Bruster's Real Ice Cream

Ice cream, frozen yogurt, ices, sherbets
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Franchise 500 2023
2024 Franchise 500 Rank
#323 Not ranked last year
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Initial investment
$318K - $2.4M
Units as of 2023
207 Increase 7.3% over 3 years

Bruster's Real Ice Cream is a private company that operates many walk-up ice cream stores across the United States. Thia Bridgewater, Pennsylvania-based franchise was founded in 1989 by Bruce Reed. It began franchising in 1993.

Bruster’s Real Ice Cream prides itself on making fresh, superb ice cream and baking its waffle bowls and cones in the store. Most of the stores offer a wide variety of ice cream flavors. Some of these flavors may include peanut butter puddles, stick in the mud, lemon meringue pie, chocolate lovers' trash, and key lime pie. From a stock of over 100 recipes, the stores may also offer seasonal flavors like winter wonder, caramel apple, and pumpkin. 

Why You May Want to Start a Bruster's Real Ice Cream Franchise

Many people love ice cream. Even during the coldest of winter, you might still find individuals venturing out to enjoy their favorite ice cream flavors. This may make starting a Bruster's Real Ice Cream franchise a fun business to run year-round. You may see increased success if there is not already an ice cream business in your community.

As soon as you complete the process of becoming a franchisee, marketing and real estate specialists will typically be sent your way to assist in selecting an optimal location for a storefront. You may receive relevant advice and insights on traffic patterns. They may also offer you simple but effective ways to bring brand awareness. Bruster's Real Ice Cream generally not only helps find a suitable storefront spot in your community, but also helps in negotiations to secure it. The company's support may also come in handy during the project development phase.

What Might Make Bruster's Real Ice Cream Franchise A Good Choice?

Although several other franchises have lower and less extensive financial requirements, Bruster's Real Ice Cream may offer a fun, family-oriented environment. Before making any financial commitment or signing an agreement, you must perform your due diligence and establish if this is the right opportunity for you.

To be part of the Bruster's Real Ice Cream team, you should make sure you’re financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. You should also ensure that you are aware of ongoing fees that will include advertising fees and royalty fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company's set net worth and liquid capital requirements.

How Do You Start a Bruster's Real Ice Cream Franchise?

Becoming a Bruster's Real Ice Cream franchisee is usually simple and can be completed in just a few steps. To start, request information by filling out a franchise pre-qualification form. You may then be required to download and review the Franchise Disclosure Document. If you like what you see in the Franchise Disclosure Document, you may let the company know that you wish to move forward.

The franchisor may then contact you for a franchise program review that outlines new store openings, marketing, and operations. The company might run background and financial checks on you. If qualified, you may be invited to meet the team in Bridgewater, Pennsylvania. After this, you may be awarded a tasty franchise.

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Company Overview

About Bruster's Real Ice Cream

Industry Food
Related Categories Ice Cream, Ices
Founded 1989
Parent Company Bruster's Limited Partnership
Leadership Kim Ellis, VP of Development & Legal
Corporate Address 730 Mulberry St.
Bridgewater, PA 15009
Social Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest

Business Overview

Franchising Since 1993 (31 years)
# of employees at HQ 21
Where seeking

This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: Alabama, Arizona, California, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Wisconsin, West Virginia

# of Units 207 (as of 2023)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Bruster's Real Ice Cream franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Information Circle
$35,000
Initial Investment Information Circle
$318,000 - $2,368,500
Net Worth Requirement Information Circle
$500,000 - $800,000
Cash Requirement Information Circle
$150,000 - $350,000
Veteran Incentives Information Circle
50% off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Information Circle
5%
Ad Royalty Fee Information Circle
3%
Term of Agreement Information Circle
10 years
Is franchise term renewable? Yes
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Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing Bruster's Real Ice Cream has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training 62 hours
Classroom Training 19.5 hours
Ongoing Support
Purchasing Co-ops
Newsletter
Meetings & Conventions
Toll-Free Line
Grand Opening
Online Support
Security & Safety Procedures
Lease Negotiation
Field Operations
Site Selection
Proprietary Software
Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support
Ad Templates
Regional Advertising
Social Media
SEO
Website Development
Email Marketing
Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed? No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Information Circle
No
Can this franchise be run part time? Information Circle
No
# of employees required to run 8-25
Are exclusive territories available? Information Circle
Yes
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Franchise 500 Ranking History

Compare where Bruster's Real Ice Cream landed on this year's Franchise 500 Ranking versus previous years.

Additional Rankings

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Disclaimer
The information on this page is not intended as an endorsement or recommendation of any particular franchise or business opportunity by Entrepreneur Media. Our listings and rankings are solely research tools you can use to compare opportunities. Entrepreneur stresses that you should always conduct your own independent investigation before investing in a franchise or business opportunity. That should include reviewing the company's legal documents, consulting with an attorney and an accountant, and talking to former and current franchisees/licensees/dealers.
Updated: December 12th, 2022