Crispy Cones franchise
A Crispy Cones franchisee runs a dessert shop selling European-style ice cream and fruit cones, food and drinks. At the end of 2025 there were 21 Crispy Cones locations in the US, 18 franchised and 3 company-owned.
- Cost to open
- $374K–$582K
- Franchise fee
- $35,000
- Royalty
- 5%
- Locations, 2025
- 21+18 in 3 yrs
Compare with similar brands Estimate your costs
Company snapshot
- SBA loans
- On the SBA Franchise Directory
From Crispy Cones Franchising, LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
How much a Crispy Cones franchise costs
Opening one dessert shop, not area-development rights alone costs an estimated $373,650 to $581,900. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Crispy Cones Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 17
Crispy Cones franchise fee
The franchise fee is $35,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Crispy Cones Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
|---|
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Crispy Cones Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 11
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Crispy Cones publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations: average monthly gross sales and ranges for 18 franchise locations operating at some point in 2025; not all operated for the whole year. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Crispy Cones Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 41
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3 (+3) | 2 | 0 |
| 2024 | 5 (+2) | 3 | 1 |
| 2025 | 18 (+13) | 3 | 1 |
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.
Source: Crispy Cones Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 42
How Crispy Cones compares
Of the 18 ice cream franchises on this site, Crispy Cones is the 10th cheapest to open and the 16th largest by number of locations.
| Measure | Crispy Cones | Typical ice cream |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $374K | $350K |
| Royalty | 5% | 6% |
| Closed or left per year | 26.7% | 2.8% |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 15 of 18 |
Typical is the median across the 18 brands in ice cream franchises.
