Cold Stone Creamery

Cold Stone Creamery was founded in 1988 by Donald and Susan Sutherland in Tempe, Arizona. Previous to opening the first store, the Sutherlands had been constantly disappointed by prepackaged ice cream in stores and mass-produced ice cream at other ice cream parlors.

Now, over 30 years later, the Cold Stone Creamery name has become an international and household name. In the U.S. alone, the ice cream franchise has over 850 locations. There are also over 300 franchises located internationally. 

Cold Stone Creamery makes their ice cream fresh every day on site. Customers are allowed to add additional mix-ins to the ice cream to make their own unique creations. If customers do not want to make their own, Cold Stone Creamery does have a list of tried and true creations to choose from.

Why You May Want to Start a Cold Stone Creamery Franchise

Franchisees for Cold Stone Creamery do not need to have previous restaurant experience. The right franchisee should have a passion for ice cream and the Cold Stone Creamery products. They should also be assertive and a good team leader.

Opening a Cold Stone Creamery franchise may offer a more predictable outcome than investing in a completely new brand that could struggle to thrive in the already crowded and competitive foods industry.

What Might Make a Cold Stone Creamery Franchise a Good Choice?

One of the unique features of Cold Stone Creamery is that the ice cream is made fresh in the store every day. The Sutherlands were frustrated with the chalk-like texture and taste of mass-produced ice cream brands. They wanted to give their customers fresh, creamy ice cream that was as unique as each customer.

To be part of the Cold Stone Creamery team, you should make sure you're financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include advertising, royalty, and potential renewal fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company's set net worth and liquid capital requirements.

Cold Stone Creamery has also partnered with third-party financial lenders that can help cover the costs of the franchise fee, startup, and equipment.

How To Open a Cold Stone Creamery Franchise

Before making any financial commitment or signing an agreement, it is crucial that you perform your due diligence and establish if this is the right opportunity for you. As part of your due diligence, you may want to speak to existing franchisees and ask the Cold Stone Creamery franchise team questions.

As you pursue opening a Cold Stone Creamery franchise, you will go through some training. The initial training consists of attending training that may be located at company headquarters in Scottsdale, Arizona and participating in in-store training for at least two weeks.

Franchisees will also spend many hours learning everything that goes into running a Cold Stone Creamery franchise. This includes aspects of running the business as well as making the ice cream. After opening your franchise, you will also receive monthly check-ins from support staff.