Marble Slab CreameryFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Marble Slab Creamery franchise requires a total initial investment of $355K – $477K, including a $25K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $481K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 29.4% charge-off rate across 223 loans[1]. Verdict grade: C. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $355K – $477K
- 67th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $481K
- 8th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 44th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 249
- 83rd pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 29.4%
- 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
29.4% of SBA loans charged off across 223 loans, above the 16% franchise average.
Bottom line
- Total investment $355K – $477K including a $25K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $481K/year (median $458K).
- Verdict C (Average) with a risk score of 68/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 29.4% across 223 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Marble Slab Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Marble Slab Franchise Brands LLC
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 9720 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 500, Beverly Hills, California 90212
- Auditor
- Macias Gini & O’Connell LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $6.9M
- vs $6.7M prior year
Overview
About
Marble Slab Creamery franchisees operate ice cream retail shops where customers select mix-in ingredients (candy, brownie pieces, fruit) that are folded into soft-serve ice cream on a frozen marble slab. Day-to-day operations include managing 2-5 employees, maintaining equipment, inventory control, marketing to drive foot traffic, and seasonal demand management.
- CEO
- Taylor Wiederhorn
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 2007
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 17
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $25K | $25K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $8K | $12K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $322K | $440K |
| Total initial investment | $355K | $477K |
Source: Marble Slab Creamery 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
$67K
14.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
16%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
6.3 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $355K – $477K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $8K – $12K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage · 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 | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $481K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $458K
- Item 19 type
- net_sales
- Sample size
- 195 units
- vs category median 28 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $75K→$2.2M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 7 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 453 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Marble Slab Creamery Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 249
- Opened
- 13
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 12
- Turnover rate
- 4.8%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.4%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -0.4%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 21
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 13 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 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 223
- Loan volume
- $46.4M
- Median loan
- $200K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 29.4%
- 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)
- 70.6%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 81
- Defaults
- 63
Vintage analysis
Marble Slab Creamery charge-off rate by loan vintage
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Marble Slab Creamery's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 28-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
A 29.4% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 3 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Marble Slab operates within a contracting franchise system managed by litigious parent company FAT Brands, with negligible growth, non-disclosed profitability, and significant parent-level governance concerns.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Macias Gini & O’Connell LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 68 / 100 rating
- 01MINORSeverely declining unit count: only 249 units with 0.4% YoY growth indicates a contracting franchise system losing momentum
- 02HIGHParent company FAT Brands facing active securities class action litigation plus multiple concluded lawsuits regarding stock price manipulation and registration violations—suggests governance and transparency issues
- 03MEDAverage revenue of $480,828 with undisclosed net income prevents accurate ROI calculation; without Item 19 data, franchisees cannot validate the $354.5K-$476.6K investment thesis
- 04MINOR15-year term length locks franchisees into a long commitment during a period of system contraction, limiting exit flexibility
- 05MINOR6% royalty on declining average revenue creates margin pressure; profitability data absence suggests parent may be obscuring poor unit economics
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 | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | non_exclusive |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | 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 | 10 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | California |
| Litigation count | 8 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 2 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 39 hrs
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
Marble Slab Creamery · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Marble Slab Creamery franchise?
The total investment to open a Marble Slab Creamery franchise ranges from $355K – $477K, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Marble Slab Creamery franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Marble Slab Creamery FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $481K. The median is $458K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Marble Slab Creamery's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Marble Slab Creamery has a charge-off rate of 29.4% across 223 loans, meaning 29.4% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Marble Slab Creamery franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Marble Slab Creamery has 249 total units in the United States, including 249 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 13 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Marble Slab Creamery a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Marble Slab Creamery as a C-grade franchise with a risk score of 68 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.