Salty Paws Ice Cream TruckFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Salty Paws Ice Cream Truck franchise requires a total initial investment of $72K – $256K, including a $35K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $72K – $256K
- 5th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 59th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 9
- 33rd pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
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
Started franchising in 2024. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
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.
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 72/100.
- 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
- Legal entity
- Salty Trucks, LLC
- Predecessor
- Salty
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer
- Suzanne Tretowicz
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 43 Rehoboth Avenue, Rehoboth Beach, Delaware 19971
- Auditor
- Divine, Blalock, Martin & Sellari, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- Most recent fiscal year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Affiliated brands
- Salty Paws Distribution
- Salty Trucks
- does not provide products or services to our franchises
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
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.
- CEO
- Suzanne Tretowicz
- Headquarters
- DE
- Founded
- 2018
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 8
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $35K | $35K | |
| Truck and Installed Equipment | $16K | $160K | |
| Training Expenses | $1K | $3K | |
| Truck Delivery | $0 | $5K | |
| Tax, Title, and Licensing for Truck | $3K | $8K | |
| Truck Insurance | $2K | $6K | |
| Opening Inventory | $4K | $6K | |
| Pop-Up Tent/Supplies | $3K | $4K | |
| Permits and Licenses | $200 | $2K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $1K | $3K | |
| Truck Storage | $0 | $2K | |
| Professional Fees | $2K | $8K | |
| Computer System and Software | $650 | $3K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months | $5K | $12K | |
| Total initial investment | $72K | $256K |
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
- $72K – $256K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $5K – $12K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- greater of $500 per month or 6% of gross revenue
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | $500 per month or 6% of gross revenue, whichever is greater |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $150 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $18K |
| Inventory (initial) | $4K – $6K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Salty Paws Ice Cream Truck Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 9
- Opened
- 9
- 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
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 20.0%
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 9
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 10
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 11.1%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
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 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 loan disclosures. This brand has only 1 7(a) loan on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 1
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
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.
Litigation (Item 3)
Randall Scheuch, et al. v. Stay Salty, LLC and Suzanne Tretowicz, Case No. 30-2023-01342937 (Superior Court of California, Orange County, filed August 18, 2023). Former franchise owners filed suit for breach of contract and fraud, alleging insufficient training and incorrect information regarding a trainer. Damages sought: $45,063.45. Trial scheduled for September 2025.
Largest disclosed settlement: $45,063
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Divine, Blalock, Martin & Sellari, LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- 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 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
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Geographic (Zip code based) |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 100,000 |
| 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 | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Chester County, Pennsylvania |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Pennsylvania |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Randall Scheuch, et al. v. Stay Salty, LLC and Suzanne Tretowicz, Case No. 30-2023-01342937 (Superior Court of California, Orange County, filed August 18, 2023). Former franchise owners filed suit for breach of contract and fraud, alleging insufficient training and incorrect information regarding a trainer. Damages sought: $45,063.45. Trial scheduled for September 2025.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 18 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 17 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- joint
- POS system
- Clover
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Clover
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
12 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Salty Paws Ice Cream Truck · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Salty Paws Ice Cream Truck franchise?
The total investment to open a Salty Paws Ice Cream Truck franchise ranges from $72K – $256K, 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 Salty Paws Ice Cream Truck franchise owners earn?
Salty Paws Ice Cream Truck 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 Salty Paws Ice Cream Truck's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Salty Paws Ice Cream Truck (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 Salty Paws Ice Cream Truck franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Salty Paws Ice Cream Truck has 9 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 9 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Salty Paws Ice Cream Truck a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Salty Paws Ice Cream Truck as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 72 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.