Bruster's Real Ice Cream
Food & Beverage · Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts
- Active units
- 193
- Avg unit volume
- $716k
- Royalty
- 5.0%
Franchised, year-end 2023
of weekly Net Sales
About Bruster's Real Ice Cream
The company utilizes a walk-up window and drive-thru service model, providing customers with a rotating selection of more than 150 ice cream flavors, sorbets, and shakes. Stores receive a proprietary dairy mix to craft small batches of frozen desserts daily, ensuring items are served fresh and never deep frozen. Franchise options include free-standing or end-cap units, with some designs accommodating indoor seating for year-round operation. The business serves families and local communities as a destination for customized sundaes, ice cream cakes, and signature treats.
Key terms
- Franchise fee
$40k
- Additional unit discount
50% off the current initial franchise fee for each additional franchise agreement
- Brand fund
3.0% of Net Sales
- Footprint
1,200 – 1,600 sq ft
- Development Agreement - 3 stores (example, non-veteran)
$80k
- Development Agreement - 3 stores (example, U.S. military veteran)
$60k
- Veteran discount
50.0% off franchise fee — 50% discount on the initial franchise fee
Brand Percentile Rankings
Rankings compare brands in the same operating year. Fee and investment figures come from the FDD (2026 filing); filings on file: 2024, 2025, 2026.
Growth
- Total locations219
Franchised units open at year-end
- New openings18
Gross new units opened during the calendar year
- 1-year unit growth rate6.8%
Net unit growth versus prior year
- 3-year unit CAGR6.5%
Compound annual growth rate of unit count over the trailing 3 years
- Unit growth ratio4.5×
Cumulative opens / closures through year-end
Unit economics
- Annual unit volume (Median)$686k
Item 19 cohort year 2025
- Annual unit volume (25th percentile)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- Annual unit volume (75th percentile)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- 1-year Median AUV growth rate4.1%
Year-over-year change in median AUV
- Store-level EBITDA Margin—
Median unit-level EBITDA / AUV
Investment profile
- Estimated initial investment$779k
Midpoint of estimated initial investment range
↓ Lower is better - Time to open11 months
Midpoint of average time from agreement to opening
↓ Lower is better - Royalty rate5.0%
Percent of net sales paid to the franchisor
↓ Lower is better - Sales-to-investment ratio0.9×
Median AUV / estimated initial investment midpoint
- Cash-on-cash returns—
Median unit-level EBITDA / estimated initial investment midpoint. Steady-state estimate; year 1 returns will be lower as the unit ramps to median volumes.
Franchisee healthLocked
- Unit closure ratio
- Transfer vs. closure ratio
- Percent multi-unit franchisees
- Litigation rate
- EBITDA multiple on sales & transfers
Create your free Glidepath account to access full brand information.
Location footprint
Showing 235 of 290 mapped locations
Sources
Financial and operating figures are sourced from the brand's Franchise Disclosure Documents. Brand percentile rankings are based on comparisons to other brands that include the same metrics in their Franchise Disclosure Documents.