TCBY franchise
2026 filing · June 9, 2026Fewer locationsShares sales figures
TCBY at a glance
A frozen yogurt shop serving TCBY soft-serve yogurt, toppings, shakes and other frozen treats, in a store or a kiosk. At the end of its 2025 fiscal year there were 115 TCBY locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Franchisor
- TCBY Systems, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- New York, New York
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $486K–$697K
- A TCBY retail store
- Franchise fee
- $35,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross revenue, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- 3%
- 3% of gross revenue
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- 20% of then-current Initial Franchise Fee
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- None
- No exclusive territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 115
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 115
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 2 years
- −36
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 28
- Most in Illinois, North Carolina and Texas
Support and records
From TCBY Systems, LLC’s 2026 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 56; 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
TCBY among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | TCBY | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $591,549 | Costs more than 70% 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 | 115 | More than 78% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $454,124 | Lower than 77% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 0.8× | Lower than 90% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a TCBY franchise costs
Opening a TCBY retail store costs an estimated $485,630 to $697,467. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: TCBY Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, page 16
TCBY franchise fee
The franchise fee is $35,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: TCBY Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross revenue, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 3% of gross revenue. |
| Transfer Fee | 50% of then-current Initial Franchise Fee for existing franchisees |
| Renewal Fee | 20% of then-current Initial Franchise Fee |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: TCBY Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, page 12
Other fees as filed, from page 14. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures TCBY publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average revenue
- $454,124
- Median revenue
- $393,866
Yearly figures for 2025, covering traditional franchised stores open all of 2025 (excludes non-traditional and seasonal stores) (71 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: TCBY Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, pages 38–39
SBA loans to TCBY franchisees
Lenders approved 221 SBA-backed loans for TCBY franchisees from 1990 to 2022, $33.9M in all: 217 7(a) loans and 4 504 loans. Of the 215 that have ended, 168 were paid in full and 47 were charged off (21.9%). 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 TCBY compares
Of the 13 frozen yogurt franchises on this site, TCBY is the most expensive to open and the 4th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | TCBY | Typical frozen yogurt brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $486K | $292K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $697K | $684K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $35K | $30K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| Sales per location | $454K | $639K | $794K |
| US locations | 115 | 61 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 12.7% | 5.4% | – |
| Change in franchised locations, 2 yrs | −23.8% | −8.1% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 9 of 13 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 13 brands in frozen yogurt franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 145 (−6) | 0 | – | – |
| 2024 | 125 (−20) | 0 | +3 | −23 |
| 2025 | 115 (−10) | 0 | +2 | −12 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. The 2023 row covers July 1 to December 31, 2023: the franchisor moved its fiscal year end from July 1 to December 31 that year.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: ice cream franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: TCBY Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, page 43
Where TCBY locations are
At the end of 2025, TCBY had franchised locations in 28 states. The most are in Illinois, North Carolina and Texas.
- Illinois19
- North Carolina12
- Texas11
- South Carolina8
- California7
- New York7
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Illinois | 19 |
| North Carolina | 12 |
| Texas | 11 |
| South Carolina | 8 |
| California | 7 |
| New York | 7 |
| Alabama | 5 |
| Georgia | 5 |
| Louisiana | 5 |
| Nevada | 4 |
All 28 states
| Tennessee | 4 |
|---|---|
| Arkansas | 3 |
| Colorado | 3 |
| Mississippi | 3 |
| Michigan | 2 |
| Nebraska | 2 |
| New Jersey | 2 |
| Pennsylvania | 2 |
| Virginia | 2 |
| Delaware | 1 |
| Idaho | 1 |
| Indiana | 1 |
| Iowa | 1 |
| New Mexico | 1 |
| Utah | 1 |
| West Virginia | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 1 |
| Wyoming | 1 |
Source: TCBY Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, page 44
Who owns TCBY?
TCBY franchises are sold by TCBY Systems, LLC. It is a subsidiary of TCBY Franchising Holdco, LLC.
From TCBY Systems, LLC’s 2026 filing, page 8.
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: TCBY Systems, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
TCBY filings
The figures on this page come from TCBY Systems, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued June 9, 2026, on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | June 9, 2026 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other frozen yogurt franchises
All frozen yogurt franchises
TCBY is also on these lists: ice cream franchises, retail franchises, food franchises.