Abbott's Frozen Custard franchise
2026 filing · February 9, 2026GrowingShares sales figures
Abbott's Frozen Custard at a glance
A frozen custard stand serving custard, sundaes, shakes and other desserts. At the end of 2025 there were 27 Abbott's Frozen Custard locations in the US, 21 franchised and 6 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Abbott's Frozen Custard, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 1977
- 49 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Rochester, New York
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $497K–$1.83M
- A single Abbott's stand
- Franchise fee
- $37,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5.5%
- 5.5% of gross sales, paid weekly; the franchisor reserves the right to charge the greater of $6.96 per gallon or 6% of gross sales instead
- Brand fund
- 2%
- 2% of gross sales, paid weekly
- Territory
- None
- No exclusive territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 27
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 21
- Company-owned
- 6
- Change in 3 years
- +1
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 7
- Most in New York, Texas and Florida
Support and records
From Abbott's Frozen Custard, Inc’s 2026 filing; revenue and net loss from its audited financial statements, page 63; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
Abbott's Frozen Custard among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Abbott's Frozen Custard | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,164,050 | Costs more than 86% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $37,000 | Lower than 60% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5.5% | Lower than 66% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 27 | More than 54% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $323,276 | Lower than 86% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 0.3× | Lower than 100% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Abbott's Frozen Custard franchise costs
Opening a single Abbott's stand costs an estimated $496,900 to $1,831,200. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are real estate & improvements ($114,400 to $1,300,000) and operational equipment ($258,800 to $276,900). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $37,000 | ||
| Operational Equipment | $258,800 | $276,900 | |
| Exterior Signs | $6,500 | $25,000 | |
| Stand Design Costs | $25,000 | $75,000 | |
| Real Estate & Improvements | $114,400 | $1,300,000 | |
| Opening Inventory | $18,000 | $39,300 | |
| Initial Advertising | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| Travel and Lodging Costs Related to Initial Training | $1,200 | $3,000 | |
| Utilities | $3,000 | $7,500 | |
| Office Supplies | $500 | ||
| Insurance Premiums | $2,500 | $7,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $25,000 | $50,000 | |
| Total | $496,900 | $1,831,200 | |
Source: Abbott's Frozen Custard, Inc, 2026 filing, page 17
Abbott's Frozen Custard franchise fee
The franchise fee is $37,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Abbott's Frozen Custard, Inc, 2026 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5.5% of gross sales, paid weekly; the franchisor reserves the right to charge the greater of $6.96 per gallon or 6% of gross sales instead. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
| Computer Software and Hardware Maintenance and Updates | $2,000 per year (maintenance); $2,000 - $5,000 (updates) |
| Additional Training | $3,500 - $10,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Abbott's Frozen Custard, Inc, 2026 filing, page 12
Other fees as filed, from page 14. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Abbott's Frozen Custard publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $323,276
- Median sales
- $326,675
Yearly figures for fiscal year ended October 31, 2025, covering five newer year-round franchised stands (of 14 open more than 48 months) (5 locations). The average is about 0.3 times the midpoint of the cost to open.
Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.
Source: Abbott's Frozen Custard, Inc, 2026 filing, pages 44–45
SBA loans to Abbott's Frozen Custard franchisees
Lenders approved 11 SBA 7(a) loans for Abbott's Frozen Custard franchisees from 2018 to 2025, $2.71M in all. Of the 7 that have ended, 6 were paid in full and 1 was charged off. The other 4 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Abbott's Frozen Custard | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | −13% / +5% | +6.2% / +18% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 13% / 25% | 2.4% / 9.5% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical ice cream brand is the median of the 33 brands in ice cream franchises with three years of counts.
How Abbott's Frozen Custard compares
Of the 101 ice cream franchises on this site, Abbott's Frozen Custard is the 85th cheapest to open and the 40th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Abbott's Frozen Custard | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $497K | $285K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.83M | $597K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $37K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5.5% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Sales per location | $323K | $561K | $794K |
| US locations | 27 | 18 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 76 of 101 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 101 brands in ice cream franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 19 (−1) | 6 | 0 | −1 |
| 2024 | 24 (+5) | 6 | +6 | −1 |
| 2025 | 21 (−3) | 6 | 0 | −3 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: ice cream franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Abbott's Frozen Custard, Inc, 2026 filing, page 51
Where Abbott's Frozen Custard locations are
At the end of 2025, Abbott's Frozen Custard had locations in 7 states. The most are in New York, Texas and Florida.
- New York14
- Texas5
- Florida2
- North Carolina2
- South Carolina2
- Louisiana1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 9 | 5 | 14 |
| Texas | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Florida | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| South Carolina | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Louisiana | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Massachusetts | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: Abbott's Frozen Custard, Inc, 2026 filing, page 53
Who owns Abbott's Frozen Custard?
Abbott's Frozen Custard franchises are sold by Abbott's Frozen Custard, Inc.
From Abbott's Frozen Custard, Inc’s 2026 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on pages 9–10. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Abbott's Frozen Custard, Inc, 2026 filing, litigation on pages 9–10, bankruptcy on page 10
Abbott's Frozen Custard filings
The figures on this page come from Abbott's Frozen Custard, Inc’s 2026 filing, issued February 9, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | February 9, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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