Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park is a family-camping franchise operating themed campground resorts with RV sites, cabins, pools, and activities. Franchisees own and operate a park managing reservations, grounds, amenities, and seasonal staff.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort franchise requires a total initial investment of $324K – $14.4M, including a $75K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 4.3% charge-off rate across 35 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $324K – $14.4M
- 18th pct Lodging
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 1st pct Lodging
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 40th pct Lodging
- Units
- 78
- 34th pct Lodging
- SBA charge-off
- 4.3%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Lodging · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Lodging 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
- Total investment $324K – $14.4M including a $75K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Item 19 discloses "Averages and Medians (per camper night)" rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- Verdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 80/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 4.3% across 35 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- Item 19 reports "Averages and Medians (per camper night)" instead of annual gross sales. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Camp Jellystone, LLC
- Parent company
- Sun Jellystone Holding, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Sun Communities, Inc.
- Predecessor
- Leisure Systems, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President
- Robert E. Schutter, Jr.
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 27777 Franklin Road, Ste. 300, Southfield, Michigan 48034
- Auditor
- Clark, Schaefer, Hackett & Co.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $12.6M
- vs $11.1M prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Affiliated brands
- entities
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Robert E. Schutter, Jr.
- Headquarters
- MI
- Founded
- 1969
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 27
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 28% below the typical lodging franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $75K | $75K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $100K | $150K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $149K | $14.1M |
| Total initial investment | $324K | $14.4M |
Source: Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $324K – $14.4M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $100K – $150K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $75K – $75K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Financial Performance
This brand's FDD disclosed "Averages and Medians (per camper night)" in Item 19 rather than annual gross sales. This metric cannot be directly compared across brands, so 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 8.0% — below the Lodging average of 10.3%.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports "Averages and Medians (per camper night)" rather than annual gross sales. Not directly comparable across brands.
Operator retention
System expanding at 5.4% CAGR over 3 years across 78 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Lodging averages
How Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 78
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 1
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 6.4%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +5.4%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +5.4%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 9
- Closed (3yr)
- 1
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 3
- Transfers (3yr)
- 5
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Termination rate
- 5.1%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 31 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 35
- Loan volume
- $49.9M
- Median loan
- $1.4M
- average
- Charge-off rate
- 4.3%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 95.7%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 20
- Defaults
- 1
- Typical loan rate
- 6.3%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- N/A
- Jobs supported
- N/A
- Lender concentration
- 23%
- top lender's share
Vintage analysis
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort franchisees
Showing 3 of 20 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 4.3% — 73% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Long-established camping/RV resort franchisor (78 units, began 1970) with parent-level financials showing positive net income $321,268 on $11.07M revenue. Reported net worth is negative -$24.9M but this is parent-level, so not penalized on operations. No litigation, bankruptcy, or going-concern; healthy 5.4% growth. Single minor flag for the negative parent equity.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $75,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Clark, Schaefer, Hackett & Co.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
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 80 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNegative net worth -$24.9M (parent-level, brand equity not disclosed)
- 02MINORPositive parent net income $321,268, revenue $11.07M
- 03MINORNo litigation, no bankruptcy, no going-concern
- 04MEDHealthy 5.4% net growth, audited, Item 19 disclosed
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% 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 | 7 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Governing law | Michigan |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 34 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 20 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Campspot
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Campspot
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
82 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort franchise?
The total investment to open a Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort franchise ranges from $324K – $14.4M, with an initial franchise fee of $75K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort franchise owners earn?
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort 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 Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort has a charge-off rate of 4.3% across 35 loans, meaning 4.3% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort has 78 total units in the United States, including 78 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 80 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
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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.