Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $324K – $2.4M
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- 4.3%
- on 35 loans
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 – $2.4M, including a $75K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. 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 →
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: strong✓ 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 scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $324K – $2.4M
- 18th pct Lodging
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Outlet subsetProjection
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 53rd pct Lodging
- Units
- 78
- 42nd 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 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 $324K – $2.4M including a $75K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports Averages and Medians (per camper night) rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- RISKVerdict 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).
- GROWTHFlat: no net change in franchised outlets in the latest year (2 opened, 1 closed); 1 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- DATAItem 19 reports Averages and Medians (per camper night) 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
- Camp Jellystone, LLC
- Parent company
- Sun Jellystone Holding, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 7 of the 2025 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- Sun Communities, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 7 of the 2025 FDD
- 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 85% 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 | $2.1M |
| Total initial investment | $324K | $2.4M |
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 – $2.4M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $100K – $150K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $75K – $75K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Tiered by sales volume · 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 |
| Inventory (initial) | $30K – $75K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% 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 Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort 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 Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort 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
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
Reported per transaction, not per outlet
- Item 19 type
- per-transaction figures
- Sample size
- 55
- vs category median 98
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 3 / 10
- vs category median 0 / 10 · above
Compared against 175 Lodging 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 8.0% (near the Lodging median).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports Averages and Medians (per camper night) rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
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 medians
How Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort Compares
Category median of published Lodging 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
- 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
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 1
- Not renewed
- 1
- Transferred
- 3
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 1
- 0.01 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 5
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 5.1%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 29 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).
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
74 current owners across 29 states.
- NY 6
- TX 6
- WI 6
- IN 5
- OH 5
- PA 5
- NC 4
- MI 3
- AL 2
- DE 2
- IA 2
- IL 2
- +17 more states
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20; 1 entries carry no state. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
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%
- on 35 loans · 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.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Avg interest rate
- 6.35%
- Lender concentration
- 22.9%
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 23% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Citizens Community Federal National Association | 8 | $20.7M | 16.7% |
| 2 | Customers Bank | 4 | $2.1M | 0.0% |
| 3 | First Guaranty Bank | 3 | $6.2M | 0.0% |
| 4 | The Huntington National Bank | 3 | $1.8M | N/A |
| 5 | Newtek Small Business Finance, Inc. | 2 | $1.7M | 0.0% |
| 6 | First National Community Bank | 1 | $408K | N/A |
| 7 | JPMorgan Chase Bank, National Association | 1 | $256K | 0.0% |
| 8 | The Park National Bank | 1 | $235K | 0.0% |
| 9 | Farmers State Bank | 1 | $200K | 0.0% |
| 10 | Unity Bank | 1 | $500K | 0.0% |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIMichigan | 6 | 0 | 0.0% |
| INIndiana | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| MOMissouri | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NYNew York | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| WIWisconsin | 4 | 0 | 0.0% |
| TXTexas | 3 | 0 | 0.0% |
| VAVirginia | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| ILIllinois | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| KYKentucky | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| LALouisiana | 1 | 1 | 100.0% |
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
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
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Clark, Schaefer, Hackett & Co.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Figures taken from the Item 21 / Exhibit C financial statements of Camp Jellystone, LLC (CJS, franchisor). Balance-sheet figures come from the Sun-TLP (Consolidated) internal GL summary as of Jun 2024 and reflect intercompany parent structure (Sun Communities, Inc. is parent): Total Assets $27,500,150; Total Equity is a deficit of -$24,890,448 (driven by ~$8.9M investment owed to Parent and negative member equity); implied Total Liabilities & Equity $27,500,150, so liabilities ~= $52,390,598. Net worth is negative on a consolidated intercompany basis and does not represent standalone solvency. Income-statement figures: Total Income (revenue) $4,795,370 most recent period and $5,949,760 prior; Net Income $321,268 (current) / $364,217 (prior); Other/Interest Income $11,496. Auditor CPA firm name not present in extractable text (audited statements pages appear as non-text/scanned). Item 19 (per-camper-night tables) and Item 7 development/POS/audit fees were image-based or absent, so left null.
ⓘ 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
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- 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 territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 25 mi |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 7 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Governing law | Michigan |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 34 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 20 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- Franchisee proposes, CJS approves
- 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
75 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
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 – $2.4M, 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?
Item 19 of the Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort FDD discloses figures for part of the system 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 Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort?
Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort is franchised by Camp Jellystone, LLC. Its parent company is Sun Jellystone Holding, LLC. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Sun Communities, Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort 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 Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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). 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
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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.