Handel's Homemade Ice Cream franchise
2022 filing · April 15, 2022GrowingShares sales figures
Handel's Homemade Ice Cream at a glance
An ice cream parlor scooping dozens of flavors made fresh in the shop each day. At the end of 2021 there were 75 Handel's Homemade Ice Cream locations in the US, 66 franchised and 9 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Handel's Enterprises, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 1989
- 33 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Canfield, Ohio
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $235K–$807K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $50,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross revenue, paid monthly
- Brand fund
- None now
- No brand fund
- Renewal fee
- $15,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2021
- 75
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 66
- Company-owned
- 9
- Change in 3 years
- +33
- Franchised locations, 2019–2021
- States
- 10
- Most in Ohio, California and Pennsylvania
Support and records
From Handel's Enterprises, LLC’s 2022 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 51; 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
Handel's Homemade Ice Cream among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Handel's Homemade Ice Cream | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $520,750 | Costs more than 66% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $50,000 | Higher than 70% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 75 | More than 71% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $900,124 | Higher than 57% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 1.7× | Higher than 55% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Handel's Homemade Ice Cream franchise costs
Opening one Handel's Homemade Ice Cream costs an estimated $234,500 to $807,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are construction costs ($0 to $380,000) and equipment ($120,000 to $180,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $50,000 | ||
| Real Property | $0 | $36,000 | |
| Construction Costs | $0 | $380,000 | |
| Signage | $20,000 | $35,000 | |
| Equipment | $120,000 | $180,000 | |
| Opening Advertising | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Pre-Opening Salaries and Travel Expenses | $2,000 | $10,000 | |
| Start-up Supplies | $15,000 | $19,000 | |
| Insurance | $500 | $3,500 | |
| Utility Deposits | $1,000 | $15,000 | |
| Architect Design | $3,000 | $18,500 | |
| Professional Fees | $2,000 | $5,000 | |
| Additional Funds | $20,000 | $50,000 | |
| Total | $234,500 | $807,000 | |
Source: Handel's Enterprises, LLC, 2022 filing, page 14
Handel's Homemade Ice Cream franchise fee
The franchise fee is $50,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Handel's Enterprises, LLC, 2022 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross revenue, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | No brand fund |
| Point of Sale Fee | Up to $350 |
| Transfer Fee | $15,000 |
| Renewal Fee | $15,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Handel's Enterprises, LLC, 2022 filing, page 12
Other fees as filed, from page 12. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Handel's Homemade Ice Cream publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average revenue
- $900,124
- Median revenue
- $794,620
Yearly figures for 2021, covering franchised stores open all of 2021 (51 locations). The average is about 1.7 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: Handel's Enterprises, LLC, 2022 filing, pages 39–40
SBA loans to Handel's Homemade Ice Cream franchisees
Lenders approved 27 SBA-backed loans for Handel's Homemade Ice Cream franchisees from 2018 to 2026, $16M in all: 26 7(a) loans and 1 504 loan. All 12 that have ended were paid in full; none was charged off. The other 15 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, 2021 / 2019–2021. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Handel's Homemade Ice Cream | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +27% / +100% | +6.2% / +18% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 6.1% | 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 Handel's Homemade Ice Cream compares
Of the 101 ice cream franchises on this site, Handel's Homemade Ice Cream is the 35th cheapest to open and the 28th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Handel's Homemade Ice Cream | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $235K | $285K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $807K | $597K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $50K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Sales per location | $900K | $561K | $794K |
| US locations | 75 | 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 | 37 (+4) | 11 | +5 | −1 |
| 2020 | 52 (+15) | 10 | +16 | −1 |
| 2021 | 66 (+14) | 9 | +14 | 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: Handel's Enterprises, LLC, 2022 filing, page 42
Where Handel's Homemade Ice Cream locations are
At the end of 2021, Handel's Homemade Ice Cream had locations in 10 states. The most are in Ohio, California and Pennsylvania.
- Ohio25
- California19
- Pennsylvania7
- Texas6
- Utah6
- Indiana4
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 17 | 8 | 25 |
| California | 19 | 0 | 19 |
| Pennsylvania | 6 | 1 | 7 |
| Texas | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Utah | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| Indiana | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Arizona | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Oregon | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Alabama | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nevada | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: Handel's Enterprises, LLC, 2022 filing, page 43
Who owns Handel's Homemade Ice Cream?
Handel's Homemade Ice Cream franchises are sold by Handel's Enterprises, LLC. Its ultimate parent is Handel’s Holdco, LLC.
From Handel's Enterprises, LLC’s 2022 filing, page 7.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on page 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: Handel's Enterprises, LLC, 2022 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
Handel's Homemade Ice Cream filings
The figures on this page come from Handel's Enterprises, LLC’s 2022 filing, issued April 15, 2022, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 filing | April 15, 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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