The Outside ScoopFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A THE OUTSIDE SCOOP franchise requires a total initial investment of $222K – $2.2M, including a $25K franchise fee and an ongoing 4.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.6M[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $222K – $2.2M
- 39th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.6M
- 50th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- 3rd pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 0
- 0th 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 2025. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
Bottom line
- Total investment $222K – $2.2M including a $25K franchise fee, 4.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $1.6M/year.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 37/100.
- Emerging franchise: only 1 year of franchising with 0 units. Early-stage systems carry higher risk but may offer better territory availability.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Murphy Ice Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Murphy Ice, Inc.
- Incorporated in
- IA
- HQ
- 2510 SW White Birch Dr. Suite 8 Ankeny, Iowa 50023
Overview
About
The Outside Scoop is an ice cream or frozen dessert retail concept where franchisees operate storefront locations selling premium ice cream, gelato, or specialty frozen treats. Day-to-day operations include inventory management, staff scheduling, point-of-sale management, customer service, and potential seasonal fluctuations common to ice cream retail.
- CEO
- Miranda Gerdes
- Headquarters
- IA
- Founded
- 2025
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 0
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 20 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $25K | $25K | |
| Training Fee | $5K | $5K | |
| Travel & Living Expenses While Training | $500 | $500 | |
| Real Estate - Franchise With Retail Storefront (~1,500-3,000 sq ft) | $20 | $35 | |
| Real Estate - Franchise Without Retail Storefront (~300-500 sq ft) | $200 | $400 | |
| Leasehold Improvements/Building (if you do not own building for retail storefront)not refundable | $200K | $325K | |
| New Construction/Remodel (if you own building for retail storefront) | $200K | $325K | |
| Truck (Fully Equipped) | $105K | $135K | |
| Retail Storefront Equipment (if you have a retail storefront) | $150K | $200K | |
| Point of Sale System (i.e. Square) | $1K | $2K | |
| Signs | $3K | $10K | |
| Truck Opening Inventory | $15K | $30K | |
| Retail Storefront Opening Inventory (if you have a retail storefront) | $20K | $40K | |
| Permits and Licenses | $2K | $3K | |
| Advertising | — | $3K | |
| Insurance | $3K | $12K | |
| Additional Funds (Working Capital, 3-6 mo.) | $25K | $50K | |
| Music Licensing (PRO Licenses) | $250 | $1K | |
| Drive Thru Equipment (if you have a retail storefront) | $5K | $15K | |
| Miscellaneous Costs | $25K | $50K | |
| Total initial investment | $784K | $1.2M |
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.
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
$297K
18.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
24%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.2 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $222K – $2.2M
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $50K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 4.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $15K – $40K |
| Total fee load | 4.0% of rev |
A 4.0% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.6M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- Projected/Historical
- Sample size
- 8 units
- vs category median 28 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $300K→$3.0M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- limited
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Transparency
- 0 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · below
Compared against 453 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How The Outside Scoop Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 0
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 5
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
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
An early-stage franchise with zero operating units, undisclosed financials, and franchisor going concern issues presents extreme execution and survival risk.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $325,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
No audited financials on file
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 37 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHGoing Concern Status: FALSE indicates the franchisor itself may be financially unstable or facing viability questions
- 02MEDZero Disclosed Units: No current franchise locations means no operating system to validate, no peer network, and unproven concept in franchise model
- 03MINORNo Financial Disclosure (Item 19): Absence of average revenue and net income data prevents ROI assessment and suggests franchisor cannot or will not substantiate earnings claims
- 04MINORExtreme Investment Range ($222K–$2.2M): 10x variance indicates undefined business model, poor cost controls, or vastly different unit types with no clarity on what drives variance
- 05MEDRoyalty Structure Sustainability Risk: 4% of gross (not net) revenues means franchisees pay even during losses; with no disclosed profitability data, this could be unsustainable
- 06MINORNo Operating History in Franchise Model: Starting from zero units means no proven Unit Economics, no case studies, and franchisees are beta testers
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 | 5 years |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Governing law | Iowa |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 12 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 38 hrs
- Site selection
- joint
- POS system
- Square
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Square
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
3 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
THE OUTSIDE SCOOP · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a THE OUTSIDE SCOOP franchise?
The total investment to open a THE OUTSIDE SCOOP franchise ranges from $222K – $2.2M, 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 THE OUTSIDE SCOOP franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the THE OUTSIDE SCOOP FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.6M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is THE OUTSIDE SCOOP's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for THE OUTSIDE SCOOP (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.
Is THE OUTSIDE SCOOP a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates THE OUTSIDE SCOOP as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 37 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.
For franchisors
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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.