Overall costs for Cold Stone Creamery run anywhere from $50,200 to $473,975. See how the costs break down and what funding options might be right for your new venture into the franchise foray.
How COVID-19 affects franchising costs
Strict sanitation and employee protection measures during the coronavirus outbreak add to the typical costs you face when opening a new franchise. Paired with the unusually heavy amount of promotions that may be required by the franchise, you may not see as much in the way of profits starting out. For more information on what support is out there, read our guide to
loans for businesses affected by the coronavirus.
Estimated initial costs
Our cost estimates are accurate as of 2019 from
https://www.franchisedirect.com and include opening fees and expenses only. Your location may result in higher or lower fees.
Franchise fees
Cold Stone Creamery franchise fees total around $17,500, which beats out the $37,000 average for the 200 largest franchises nationwide.
| Initial franchise fee |
$8,000 to $27,000 |
| Estimated total |
$8,000 to $27,000 |
Equipment fees
Equipment fees total $83,100 for Cold Stone Creamery. This is less than the $180,023 average for the top 200 franchises.
| Exterior signage |
$1,500 to $12,000 |
| Equipment |
$8,000 to $144,700 |
| Estimated total |
$9,500 to $156,700 |
Real estate fees
Real estate will set you back $116,500 for Cold Stone Creamery, thought it's less than the average of $788,376 for the top 200 franchises.
| First three months' rent and security deposit |
$0 to $19,500 |
| Real estate |
Varies to |
| Lease review fee |
$0 to $2,500 |
| Architectural fees |
$1,000 to $15,000 |
| Leasehold improvements |
$0 to $195,000 |
| Estimated total |
$1,000 to $232,000 |
Training fees
Cold Stone Creamery initial training costs total $5,425, which comes in under the nationwide average of $9,788.
| Travel and living expenses for two people while training, not including salaries |
$3,000 to $7,500 |
| Computer training and food safety certification course |
$100 to $250 |
| Estimated total |
$3,100 to $7,750 |
Inventory costs
Initial inventory for Cold Stone Creamery shakes out to $4,500. This is less than the nationwide average of $53,119.
| Opening inventory |
$1,000 to $8,000 |
| Estimated total |
$1,000 to $8,000 |
Marketing costs
Advertisement and marketing costs total up to $7,500 for Cold Stone Creamery, beating out the nationwide average of $9,938.
| Grand opening marketing and advertising |
$5,000 to $10,000 |
| Estimated total |
$5,000 to $10,000 |
Licenses and permits costs
Cold Stone Creamery initial licenses and permits will set you back $1,750. This comes out to less than $18,770 — the overall nationwide average.
| Permits and licenses |
$500 to $3,000 |
| Estimated total |
$500 to $3,000 |
Insurance costs
Initial insurance costs for Cold Stone Creamery run $1,500. This means you'll be paying less than the overall nationwide average of $6,311.
| Insurance premiums |
$500 to $2,500 |
| Estimated total |
$500 to $2,500 |
Administrative fees
Cold Stone Creamery administrative fees total up to $1,350 — which comes in under the overall nationwide average of $6,761.
| PCI compliance costs |
$150 to $1,300 |
| Telephone and utility deposits and hookups |
$250 to $1,000 |
| Depository account |
$3,000 (Must be replenished on a regular basis.) |
| Audit |
Cost of audit plus interest at Default Rate on underpayments or the maximum rate permissible by law. |
| Estimated total |
$400 to $2,300 |
Personnel costs
Uniforms, name tags and the like make up personnel costs, and for Cold Stone Creamery it will run you $500. The nationwide average cost of personnel fees comes in at $22,818, which means you'll be paying less to outfit your employees.
| Employee uniforms |
$200 to $800 |
| Estimated total |
$200 to $800 |
Other expenses
Miscellaneous expenses for Cold Stone Creamery total $22,463 — less than the nationwide average of $69,970.
| Miscellaneous |
$1,000 to $3,925 |
| Three months' additional funds |
$20,000 to $20,000 |
| Estimated total |
$21,000 to $23,925 |
All costs were found using the 200 largest franchises nationwide using Franchise Direct's list of more than 300 franchises, and are accurate as of 2019.
How to finance
The best way to finance Cold Stone Creamery comes down to your personal financial situation. What assets you have available will largely determine how much you need to borrow, and which option suits you best. Potential solutions include:
- Bank loan. Your personal credit plays a large role in getting a business term loan from a bank. Typically this type of funding is for larger amounts.
- Online loan. Credit requirements may be more flexible for an online loan than a bank loan, but amounts may max out at a lower amount — typically around $1 million.
- SBA loan. The good part about SBA loans is that they top out at $5 million, but your business has to meet a number of requirements.
- Credit card. Small costs that aren't fixed, such as stray inventory and supply purchases, may be better off on a business credit card. Just make sure you can pay it off quickly to avoid high APRs.
Also check if Cold Stone Creamery franchise financing is available. You may be able to get some of the costs covered for less than you would with other traditional funding options.
Compare small business lenders
How Cold Stone Creamery stacks up
Compare how Cold Stone Creamery holds up against two similarly sized franchises.
| Average Franchise fees |
$119,950 |
$17,500 |
$15,000 |
| Average Equipment fees |
$31,755 |
$83,100 |
$120,450 |
| Average Real estate fees |
NA |
$116,500 |
$600 |
| Average Training fees |
$1,375 |
$5,425 |
$850 |
| Average Inventory fees |
NA |
$4,500 |
$5,750 |
| Average Marketing fees |
NA |
$7,500 |
NA |
| Average Licenses and permits fees |
$750 |
$1,750 |
$4,875 |
| Average Insurance fees |
$2,900 |
$1,500 |
$825 |
| Average Admin fees |
NA |
$1,350 |
$1,750 |
| Average Personnel fees |
NA |
$500 |
NA |
| Average Other fees |
$33,125 |
$22,463 |
$4,750 |
Bottom line
Cold Stone Creamery franchise costs run a total of $262,088. Before you decide to become a franchisee, compare the total costs against industry averages. And to learn more about financing
read our guide to franchise financing.
