Pelican's SnoBalls franchise
2024 filing · May 1, 2024Shares sales figures
Pelican's SnoBalls at a glance
A shaved ice shop selling flavored snoballs and other frozen treats. At the end of 2023 there were 202 Pelican's SnoBalls locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Franchisor
- Pelican's SnoBalls USA, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Gastonia, North Carolina
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $82K–$231K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $25,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 8%
- 8% of gross sales, paid monthly
- Brand fund
- None now
- No brand fund
- Agreement length
- 15 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 202
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 202
- Company-owned
- 0
- States
- 17
- Most in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia
Support and records
From Pelican's SnoBalls USA, LLC’s 2024 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 141; 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
Pelican's SnoBalls among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Pelican's SnoBalls | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $156,275 | Costs less than 76% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $25,000 | Lower than 82% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 8% | Higher than 85% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 202 | More than 86% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $148,484 | Lower than 97% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 1.0× | Lower than 80% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Pelican's SnoBalls franchise costs
Opening one Pelican's SnoBalls costs an estimated $81,750 to $230,800. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital. It is one of the low-cost franchises.
Source: Pelican's SnoBalls USA, LLC, 2024 filing, page 15
Pelican's SnoBalls franchise fee
The franchise fee is $25,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Pelican's SnoBalls USA, LLC, 2024 filing, page 9
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 8% of gross sales, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | No brand fund |
| Technology Fee | Up to $300 per Month |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Pelican's SnoBalls USA, LLC, 2024 filing, pages 10 and 24
Other fees as filed, from page 10. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Pelican's SnoBalls publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $148,484
- Median sales
- $125,900
Yearly figures for 2023, covering franchised stores open a full season (six months or more) in 2023 (193 locations). The average is about 1 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: Pelican's SnoBalls USA, LLC, 2024 filing, page 39
SBA loans to Pelican's SnoBalls franchisees
Lenders approved 7 SBA-backed loans for Pelican's SnoBalls franchisees from 2017 to 2022, $1.27M in all: 6 7(a) loans and 1 504 loan. One has been paid in full; none was charged off. The other 6 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
How Pelican's SnoBalls compares
Of the 101 ice cream franchises on this site, Pelican's SnoBalls is the 4th cheapest to open and the 17th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Pelican's SnoBalls | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $82K | $285K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $231K | $597K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $25K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 8% | 6% | 6% |
| Sales per location | $148K | $561K | $794K |
| US locations | 202 | 18 | 21 |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | +15.4% | +12.5% | – |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 180 (+5) | 0 |
| 2022 | 193 (+13) | 0 |
| 2023 | 202 (+9) | 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: Pelican's SnoBalls USA, LLC, 2024 filing, page 41
Where Pelican's SnoBalls locations are
At the end of 2023, Pelican's SnoBalls had franchised locations in 17 states. The most are in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
- North Carolina75
- South Carolina45
- Georgia21
- Florida14
- Tennessee11
- Virginia9
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| North Carolina | 75 |
| South Carolina | 45 |
| Georgia | 21 |
| Florida | 14 |
| Tennessee | 11 |
| Virginia | 9 |
| Alabama | 5 |
| Pennsylvania | 5 |
| Kentucky | 4 |
| California | 2 |
All 17 states
| New Jersey | 2 |
|---|---|
| Texas | 2 |
| Louisiana | 1 |
| Massachusetts | 1 |
| Mississippi | 1 |
| New York | 1 |
| Ohio | 1 |
Source: Pelican's SnoBalls USA, LLC, 2024 filing, page 42
Who owns Pelican's SnoBalls?
Pelican's SnoBalls franchises are sold by Pelican's SnoBalls USA, LLC.
From Pelican's SnoBalls USA, LLC’s 2024 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 8–9. |
|---|---|
| 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: Pelican's SnoBalls USA, LLC, 2024 filing, litigation on pages 8–9, bankruptcy on page 9
Pelican's SnoBalls filings
The figures on this page come from Pelican's SnoBalls USA, LLC’s 2024 filing, issued May 1, 2024, on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | May 1, 2024 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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