Gofer Ice Cream franchise
2022 filing · March 22, 2022GrowingShares sales figures
Gofer Ice Cream at a glance
An ice cream shop serving soft-serve, hard ice cream, sundaes, shakes and dairy-free and low-calorie choices. At the end of 2021 there were 7 Gofer Ice Cream locations in the US, 4 franchised and 3 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Gofer Franchise Systems, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2006
- 16 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Stamford, Connecticut
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $229K–$411K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $25,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of gross revenue, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross revenue, paid weekly; it can rise to 2%
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2021
- 7
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 4
- Company-owned
- 3
- Change in 3 years
- +2
- Franchised locations, 2019–2021
- States
- 1
- Most in Connecticut
Support and records
From Gofer Franchise Systems, LLC’s 2022 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 148; 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
Gofer Ice Cream among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Gofer Ice Cream | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $320,150 | Costs less than 54% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $25,000 | Lower than 82% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 7 | Fewer than 66% of franchises |
How much a Gofer Ice Cream franchise costs
Opening one Gofer Ice Cream costs an estimated $229,000 to $411,300. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($75,000 to $190,000) and furniture, fixtures and equipment ($94,000 to $108,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $25,000 | ||
| Leasehold Improvements | $75,000 | $190,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment | $94,000 | $108,000 | |
| Office Equipment, Computer and Supplies | $250 | $1,000 | |
| POS System Hardware and Software | $2,000 | $2,500 | |
| Signage | $4,500 | $6,000 | |
| Blue Prints, Business Licenses & Permits | $4,000 | $8,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $3,000 | $6,000 | |
| Rent Per Month | $3,000 | $6,000 | |
| Initial Inventory of Food and Paper Supplies | $2,500 | $4,000 | |
| Security Deposits | $6,000 | $16,500 | |
| Insurance Per Month | $500 | $800 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $1,000 | $2,000 | |
| Training Expenses | $3,000 | $5,000 | |
| Uniforms | $250 | $500 | |
| Additional Funds (for initial period of operations) | $5,000 | $30,000 | |
| Total | $229,000 | $411,300 | |
Source: Gofer Franchise Systems, LLC, 2022 filing, page 12
Gofer Ice Cream franchise fee
The franchise fee is $25,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Gofer Franchise Systems, LLC, 2022 filing, page 8
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross revenue, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross revenue, paid weekly; it can rise to 2%. |
| Technology Fee | Currently $60per week, subject to increase. |
| Transfer Fee (Franchise Agreement) | $5,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Gofer Franchise Systems, LLC, 2022 filing, page 9
Other fees as filed, from pages 9–11. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Gofer 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: Gofer Franchise Systems, LLC, 2022 filing, page 36
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $340K–$600K
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Gofer Ice Cream franchisees
Lenders approved one SBA 7(a) loan for a Gofer Ice Cream franchisee in 2021, for $100K. It was paid in full.
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, 2021 / 2019–2021. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Gofer Ice Cream | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +33% / +100% | +6.2% / +18% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 0% | 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 Gofer Ice Cream compares
Of the 101 ice cream franchises on this site, Gofer Ice Cream is the 31st cheapest to open and the 66th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Gofer Ice Cream | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $229K | $285K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $411K | $597K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $25K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 7 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2 (0) | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | 3 (+1) | 3 | +1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 4 (+1) | 3 | +1 | 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: Gofer Franchise Systems, LLC, 2022 filing, page 38
Where Gofer Ice Cream locations are
At the end of 2021, Gofer Ice Cream had franchised locations in 1 state. The most are in Connecticut.
- Connecticut4
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Connecticut | 4 |
Source: Gofer Franchise Systems, LLC, 2022 filing, page 38
Who owns Gofer Ice Cream?
Gofer Ice Cream franchises are sold by Gofer Franchise Systems, LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From Gofer Franchise Systems, LLC’s 2022 filing, page 6.
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: Gofer Franchise Systems, LLC, 2022 filing, litigation on page 8, bankruptcy on page 8
Gofer Ice Cream filings
The figures on this page come from Gofer Franchise Systems, LLC’s 2022 filing, issued March 22, 2022, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 filing | March 22, 2022 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2019–2021 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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