Bubba's Famous Ice Cream franchise
2026 filing · April 27, 2026Shares sales figures
Bubba's Famous Ice Cream at a glance
An ice cream shop selling soft serve, Italian ice, shakes and sundaes along with food and drinks. At the end of 2025 there were 1 Bubba's Famous Ice Cream locations in the US, all company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Bubba's Ice Cream Franchising LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2025
- Franchisor based in
- Danville, Virginia
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $376K–$530K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $29,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of monthly gross sales, paid monthly
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross sales, paid monthly
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- 10% of the then-current initial franchise fee
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 1
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 1
- Most in Virginia
From Bubba's Ice Cream Franchising LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Bubba's Famous Ice Cream among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Bubba's Famous Ice Cream | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $452,915 | Costs more than 60% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $29,000 | Lower than 81% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 1 | Fewer than 88% of franchises |
How much a Bubba's Famous Ice Cream franchise costs
Opening one Bubba's Famous Ice Cream costs an estimated $375,509 to $530,320. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are equipment ($209,499 to $272,655) and leasehold improvements ($48,000 to $96,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| PRE-OPENING Initial Franchise Fee | $29,000 | ||
| Lease | $7,500 | $10,500 | |
| Security Deposits | $5,000 | $7,000 | |
| Utility Deposits | $450 | $600 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $48,000 | $96,000 | |
| Furnishings and Fixtures | $6,800 | $8,500 | |
| Equipment | $209,499 | $272,655 | |
| Signage | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| POS system/ Computer System/Software | $2,280 | $3,080 | |
| Opening Inventory | $13,600 | $14,960 | |
| Business Licenses, Permits and Inspections | $200 | $800 | |
| Professional Fees | $2,000 | $3,000 | |
| Design & Architect Fees | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| Insurance Premiums | $600 | $2,000 | |
| Training living expenses | $1,880 | $2,225 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $13,700 | $25,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $20,000 | $30,000 | |
| Total | $375,509 | $530,320 | |
Source: Bubba's Ice Cream Franchising LLC, 2026 filing, page 16
Bubba's Famous Ice Cream franchise fee
The franchise fee is $29,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Bubba's Ice Cream Franchising LLC, 2026 filing, page 9
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of monthly gross sales, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross sales, paid monthly. |
| Technology Fee | $30 |
| Renewal Fee | 10% of the then-current initial franchise fee |
| Local Marketing Spend | $4,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Bubba's Ice Cream Franchising LLC, 2026 filing, pages 9 and 10
Other fees as filed, from pages 10–11. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Bubba's Famous Ice Cream publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Bubba's Ice Cream Franchising LLC, 2026 filing, page 46
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $460K–$800K
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How Bubba's Famous Ice Cream compares
Of the 101 ice cream franchises on this site, Bubba's Famous Ice Cream is the 76th cheapest to open and the 89th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Bubba's Famous Ice Cream | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $376K | $285K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $530K | $597K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $29K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 1 | 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 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
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: Bubba's Ice Cream Franchising LLC, 2026 filing, page 47
Where Bubba's Famous Ice Cream locations are
At the end of 2025, Bubba's Famous Ice Cream had locations in 1 state. The most are in Virginia.
- Virginia1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Source: Bubba's Ice Cream Franchising LLC, 2026 filing, page 48
Who owns Bubba's Famous Ice Cream?
Bubba's Famous Ice Cream franchises are sold by Bubba's Ice Cream Franchising LLC.
From Bubba's Ice Cream Franchising LLC’s 2026 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| 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: Bubba's Ice Cream Franchising LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 9
Bubba's Famous Ice Cream filings
The figures on this page come from Bubba's Ice Cream Franchising LLC’s 2026 filing, issued April 27, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 27, 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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