Marble Slab Creamery
Food & Beverage · Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts
- Active units
- 249
- Avg unit volume
- $481k
- Royalty
- 6.0%
Franchised, year-end 2024
of weekly Net Sales
About Marble Slab Creamery
Marble Slab Creamery, founded in 1983 in Houston, TX, is a beloved brand known for its innovative approach to ice cream. With the unique frozen slab technique and a commitment to serving fresh homemade, small-batch ice cream, Marble Slab Creamery has always dreamed big. They sprinkle their customers with imagination and offer an array of ice cream possibilities to satisfy curiosity and cravings. One of their defining features is their free unlimited mix-in philosophy, allowing customers to create personalized ice cream masterpieces. From delicious ice cream and shakes in a variety of flavors to hand-rolled waffle cones and ice cream cakes, Marble Slab Creamery believes that imagination has no limits. Today, Marble Slab Creamery has expanded its reach globally to countries like Bahrain, Bangladesh, and Canada, while still maintaining a strong presence in the United States. With over 250 franchised units and 145 franchised co-branded units, Marble Slab Creamery continues to delight customers with their fresh, authentic, and tasty treats. So, visit a local shop and let Marble Slab Creamery unleash your imagination with their magical ice cream creations.
Key terms
- Franchise fee
$25k
- Multi-Unit credit
Portion of development fee credited against each Initial Fee, typically $25,000 per Franchise Agreement
- Installment option
May accept payment in installments, interest-free, over 1 to 18 months
- Waiver/reduction
Under certain circumstances, franchisor will waive or reduce some or all of the Initial Fee
- Brand fund
2.0% of Net Sales
- Local advertising
2.0% of Net Sales
- Footprint
1,600 – 1,800 sq ft
- Multi-Unit Restaurant Agreement development fee
$25k
- Veteran discount
Not offered
Brand Percentile Rankings
Rankings compare brands in the same operating year. Fee and investment figures come from the FDD (2025 filing).
Growth
- Total locations249
Franchised units open at year-end
- New openings13
Gross new units opened during the calendar year
- 1-year unit growth rate0.4%
Net unit growth versus prior year
- 3-year unit CAGR-0.2%
Compound annual growth rate of unit count over the trailing 3 years
- Unit growth ratio13.0×
Cumulative opens / closures through year-end
Unit economics
- Annual unit volume (Median)$481k
Average annual Net Sales for all included Marble Slab Creamery restaurants.
- 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 rate—
Year-over-year change in median AUV
- Store-level EBITDA Margin—
Median unit-level EBITDA / AUV
Investment profile
- Estimated initial investment$416k
Midpoint of estimated initial investment range
↓ Lower is better - Time to open8 months
Midpoint of average time from agreement to opening
↓ Lower is better - Royalty rate6.0%
Percent of net sales paid to the franchisor
↓ Lower is better - Sales-to-investment ratio1.2×
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
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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.