $15K – $69K
- 1st pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 58
- 68th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Quick-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 $15K – $69K including a $9K franchise fee.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports monthly Gross Sales by territory and a monthly Total/Average/Median/High/Low analysis for all Pop Cart Business franchisees active during any portion of 2024 (50-56 active franchisees). Highest single-month average was June 2024 ($11,842); highest single-month high Gross Sales was July 2024 ($89,874). Data is unaudited and excludes company-owned units. No annual per-unit average or median is provided.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 75/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 75.0% CAGR over 3 years with 58 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- King of Pops Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Rainbow Umbrella, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- King of Pops, Inc.
- CEO title
- Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer
- Steven Carse
- Incorporated in
- GA
- HQ
- 552 Decatur Street SE, Atlanta, Georgia 30312
- Auditor
- Smith+Howard PC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $523K
- vs $541K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Steven Carse
- Headquarters
- GA
- Founded
- 2021
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 6
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 94% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $9K | $9K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $750 | $2K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $5K | $58K |
| Total initial investment | $15K | $69K |
Source: King of Pops 2025 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
- $15K – $69K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $750 – $2K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $9K – $9K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- Greater of (a) 5% of Gross Sales or (b) weekly Minimum Ro…
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 27.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $12 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $1K |
| Inventory (initial) | $4K – $25K |
| Total fee load | 27.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
King of 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 King of Pops unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
262%
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 monthly Gross Sales by territory and a monthly Total/Average/Median/High/Low analysis for all Pop Cart Business franchisees active during any portion of 2024 (50-56 active franchisees). Highest single-month average was June 2024 ($11,842); highest single-month high Gross Sales was July 2024 ($89,874). Data is unaudited and excludes company-owned units. No annual per-unit average or median is provided.
- Item 19 type
- gross sales monthly
- Sample size
- 56
- vs category median 20 · large
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 0 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · below
Compared against 782 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
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 27.0% — above the Quick-Service Restaurants average of 7.9%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports gross sales monthly rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System expanding at 75.0% CAGR over 3 years across 58 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 Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How King of Pops Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 58
- Opened
- 8
- 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
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 97%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +75.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +75.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 8
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 2
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 6 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.
6
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
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
King of Pops presents moderate-to-cautious risk due to missing financial transparency, unprotected territories, and unclear profitability metrics despite positive unit growth.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Smith+Howard PC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 75 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNo Item 19 financial disclosure (avg revenue and net income not disclosed) prevents accurate ROI assessment
- 02MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk from other King of Pops franchisees in same area
- 03MINORWide investment range ($15.2K-$68.5K) suggests inconsistent startup costs or vague disclosure
- 04MINORModest unit growth of 16.7% YoY may indicate market saturation or franchisee acquisition challenges
- 05MINORMinimum weekly royalty floor ($100-$250) creates fixed cost burden even during slow seasonal periods
- 06MINOR5-year term is shorter than industry standard (10 years), reducing franchisee long-term security
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 27.0% 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 | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 75,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 10 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 14 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 5 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Metropolitan Atlanta, Georgia |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | GA |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 16 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 6 hrs
- Training location
- 552 Decatur Street SE, Atlanta, GA 30312 (franchisor headquarters)
- 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
44 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
King of Pops · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a King of Pops franchise?
The total investment to open a King of Pops franchise ranges from $15K – $69K, with an initial franchise fee of $9K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do King of Pops franchise owners earn?
King of 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 King of 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 King of Pops FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is King of Pops's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for King of 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 King of Pops franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, King of Pops has 58 total units in the United States, including 56 franchised units and 2 company-owned units. 8 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is King of Pops a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates King of Pops as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 75 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?
If you represent King of Pops, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Quick-Service Restaurants franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Quick-Service Restaurants category
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.