The Yard Milkshake Bar franchise
2022 filing · April 1, 2022GrowingShares sales figures
The Yard Milkshake Bar at a glance
A dessert shop serving oversized decorated milkshakes and ice cream treats, with party services. At the end of 2021 there were 18 The Yard Milkshake Bar locations in the US, 14 franchised and 4 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- The Yard Milkshake Bar Franchising, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Gulf Shores, Alabama
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $282K–$627K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $45,000
- For the first shop; $40,000 each for the second to sixth
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross sales, paid monthly
- Brand fund
- Yes
- 2% of gross sales, up to $15,000 a year per restaurant
- Renewal fee
- $10,000.00
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2021
- 18
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 14
- Company-owned
- 4
- Change in 3 years
- +14
- Franchised locations, 2019–2021
- States
- 8
- Most in Florida, Mississippi and Texas
From The Yard Milkshake Bar Franchising, LLC’s 2022 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
The Yard Milkshake Bar among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | The Yard Milkshake Bar | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $454,613 | Costs more than 60% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $45,000 | Higher than 55% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 18 | Fewer than 52% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $964,148 | Higher than 61% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 2.1× | Higher than 66% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a The Yard Milkshake Bar franchise costs
Opening one The Yard Milkshake Bar costs an estimated $281,975 to $627,250. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: The Yard Milkshake Bar Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, page 15
The Yard Milkshake Bar franchise fee
The franchise fee is $45,000, for the first shop; $40,000 each for the second to sixth. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: The Yard Milkshake Bar Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross sales, up to $15,000 a year per restaurant. |
| Transfer Fee | $6,000.00 |
| Renewal Fee | $10,000.00 |
| Additional Training | $85/hour plus expenses |
| Local Advertising | 1% of Gross Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: The Yard Milkshake Bar Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, page 11
Other fees as filed, from pages 11–12. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures The Yard Milkshake Bar publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $964,148
- Median sales
- $731,667
Yearly figures for 2021, covering franchised shake bars open before 2021 (2021 openings, with part-year sales, left out) (6 locations). The average and median are worked out from each location's sales as listed in the filing. The average is about 2.1 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: The Yard Milkshake Bar Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, pages 29–30
SBA loans to The Yard Milkshake Bar franchisees
Lenders approved 17 SBA 7(a) loans for The Yard Milkshake Bar franchisees from 2020 to 2025, $5.25M in all. All 4 that have ended were paid in full; none was charged off. The other 13 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 The Yard Milkshake Bar compares
Of the 101 ice cream franchises on this site, The Yard Milkshake Bar is the 49th cheapest to open and the 50th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | The Yard Milkshake Bar | Typical ice cream brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $282K | $285K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $627K | $597K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $45K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Sales per location | $964K | $561K | $794K |
| US locations | 18 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 2 (+2) | 4 | +2 | 0 |
| 2020 | 6 (+4) | 4 | +4 | 0 |
| 2021 | 14 (+8) | 4 | +8 | 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: The Yard Milkshake Bar Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, page 31
Where The Yard Milkshake Bar locations are
At the end of 2021, The Yard Milkshake Bar had franchised locations in 8 states. The most are in Florida, Mississippi and Texas.
- Florida3
- Mississippi3
- Texas2
- Virginia2
- Alabama1
- Arizona1
Source: The Yard Milkshake Bar Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, page 32
Who owns The Yard Milkshake Bar?
The Yard Milkshake Bar franchises are sold by The Yard Milkshake Bar Franchising, LLC. It is a subsidiary of Yard Milkshake Bar Holdings, Inc.
From The Yard Milkshake Bar Franchising, LLC’s 2022 filing, page 7.
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: The Yard Milkshake Bar Franchising, LLC, 2022 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
The Yard Milkshake Bar filings
The figures on this page come from The Yard Milkshake Bar Franchising, LLC’s 2022 filing, issued April 1, 2022, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 filing | April 1, 2022 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2019–2021 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other ice cream franchises
All ice cream franchises
The Yard Milkshake Bar is also on these lists: food franchises.