The Outside Scoop Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $222K – $2.2M
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
The Outside Scoop is a dessert franchise serving premium ice cream and frozen treats. Franchisees run the shops, managing product prep, staffing, and counter service.
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]. The 2025 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Limited operating history: franchising since 2025. A system this young has fewer than three years of Item 20 outlet history and rarely enough SBA loans for a charge-off rate, so its grade rests on less evidence than an established system's. Read its Item 20 tables and talk to its first franchisees before relying on the grade. Other new franchisors
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: 2025 filing · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - a newer filing may exist
Evidence: partial✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored4 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $222K – $2.2M
- 30th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned only0 outlets
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- 3rd pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 0
- 0th 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 median · 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 $222K – $2.2M including a $25K franchise fee, 4.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 does not yield a per-outlet annual revenue figure we can compare across brands.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 41/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHFlat: no net change in franchised outlets in the latest year (0 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- DATAItem 19 does not yield a per-outlet annual revenue figure 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
- Murphy Ice Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Murphy Ice, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 7 of the 2025 FDD
- Predecessor
- BV Boeckenstedt, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Team Leader
- Mike Murphy
- Incorporated in
- Iowa
- HQ
- 2510 SW White Birch Dr. Suite 8, Ankeny, Iowa 50023
Overview
About
- CEO
- Mike Murphy
- Headquarters
- IA
- Founded
- 2025
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 0
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 149% above the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
The filing's Item 7 TOTAL row prints $222,000 to $2,200,000. Its own line items add to $792,250 to $1,244,000. The total is shown as the franchisor printed it; the lines are listed as printed. Single Item 7 table (p13-15, TOTAL INITIAL INVESTMENT: $222,000 - $2,200,000 = headline), 19 lines, every cell verified against the rendered page images.
Full Item 7 breakdown19 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $25K | $25K | |
| Training Fee | $5K | $5K | |
| Travel & Living Expenses While Training | — | — | |
| Real Estate | — | — | |
| Leasehold Improvements/Building (if you do not own building for retail storefront) | $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 | $0 | $3K | |
| Insurance | $11K | $26K | |
| Additional Funds (Working Capital) (3 mo. - 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 | $792K | $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.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $222K – $2.2M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $25K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- 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% |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $15K – $40K |
| Total fee load | 4.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for THE OUTSIDE SCOOP is on file. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one THE OUTSIDE SCOOP unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
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 does not yield a per-outlet annual revenue figure we can compare across brands. We omit it from rankings.
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 4.0% — below the Quick-Service Restaurants median of 7.5%.
Disclosure
Item 19 does not yield a per-outlet annual revenue figure 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 medians
How The Outside Scoop Compares
Category median of published Quick-Service Restaurants brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 0
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 5
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
No multi-year history disclosed and no opening/closing activity in the last reporting year.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
3 current owners across 1 state.
- IA 3
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
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
Brand-new franchisor (began 2025) with 0 units open and unaudited financials. Item 19 disclosed; no litigation or bankruptcy. Pre-launch status with no operating history is the key limitation.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
No audited financials on file
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Item 21: unaudited opening balance sheet only; franchisor has not been franchising 3+ years and cannot include full financial statements
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 41 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORPre-launch: 0 units, began 2025
- 02MINORUnaudited financials
- 03MEDItem 19 disclosed, no litigation
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 4.0% 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 | 5 years |
| Territory type | Exclusive territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 10 mi |
| 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 |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 10 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Polk County, Iowa |
| Governing law | Iowa |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 12 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 38 hrs
- Ongoing training
- Optional
- Site selection
- joint
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- 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
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?
Item 19 of the THE OUTSIDE SCOOP FDD discloses figures for part of the system but no single average across all outlets. These are gross sales figures, not profit; the Revenue section shows what the filing reports and on what basis. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns THE OUTSIDE SCOOP?
THE OUTSIDE SCOOP is franchised by Murphy Ice Franchising, LLC. Its parent company is Murphy Ice, Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the THE OUTSIDE SCOOP 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 THE OUTSIDE SCOOP FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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 C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 41 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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?
If you represent THE OUTSIDE SCOOP, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.