The Outside Scoop Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
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 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
- $222K – $2.2M
- 31st 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 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 $222K – $2.2M including a $25K franchise fee, 4.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports Projected/Historical rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 41/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports Projected/Historical rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. 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.
- 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 84% above the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown20 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.
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%
- 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 |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
THE OUTSIDE SCOOP 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 THE OUTSIDE SCOOP unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
11%
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
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Sample size not disclosed
- Item 19 type
- Projected/Historical
- Range (low → high)
- $300K→$3.0M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- limited
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 0 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · below
Compared against 782 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
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 average of 7.9%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports Projected/Historical rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
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 The Outside Scoop Compares
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
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 5
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
No multi-year history disclosed and no opening/closing activity in the last reporting year.
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)
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 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 | 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?
THE OUTSIDE SCOOP 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 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), 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?
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.