Sub Zero Ice Cream franchise
2025 filing · January 28, 2025Shares sales figures
Sub Zero Ice Cream at a glance
An ice cream shop making ice cream to order by instant freezing, from a storefront, mobile unit or catering business. At the end of 2024 there were 40 Sub Zero Ice Cream locations in the US, 38 franchised and 2 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Sub Zero Franchising, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2006
- 19 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Provo, Utah
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $217K–$356K
- A storefront
- Franchise fee
- $35,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 2% to the brand development fund; mobile and catering units have monthly minimums
- Brand fund
- 2%
- 2% of gross sales, paid weekly, with a $150-200 monthly minimum for mobile and catering units
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- Then-current renewal fee, currently $2,500
- Agreement length
- 5 years
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
- Franchisor financing
- Some financing offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 40
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 38
- Company-owned
- 2
From Sub Zero Franchising, Inc’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Sub Zero Ice Cream among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Sub Zero Ice Cream | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $286,400 | Costs less than 58% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $35,000 | Lower than 61% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 40 | More than 61% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $228,079 | Lower than 93% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 0.8× | Lower than 88% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Sub Zero Ice Cream franchise costs
Opening a storefront costs an estimated $216,800 to $356,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are construction, remodeling and leasehold improvements ($85,000 to $140,000) and furniture, fixtures, & equipment and Décor ($45,000 to $65,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $35,000 | ||
| Site Selection | $0 | $5,000 | |
| Real Estate/Rent/Deposits | $5,500 | $24,000 | |
| Construction, Remodeling and Leasehold Improvements | $85,000 | $140,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, & Equipment and Décor | $45,000 | $65,000 | |
| POS System | $1,000 | $1,500 | |
| Architect Design Set | $2,500 | ||
| Local Architect | $7,500 | $15,000 | |
| Signage | $5,000 | $8,000 | |
| Office Equipment & Supplies | $800 | $1,500 | |
| Inventory to Begin Operating | $5,500 | $7,500 | |
| Initial Advertising | $3,000 | $5,000 | |
| Initial Training Fee | $2,500 | ||
| Training Expenses (our reimbursement and your out-of-pocket expenses) | $2,000 | $6,000 | |
| Insurance | $500 | $2,500 | |
| Miscellaneous Expenses | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Additional Funds -- 3 months | $15,000 | $30,000 | |
| Total | $216,800 | $356,000 | |
Source: Sub Zero Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, page 16
Sub Zero Ice Cream franchise fee
The franchise fee is $35,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Sub Zero Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 2% to the brand development fund; mobile and catering units have monthly minimums. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross sales, paid weekly, with a $150-200 monthly minimum for mobile and catering units. |
| POS Software | $65 per month |
| Transfer Fee | Then-current transfer fee, currently $5,000 |
| Extension/Renewal Fee | Then-current renewal fee, currently $2,500 |
| Additional Training or Assistance | $1,000 per person plus travel expenses |
| Local Advertising Expenditure | At least 2% of Gross Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Sub Zero Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, page 12
Other fees as filed, from pages 12–14. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Sub Zero 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 sales
- $228,079
- Median sales
- $219,991
Yearly figures for year to June 30, 2024, covering franchised U.S. stores open July 2023 to June 2024, store plus catering sales (18 locations). The average is about 0.8 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: Sub Zero Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, pages 48–49
SBA loans to Sub Zero Ice Cream franchisees
Lenders approved 28 SBA-backed loans for Sub Zero Ice Cream franchisees from 2011 to 2025, $5.66M in all: 27 7(a) loans and 1 504 loan. Of the 24 that have ended, 13 were paid in full and 11 were charged off (45.8%). The other 4 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 Sub Zero Ice Cream compares
Of the 101 ice cream franchises on this site, Sub Zero Ice Cream is the 25th cheapest to open and the 32nd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Sub Zero Ice Cream | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $217K | $285K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $356K | $597K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $35K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 2% | 2% |
| Sales per location | $228K | $561K | $794K |
| US locations | 40 | 18 | 21 |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | −9.5% | +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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 44 (+2) | 2 |
| 2023 | 36 (−8) | 2 |
| 2024 | 38 (+2) | 2 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. Years end June 30. Franchised counts include mobile units and catering franchises, most of which run alongside a storefront.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: ice cream franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Sub Zero Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, page 53
Who owns Sub Zero Ice Cream?
Sub Zero Ice Cream franchises are sold by Sub Zero Franchising, Inc.
From Sub Zero Franchising, Inc’s 2025 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: Sub Zero Franchising, Inc, 2025 filing, litigation on pages 9–10, bankruptcy on page 10
Sub Zero Ice Cream filings
The figures on this page come from Sub Zero Franchising, Inc’s 2025 filing, issued January 28, 2025, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | January 28, 2025 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other ice cream franchises
All ice cream franchises
Sub Zero Ice Cream is also on these lists: food franchises.