Tipsy Scoop Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $224K – $348K
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Tipsy Scoop is a dessert franchise serving liquor-infused ice cream and boozy frozen treats. Franchisees run the shops, managing product prep, staffing, and counter service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Tipsy Scoop franchise requires a total initial investment of $224K – $348K, including a $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.5% 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 →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
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 scored6 of 6 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $224K – $348K
- 30th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned only2 outlets
- Royalty
- 5.5%
- 44th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 4
- 18th 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 $224K – $348K including a $45K franchise fee, 5.5% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAn earlier version of this note quoted a dollar figure that APPEARS NOWHERE IN THE FILING - verified in comma, no-comma and period-for-comma form and against a de-punctuated digit stream, across every page. It was our own arithmetic published as the franchisor's disclosure. Item 19 discloses two outlets in the same year, so the range is genuine and stays.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 41/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHNegative, pipeline stalled: 6 agreements signed but not yet open against 4 open outlets (Item 20).
- DATAItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average 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
- Tipsy Scoop Franchising LLC
- CEO title
- Founder and Chief Executive Officer
- Melissa Tavss
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 217 E 26th Street, New York, New York 10010
- Auditor
- Metwally CPA PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $54K
- vs $154K prior year
Affiliated brands
- Tipsy Scoop Joint Ventures
- has not in the past and does not now offer franchises in any lines of business
- Tipsy Scoop Brooklyn
- is the owner of the Licensed Marks
- maintains a pr
- provides ice cream and other food ingredients to franchisees
- Tipsy Scoop
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Melissa Tavss
- Headquarters
- NY
- Founded
- 2022
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 2
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 41% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown17 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $45K | $45K | |
| Construction and Leasehold Improvements | $30K | $55K | |
| Lease Deposits and Rent - Three Months | $11K | $21K | |
| Furniture and Fixtures | $12K | $16K | |
| Equipment | $30K | $53K | |
| Signage | $8K | $9K | |
| Computer, Software, and Point of Sale System | $3K | $5K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $10K | $15K | |
| Initial Inventory | $22K | $40K | |
| Utility Deposits | $969 | $1K | |
| Insurance Deposits - Three Months | $289 | $2K | |
| Travel for Initial Training | $2K | $5K | |
| Professional Fees | $19K | $24K | |
| Licenses and Permits | $3K | $4K | |
| Liquor License | $0 | $12K | |
| Printing, Stationery, and Office Supplies | $2K | $3K | |
| Additional Funds - Three Months | $27K | $39K | |
| Total initial investment | $224K | $348K |
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
- $224K – $348K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $27K – $39K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $45K – $45K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Royalty
- 5.5%
- typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.5% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $150 |
| Training fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $23K |
| Renewal fee | $11K |
| Inventory (initial) | $22K – $40K |
| Total fee load | 6.5% 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 Tipsy 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 Tipsy 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
An earlier version of this note quoted a dollar figure that APPEARS NOWHERE IN THE FILING - verified in comma, no-comma and period-for-comma form and against a de-punctuated digit stream, across every page. It was our own arithmetic published as the franchisor's disclosure. Item 19 discloses two outlets in the same year, so the range is genuine and stays.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Based on only 2 outlets
- Item 19 type
- gross sales
- Sample size
- 2 outlets
- vs category median 19 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $391K→$428KCited, not corroborated — printed on page 52 of the 2025 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 781 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 6.5% (near the Quick-Service Restaurants median).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
Operator retention
Net unit growth of +33.3% over 3 years (2 opened, 0 closed).
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 Tipsy 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
- 4
- Opened
- 2
- 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
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 50%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +33.3%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +33.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 6
- 1.50 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 8
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 2 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
2
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
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
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Metwally CPA PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 41 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORFinancial distress but early-stage startup
- 02HIGHNo litigation, bankruptcy, or going-concern
- 03MINORSmall system: 4 units, turnover 0.5
- 04MEDAudited, Item 19 disclosed
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.5% 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 | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Exclusive territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory radius | 2 mi |
| Territory population | 75,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| 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 |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | New York, New York |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | New York |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 18 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 22 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- franchisee selects, franchisor approves
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Square
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Square
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Tipsy Scoop franchise?
The total investment to open a Tipsy Scoop franchise ranges from $224K – $348K, with an initial franchise fee of $45K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Tipsy Scoop franchise owners earn?
Item 19 of the Tipsy Scoop FDD discloses outlet figures from $391K to $428K 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 Tipsy Scoop?
Tipsy Scoop is franchised by Tipsy Scoop Franchising LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Tipsy 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 Tipsy Scoop FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Tipsy Scoop's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Tipsy 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.
How many Tipsy Scoop franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Tipsy Scoop has 4 total units in the United States, including 2 franchised units and 2 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Tipsy Scoop a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Tipsy 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 Tipsy 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.