Yogurt MountainFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Yogurt Mountain franchise requires a total initial investment of $271K – $931K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $354K[2]. Verdict grade: C. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $271K – $931K
- 15th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $354K
- 1st pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 23
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 16.7%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Full-Service Restaurants 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
At 0.6x revenue per dollar invested, this system underperforms the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
The system contracted 5% year-over-year. Investigate why units are closing.
Bottom line
- Total investment $271K – $931K including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $354K/year (median $289K).
- Verdict C (Average) with a risk score of 65/100.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Yogurt Mountain Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Yogurt Mountain Holding, LLC
- Incorporated in
- AL
- HQ
- 402 Industrial Lane, Birmingham, AL 35211
- Auditor
- Deloitte & Touche LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.2M
- vs $2.2M prior year
Overview
About
Yogurt Mountain franchisees operate frozen yogurt retail locations where customers self-serve froyo into cups and pay by weight. Day-to-day operations include inventory management, equipment maintenance, customer service, staff scheduling, and point-of-sale transactions in a high-touch retail environment.
- CEO
- D. Scott Kappler
- Headquarters
- AL
- Founded
- 2009
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 10
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $30K | $30K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $15K | $26K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $226K | $875K |
| Total initial investment | $271K | $931K |
Source: Yogurt Mountain 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$35K
10.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
6%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
17.5 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $271K – $931K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $26K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $15K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Sales · 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 |
| Technology fee | $320 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $354K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $289K
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 13 units
- vs category median 13
- Range (low → high)
- $195K→$587K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 7 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
Revenue is only 0.6x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Yogurt Mountain Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 23
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Turnover rate
- 4.3%
- Company-owned
- 5
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 78%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -5.3%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 14 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 6 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 6
- Loan volume
- $2.1M
- Median loan
- $325K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 16.7%
- 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)
- 75.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 5
- Defaults
- 1
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Yogurt Mountain's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 5 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 4 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 4-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Yogurt Mountain presents a CAUTION-level risk profile due to declining unit count, missing profitability data, high royalty rates, and a small system size that limits viability validation.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Deloitte & Touche LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 65 / 100 rating
- 01MEDUnit count declined 5.3% YoY (23 units total) indicating contraction and potential system maturity or viability issues
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19 prevents ROI validation; average revenue of $354,211 may not support the $271,110–$930,500 investment range
- 03MEDHigh royalty burden on traditional model (6% of gross sales) combined with undisclosed profitability creates uncertainty on actual franchisee take-home earnings
- 04MEDSmall franchisee base (23 units) limits diversification and suggests limited brand recognition or market demand
- 05MINOR5-year term is relatively short; renewal risk and system instability for long-term franchisees are unclear
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 | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 3 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Alabama |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 14 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 24 hrs
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
20 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Yogurt Mountain · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Yogurt Mountain franchise?
The total investment to open a Yogurt Mountain franchise ranges from $271K – $931K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Yogurt Mountain franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Yogurt Mountain FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $354K. The median is $289K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Yogurt Mountain's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Yogurt Mountain (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 Yogurt Mountain franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Yogurt Mountain has 23 total units in the United States, including 18 franchised units and 5 company-owned units.
Is Yogurt Mountain a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Yogurt Mountain as a C-grade franchise with a risk score of 65 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.