Salty Paws Ice Cream Truck
Bottom line
- Total investment $72K – $256K including a $35K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed — the franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Rated CAUTION with a risk score of 72/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 1 loans (below the industry average).
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
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 Salty Paws Ice Cream Truck unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
43%
In Yale's "attractive" band (30–60%)
Overview
About
Franchisees operate ice cream truck routes selling frozen treats from a mobile vehicle in assigned territory. Day-to-day operations include vehicle maintenance, inventory restocking, route management, customer transactions, and compliance with local health/vending permits. Revenue is heavily dependent on weather, foot traffic, local events, and seasonal demand.
Item 7 · what it costs
The Vitals
Item 19
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 10 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
Salty Paws presents HIGH RISK due to active fraud/breach litigation, undisclosed financial performance, going concern status, minimal unit base, and royalty structure that may exceed profitability on seasonal ice cream truck revenues.
Score breakdown · what drove the 72 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHActive litigation alleging breach of contract and fraud by CEO/affiliate with specific damages claim ($45,063.45) suggests systemic training or disclosure failures
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — indicates the franchisor itself may be financially unstable or at risk of insolvency
- 03MEDNo average revenue or net income disclosure (Item 19) makes ROI analysis impossible; combined with only 9 units, suggests weak performance data the company does not want disclosed
- 04MINORTiny unit count (9 franchises) with unknown growth trajectory indicates either new/unproven concept or declining system; ice cream trucks are highly seasonal/weather-dependent with thin margins
- 05MINORWide investment range ($72K-$255K) suggests lack of standardization or scope creep; franchisees may face unexpected capital calls
- 06MINORRoyalty structure (greater of $500/mo or 6%) creates cash drain even in slow months; $500 minimum on $1,200/mo gross revenue = 42% royalty rate — unsustainable
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
12 numbers
One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included
FDD download
Salty Paws Ice Cream Truck · FDD (2025) PDF