U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
U-Swirl is a self-serve frozen yogurt franchise where guests fill cups and choose toppings priced by weight. Franchisees run the shops, managing equipment, product inventory, and quick-service operations.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt franchise requires a total initial investment of $419K – $630K, including a $25K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2024 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 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $419K – $630K
- 20th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 24th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 57
- 27th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Full-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 $419K – $630K including a $25K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSNo Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 43/100 (higher is better).
- DATANo 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
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- U Swirl Franchising LLC
- Parent company
- Bob Partners X, LLC; U Swirl LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Bob Partners X, LLC
- Predecessor
- U-Swirl International, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer
- Nealesh Dahya
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 14071 Peyton Drive, Suite 2697, Chino Hills, California 91709
- Auditor
- NAPER CPA GROUP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.1M
- Most recent fiscal year
Affiliated brands
- Fosters Freeze International
- U Swirl Gift Card
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Nealesh Dahya
- Headquarters
- CA
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 21
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 55% below the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $25K | $25K | |
| Furniture, Equipment, and Fixtures | $194K | $278K | |
| Computer System | $5K | $12K | |
| Pre-Opening Rent, Deposits, Architectural Fees and Leasehold Improvements | $131K | $186K | |
| Signage | $10K | $25K | |
| Opening Inventory | $5K | $10K | |
| Training | $4K | $8K | |
| Grand Opening Program | $5K | $5K | |
| Licenses and Permits | $500 | $2K | |
| Insurance | $2K | $4K | |
| Professional Fees | $3K | $5K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months | $35K | $71K | |
| Co-Branding Fee (Co-Branded Franchise) | $6K | $6K | |
| Signage (Co-Branded Franchise) | $20K | $50K | |
| Opening Inventory and Supplies (Co-Branded Franchise) | $15K | $35K | |
| Total initial investment | $460K | $721K |
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
- $419K – $630K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $35K – $71K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $25K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $100 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $10K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt 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 U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
14%
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: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
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 7.0% (near the Full-Service Restaurants average).
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
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 Full-Service Restaurants averages
How U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 57
- Opened
- 3
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 7
- Turnover rate
- 11.5%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 3
- Closed (3yr)
- 7
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Termination rate
- 50.0%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 9 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
- $200K
- Median loan
- $200K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (1 loan) — rate not shown below 10
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
- 1
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
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
One arbitration alleging franchise disclosure violations and fraudulent misrepresentation, settled Dec 2018 for $55,000. No Item 19 disclosure. Sharp negative net growth of -14.1% (units declined 61 to 57) with elevated 11.5% turnover indicate system contraction.
Litigation (Item 3)
1 case reference(s): 0 pending, 2 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $1,000,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · NAPER CPA GROUP
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: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 43 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHLitigation alleging disclosure violations/fraud, settled $55,000
- 02MINORNo Item 19 disclosure
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2024 · 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 | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Delaware |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
1 case reference(s): 0 pending, 2 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 9 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 16 hrs
- Training location
- Franchisor location and on-site at franchisee's restaurant
- Site selection
- franchisor
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
15 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt franchise?
The total investment to open a U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt franchise ranges from $419K – $630K, 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 U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt franchise owners earn?
U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt 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 U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt 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 U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt (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 U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt has 57 total units in the United States, including 57 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 3 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 43 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 U-Swirl Frozen Yogurt, 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.