We are seeking franchisees who share our commitment to operating great Scoop Shops in a socially responsible way. We look for such things as prior restaurant or retail management experience, solid business acumen, upstanding community involvement, ability to meet our financial qualifications, and a desire to succeed by following a proven operating system.

Yes. We are seeking franchisees who will commit their full-time best efforts to developing their business. This includes managing the day to day operations of the store, executing a local store marketing plan, building a catering and special events business, and activating the brand and social mission through community involvement. Although multi-unit operators will need to build a management team as their business grows, they are still required to be involved in the business on a full-time basis.

For a single store, you will need a strong credit history as well as a minimum net worth of $350K of which $80K needs to be liquid. To be a multi-unit operator, the requirement is a minimum net worth of $525K of which $120K needs to be liquid. Preferably, there will be a secondary source of income to cover personal living and business expenses during the start up phase of the business.

We do not currently offer financing, but we do have relationships with preferred national lenders. The approval process can be expedited to about 2-3 weeks.

Most of that depends on you and how much time you have to dedicate to our “discovery process.” On average, it should take between 30 - 45 days for you to fully evaluate our concept, for us to get to know you, and to mutually decide whether or not the “fit” is right. After Discovery Day, approved candidates have 30 days to enter into a Preliminary or Development Agreement; then you would begin your location search. Once you have an approved site and sign a franchise agreement, your site could be open in approximately 4 months.

We’ll provide our Franchise Disclosure Document to all qualified candidates, upon receiving your completed application.

With over 750 domestic and international locations, and a 25+ year track record, we still have opportunities in many markets throughout the country. We are actively expanding our franchise network and are seeking single-store and multi-unit operators to be part of our growth. Check out our list of open markets.

There are a variety of reasons why your market may not be open for development. If you meet our basic criteria, and submit your contact information, we will keep this information on file for at least six months. We will do our best to notify you when an opportunity becomes available in your market.

Yes, for markets that can support multi-unit opportunities; but, we also recognize that some markets might only support a single store. With over 25 years experience in franchising, we’ve developed an operating system that supports both multi-unit and single-store development.

We provide both initial and ongoing training and support. It all starts with 8 days of hands-on training at Scoop University, our national training facility in South Burlington, VT. When your store is close to opening, you will also receive several days of on-site training at your shop. Throughout your tenure as a Ben & Jerry’s franchisee, you will also benefit from regularly scheduled visits from our field-based support team. In addition, a variety of support staff members are just a phone call away.

Perhaps the most challenging and important decision that you will make is choosing a location. Although our franchisees are responsible for leading the search, our National Real Estate Manager will guide you through finding and securing a brand beacon location using our site selection process and playbook. You will complete a detailed site evaluation package for each site you submit for consideration. Ultimately, a location must be approved by our Site Evaluation Committee to move forward.

We have 5 store models that can meet just about any real estate opportunity. Our traditional shops average about 900 sq. ft.; however, sites can range from 100 sq. ft. to 1500 sq. ft. depending upon many factors. Our National Construction Manager will guide you through our design & build process and help you evaluate and maximize each proposed location.

Our initial franchise fee is $32,000. If you sign a development agreement, you can take advantage of a sliding scale fee structure, which is $32K for the first store, $20K for the second, and $18K for each additional location. Our royalty is 3% and there is a 4% marketing contribution (2% national and 2% local.).

The profitability of a Scoop Shop can vary greatly, depending upon many factors. These include the location of the store, sales volume, occupancy costs, the terms of financing, and other operating costs. Furthermore, the franchisee’s aptitude at building and managing a staff, marketing the store, and overseeing all the financial aspects of the business will have a large impact. We do not predict the sales or profitability of any new location. As part of our Discovery Process, we will provide you with a list of our franchisees and locations so that you may contact them directly to discuss sales and earnings information.