Pitango Gelato Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Pitango Gelato is a dessert franchise serving authentic Italian gelato and sorbet made with organic milk and premium ingredients. Franchisees run the cafes, managing gelato production, inventory, and counter service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Pitango Gelato franchise requires a total initial investment of $387K – $756K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $387K – $756K
- 64th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned only
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 11th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 6
- 27th 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 $387K – $756K including a $35K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 covers three shops owned by companies belonging to the concept's founder, who is also an owner and manager of the franchisor. The franchisor states no franchised shop traded through all of 2024, and warns these shops have ten to sixteen years of local recognition that a new franchisee would not have.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 46/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Pitango Gelato Franchise Co., LLC
- Ultimate parent
- None identified
- CEO title
- President and Manager
- Dinah Bengur
- CEO experience
- 2018 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 509 South Exeter Street, Suite 214, Baltimore, Maryland 21202
- Auditor
- Joel Glauser, P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $23K
- vs $23K prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
- CEO
- Dinah Bengur
- Headquarters
- MD
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 3
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 13% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown17 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $35K | $35K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $80K | $250K | |
| Lease Payments and other rental expensesnot refundable | $7K | $30K | |
| Kitchen Equipmentnot refundable | $130K | $180K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Furnishingsnot refundable | $46K | $72K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $8K | $20K | |
| Initial Inventorynot refundable | $14K | $17K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $6K | $35K | |
| POS and Computer Equipmentnot refundable | $2K | $4K | |
| Travel, lodging and meals for trainingnot refundable | $2K | $6K | |
| Business licenses, permits, etc. (for first year)not refundable | $600 | $2K | |
| Insurance deposits and premiumsnot refundable | $4K | $9K | |
| Grand Opening Advertisingnot refundable | $500 | $2K | |
| Utilities - deposits and connection feesnot refundable | $500 | $3K | |
| Other Operating Funds (Initial 3 months)not refundable | $20K | $35K | |
| Other Initial Investmentnot refundable | $8K | $22K | |
| Wages for Employees - First Three Monthsnot refundable | $25K | $35K | |
| Total initial investment | $387K | $756K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $387K – $756K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $45K – $70K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $50 |
| Training fee | $6K |
| Transfer fee | $18K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $14K – $17K |
| Total fee load | 6.5% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Pitango Gelato 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 Pitango Gelato unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
18%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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 covers three shops owned by companies belonging to the concept's founder, who is also an owner and manager of the franchisor. The franchisor states no franchised shop traded through all of 2024, and warns these shops have ten to sixteen years of local recognition that a new franchisee would not have.
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 6.5% — below the Quick-Service Restaurants average of 7.9%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
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 Pitango Gelato Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 6
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 5
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 17%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 1
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 16.7%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 3 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.
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
Pitango Gelato presents meaningful risk due to micro-scale operations (6 units), undisclosed profitability metrics, and franchisor going concern issues that undermine confidence in system viability and support.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Joel Glauser, P.C.
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 46 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOROnly 6 units in system with unknown growth trajectory — insufficient scale and no demonstrated expansion
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19 — cannot assess actual profitability despite $806k average revenue
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is False — suggests financial instability or operational uncertainty at franchisor level
- 04MEDHigh investment range ($387k-$755k) relative to only 6 existing units — limited proof of concept
- 05MEDNo litigation disclosed but 'Going Concern' flag indicates potential undisclosed legal or financial stress
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.5% 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 | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 10 mi |
| Territory population | 50,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 180 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Baltimore, Maryland |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | MD |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 0 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 106 hrs
- Training location
- Baltimore, MD or Reston, VA
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 106 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 9 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects, franchisor approves
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Toast
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
3 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Pitango Gelato · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Pitango Gelato franchise?
The total investment to open a Pitango Gelato franchise ranges from $387K – $756K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Pitango Gelato franchise owners earn?
Pitango Gelato 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 Pitango Gelato 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 Pitango Gelato FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Pitango Gelato's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Pitango Gelato (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 Pitango Gelato franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Pitango Gelato has 6 total units in the United States, including 1 franchised units and 5 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Pitango Gelato a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Pitango Gelato as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 46 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?
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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.