Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-ResortFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
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 3.6% charge-off rate across 43 loans[1]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $324K – $14.4M
- 20th pct Lodging
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 2nd pct Lodging
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 39th pct Lodging
- Units
- 78
- 32nd pct Lodging
- SBA default
- 3.6%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Lodging · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Lodging avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchising since 1970. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
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 (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 25/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 3.6% across 43 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- 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
- Legal entity
- Camp Jellystone, LLC
- Parent company
- Sun Communities, Inc.
- Predecessor
- LSI
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- DE
- 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
Franchisees operate branded campground and resort facilities featuring camping sites, RV hookups, cabins, and recreational amenities. Day-to-day operations include managing reservations, maintaining grounds/facilities, staffing seasonal personnel, ensuring guest experiences, and handling campground administration. Most franchisees either acquire existing properties (conversion) or develop new sites, requiring significant real estate and capital investment.
- CEO
- Robert E. Schutter, Jr.
- Headquarters
- MI
- Founded
- 1969
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 27
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
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $100K – $150K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $75K – $75K
- Better than avg 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 |
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.
vs Lodging averages
How Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 78
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Turnover rate
- 2.6%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 78
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 3
- Transfers (3yr)
- 3
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 1
- 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
- 43
- Loan volume
- $67.2M
- Median loan
- $1.6M
- average
- Charge-off rate
- 3.6%
- 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)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 19
- Defaults
- 1
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Weak financial transparency, stalled unit growth, and going concern issues create material risk despite protected territories and reasonable 7-year term.
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)
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 25 / 100 rating
- 01MINORExtreme investment range ($324K-$14.4M) suggests inconsistent unit economics and unclear capital requirements
- 02MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (Item 19) prevents accurate ROI assessment and suggests weak franchisee performance
- 03MINOROnly 78 units across 7-year-old+ franchise indicates stalled growth or contraction in a mature brand
- 04HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE, meaning franchisor may face financial instability
- 05MINORHigh initial franchise fee ($75K) paired with 6% royalty (years 1-2) creates early cash flow pressure
- 06MINORSeasonal/weather-dependent campground business model creates revenue volatility and operational complexity
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 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 3.6% across 43 loans, meaning 3.6% 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 risk score of 25 out of 100, 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.
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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.