Ben & Jerry's franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening a Ben & Jerry's franchise takes $152,200 – $522,800 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $7,500 – $16,000. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 3% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 4%. To qualify, Ben & Jerry's asks for $100,000 in liquid cash and a $350,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Ben & Jerry's franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $7,500 | $16,000 | $7,500 to $16,000 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $152,200 | $522,800 | $152,200 to $522,800 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $350,000 | $350,000 | $350,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $100,000 | $100,000 | $100,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $152,200 | $522,800 | $152,200 to $522,800 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 3% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 4% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 5 years |
See the full Ben & Jerry's cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Ben & Jerry's's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Ben & Jerry's's disclosed cost sits against the Food & Beverage category:
- Minimum startup cost of $152,200 — about 46% below the Food & Beverage median of $282,500.
- Initial franchise fee of $7,500 — about 79% below the Food & Beverage median of $35,000.
Category medians are computed from the Food & Beverage brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Food & Beverage franchises
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How Ben & Jerry's's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2017: began the window at 287 units; 63 units opened, 79 closed, ending at 238 units.
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Ben & Jerry's or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Ben & Jerry's for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Ben & Jerry's is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Ben & Jerry's grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Ben & Jerry's can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Ben & Jerry's franchise
Ben & Jerry's is a food & beverage franchisor with 238 units at the end of 2017 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2017, it began the window at 287 units; its filings record 63 unit openings and 79 closures, ending at 238 units. Its parent company is Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc..
No franchise-related lawsuits reported in the disclosure data we hold (FDD Item 3, as of 2026-05) — an absence in our sources, not a guarantee; confirm against the brand's current FDD.
From the franchisor's materials
The franchisee will operate a “Ben & Jerry’s” ice cream Scoop Shop featuring a menu of ice cream, ice milk, sorbet, frozen yogurt, soft-serve, frozen desserts, toppings, confections, novelties, fountain drinks, and other food and beverage items.
Ben & Jerry's franchise: quick answers
- How much does a Ben & Jerry's franchise cost?
- $152,200 – $522,800 all-in to open, per Ben & Jerry's's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Ben & Jerry's units are there?
- 238 units at the end of 2017 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Ben & Jerry's's units held up?
- 91.7% of units at risk between 2015 and 2017 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).
- Is Ben & Jerry's SBA-eligible?
- Ben & Jerry's is flagged SBA-eligible in our dataset (as of 2026-05). Confirm current status on the SBA Franchise Directory before relying on it for financing.