Ralph's Famous Italian Ices franchise
2026 filing · March 18, 2026Growing
Ralph's Famous Italian Ices at a glance
A shop selling water ices, hard and soft-serve ice cream and sherbets. At the end of 2025 there were 85 Ralph's Famous Italian Ices locations in the US, 84 franchised and 1 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Ralph's Famous Italian Ices Franchise Corp
- The company that sells the franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $112K–$318K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $20,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- Per tub of product
- $2 for each 2.5-gallon tub of Ralph's frozen dessert and $4 for each gallon of soft-serve mix bought, plus 5% of gross sales of other products
- Brand fund
- Yes
- 75¢ for each 2½ gallon tub of frozen dessert bought
- Renewal fee
- $20,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 85
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 84
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 3 years
- +1
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 3
- Most in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut
From Ralph's Famous Italian Ices Franchise Corp’s 2026 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 67; 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
Ralph's Famous Italian Ices among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Ralph's Famous Italian Ices | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $214,825 | Costs less than 68% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $20,000 | Lower than 89% of franchises |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 85 | More than 74% of franchises |
How much a Ralph's Famous Italian Ices franchise costs
Opening one Ralph's Famous Italian Ices costs an estimated $111,750 to $317,900. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are equipment ($50,000 to $150,000) and leasehold improvements ($15,000 to $90,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| TO BE MADE Initial franchise Fee | $20,000 | ||
| Lease | $1,200 | $5,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $15,000 | $90,000 | |
| Fixtures & Furnishings | $2,500 | $10,000 | |
| Equipment | $50,000 | $150,000 | |
| Signage/Neon Lights | $6,000 | $12,000 | |
| Supplies | $1,500 | $3,000 | |
| Opening Inventory | $2,500 | $6,000 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $1,500 | ||
| Advertising | $1,200 | $2,200 | |
| Prepaid Insurance Premiums | $1,500 | $2,500 | |
| Traveling and Living Expenses While Training | $100 | $200 | |
| Utility Deposits | $1,000 | ||
| Permits & Licenses | $250 | $2,500 | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months | $7,500 | $12,000 | |
| Total | $111,750 | $317,900 | |
Source: Ralph's Famous Italian Ices Franchise Corp, 2026 filing, page 16
Ralph's Famous Italian Ices franchise fee
The franchise fee is $20,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Ralph's Famous Italian Ices Franchise Corp, 2026 filing, page 8
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | $2 for each 2.5-gallon tub of Ralph's frozen dessert and $4 for each gallon of soft-serve mix bought, plus 5% of gross sales of other products. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 75¢ for each 2½ gallon tub of frozen dessert bought. |
| Transfer Fee | $7,500 |
| Renewal Franchise Fee | $20,000 |
| Local Advertising and Promotion | $1,500 annually |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Ralph's Famous Italian Ices Franchise Corp, 2026 filing, pages 9 and 10
Other fees as filed, from pages 9–12. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Ralph's Famous Italian Ices does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: Ralph's Famous Italian Ices Franchise Corp, 2026 filing, page 39
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $290K–$510K
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Ralph's Famous Italian Ices franchisees
Lenders approved 5 SBA 7(a) loans for Ralph's Famous Italian Ices franchisees from 2006 to 2026, $660K in all. All 2 that have ended were paid in full; none was charged off. The other 3 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, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Ralph's Famous Italian Ices | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +2.4% / +1.2% | +6.2% / +18% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 2.4% | 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 Ralph's Famous Italian Ices compares
Of the 101 ice cream franchises on this site, Ralph's Famous Italian Ices is the 8th cheapest to open and the 27th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Ralph's Famous Italian Ices | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $112K | $285K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $318K | $597K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $20K | $35K | $40K |
| US locations | 85 | 18 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 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 | 81 (−2) | 1 | 0 | −2 |
| 2024 | 82 (+1) | 1 | +1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 84 (+2) | 1 | +2 | 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: Ralph's Famous Italian Ices Franchise Corp, 2026 filing, page 40
Where Ralph's Famous Italian Ices locations are
At the end of 2025, Ralph's Famous Italian Ices had locations in 3 states. The most are in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.
- New York74
- New Jersey10
- Connecticut1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | 73 | 1 | 74 |
| New Jersey | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Connecticut | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: Ralph's Famous Italian Ices Franchise Corp, 2026 filing, page 41
Who owns Ralph's Famous Italian Ices?
Ralph's Famous Italian Ices franchises are sold by Ralph's Famous Italian Ices Franchise Corp.
From Ralph's Famous Italian Ices Franchise Corp’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: Ralph's Famous Italian Ices Franchise Corp, 2026 filing, litigation on page 8, bankruptcy on page 8
Ralph's Famous Italian Ices filings
The figures on this page come from Ralph's Famous Italian Ices Franchise Corp’s 2026 filing, issued March 18, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | March 18, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other ice cream franchises
All ice cream franchises
Ralph's Famous Italian Ices is also on these lists: food franchises.