Stella's Ice Cream franchise
2026 filing · May 8, 2026GrowingShares sales figures
Stella's Ice Cream at a glance
A gourmet ice cream shop. At the end of 2025 there were 15 Stella's Ice Cream locations in the US, 11 franchised and 4 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Stella's Ice Cream-Franchising, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Typical size
- 1,000–1,500 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $497K–$773K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $49,500
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- The greater of 6% of gross revenue or $500 a month, plus 1% to the brand fund (up to 2%)
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross revenue, paid monthly; it can rise to 2%
- Agreement length
- 10 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 15
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 11
- Company-owned
- 4
- Change in 3 years
- +11
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 5
- Most in Idaho, Arizona and Texas
Support and records
From Stella's Ice Cream-Franchising, LLC’s 2026 filing; revenue and net loss from its audited financial statements, page 153; 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
Stella's Ice Cream among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Stella's Ice Cream | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $635,128 | Costs more than 72% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $49,500 | Higher than 64% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 15 | Fewer than 55% of franchises |
How much a Stella's Ice Cream franchise costs
Opening one Stella's Ice Cream costs an estimated $496,780 to $773,475. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($175,000 to $350,000) and equipment ($165,000 to $185,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $49,500 | ||
| Lease & Utilities Deposits | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $175,000 | $350,000 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $1,000 | $2,500 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Millwork | $55,000 | $75,000 | |
| Equipment | $165,000 | $185,000 | |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $3,000 | |
| Signage | $8,000 | $14,000 | |
| Office Expenses | $500 | $1,000 | |
| Inventory | $8,000 | $20,000 | |
| Licenses and Permits | $300 | $3,000 | |
| Software Subscriptions (per month) | $2,000 | $3,000 | |
| Professional Fees (lawyer, accountant, etc.) | $500 | $4,000 | |
| Travel, lodging and meals for initial training | $2,000 | $4,000 | |
| Initial Construction Site Visit | $1,000 | $2,000 | |
| Rendering Drawings | $1,980 | $2,475 | |
| Architecture and Engineering | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| Additional funds (for first 3 months) | $10,000 | $30,000 | |
| Total | $496,780 | $773,475 | |
Source: Stella's Ice Cream-Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 12
Stella's Ice Cream franchise fee
The franchise fee is $49,500. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Stella's Ice Cream-Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 8
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | The greater of 6% of gross revenue or $500 a month, plus 1% to the brand fund (up to 2%). |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross revenue, paid monthly; it can rise to 2%. |
| Transfer Fee | $10,000 |
| Replacement/Additional Training fee | Currently, $500 per day |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Stella's Ice Cream-Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 9
Other fees as filed, from pages 9–10. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Stella's 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: Stella's Ice Cream-Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 43
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $420K–$740K
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Stella's Ice Cream franchisees
Lenders approved 9 SBA 7(a) loans for Stella's Ice Cream franchisees from 2024 to 2026, $3.6M in all. One has been paid in full; none was charged off. The other 8 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 Stella's Ice Cream compares
Of the 101 ice cream franchises on this site, Stella's Ice Cream is the 84th cheapest to open and the 54th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Stella's Ice Cream | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $497K | $285K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $773K | $597K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $50K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 15 | 18 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 0% | 3.2% | – |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 2 (+2) | 5 | +2 | 0 |
| 2024 | 4 (+2) | 5 | +2 | 0 |
| 2025 | 11 (+7) | 4 | +7 | 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.
Stella's Ice Cream passes four of the five tests on our list of the best franchises to own; it had fewer than 100 US locations three years ago.
More in the guides: ice cream franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Stella's Ice Cream-Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 47
Where Stella's Ice Cream locations are
At the end of 2025, Stella's Ice Cream had locations in 5 states. The most are in Idaho, Arizona and Texas.
- Idaho9
- Arizona2
- Texas2
- Nebraska1
- Tennessee1
Source: Stella's Ice Cream-Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 48
Who owns Stella's Ice Cream?
Stella's Ice Cream franchises are sold by Stella's Ice Cream-Franchising, LLC.
From Stella's Ice Cream-Franchising, LLC’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: Stella's Ice Cream-Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 8, bankruptcy on page 8
Stella's Ice Cream filings
The figures on this page come from Stella's Ice Cream-Franchising, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued May 8, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | May 8, 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
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