Bottom line
- Total investment $82K – $231K including a $25K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $148K/year (median $126K).
- Rated STRONG with a risk score of 46/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 10 loans (below the industry average).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Yale framework · single-unit ROIC
Returns Analysis
Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.
The model · Yale framework
What would one PELICAN’S SNOBALLS unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
6%
Below typical band (30–60%)
Overview
About
Franchisees operate seasonal or year-round shaved ice and snoball retail locations, typically small kiosks or storefronts, serving frozen desserts with flavored syrups. Day-to-day operations include customer service, inventory management, equipment maintenance, and local marketing to drive walk-in traffic in warm-weather regions.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 12 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 phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Pelican's Snowballs presents moderate-to-caution risk: regulatory history, missing profitability data, slow growth, and high royalty exposure create validation gaps that make financial projections unreliable.
Score breakdown · what drove the 46 / 100 rating
- 01MEDNo Item 19 (Average Net Income) disclosed — impossible to validate ROI claims or payback period against $81,750–$230,800 investment range
- 02MINORPrior regulatory violation: Virginia predecessor sold unregistered franchises; 2016 Consent Order required rescission offers and $15,000 penalty, raising compliance and legal risk concerns
- 03MINORAnemic unit growth of 4.7% YoY with only 202 units suggests market saturation or franchisee dissatisfaction in mature system
- 04MEDHigh royalty burden (8% of gross sales) combined with undisclosed profitability means franchisees could be paying substantial fees on thin margins
- 05MINORWide investment range ($81,750–$230,800) indicates high variability in startup costs; unclear what drives the $149,050 spread
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
Item 11
Training & Operations
Item 20
Franchisee Contacts
Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.
Franchisee contacts
68 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
PELICAN’S SNOBALLS · FDD (2024) PDF