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Cold Stone Creamery

Ice cream, frozen yogurt & Italian sorbet

Founders, Donald and Susan Sutherland, have a passion for ice cream! They searched everywhere for ice cream that was “smooth and creamy”, rather than the traditional hard-packed or soft-serve varieties. In 1988, after coming up empty in their search, they opened the first Cold Stone Creamery® in Tempe, Arizona. Using only the finest ingredients, the Sutherlands produced the highest quality ice cream available…making it fresh each day in their store. Every ice cream creation was then made to order for each customer by blending in mix-ins on a frozen granite stone (the Cold Stone!), and served in a fresh-baked waffle cone. Word soon spread far and wide among ice cream lovers that Cold Stone Creamery’s ice cream was the best, and the revolution began! In 1995, the first franchise store opened in Tucson, Arizona, followed by the first out-of-state store in Camarillo, California.

Please Note: The operators of Cold Stone Creamery, may not have verified the accuracy of the Franchise information contained within this website. For accurate up-to-date information, customers are strongly recommended to visit the official Cold Stone Creamery website.

Start-up Costs & Franchises Fees

How much does it cost to open a Cold Stone Creamery Franchises?

Total Investment: $292,400-$438,980
Initial Franchise Fee: $42,000
Royalty Fee: 6%
Advertising Fee: N/A
Term of Agreement: 10 years

How to contact Cold Stone Creamery

Cold Stone Creamery News

Tim Hortons, Cold Stone Owner Expand Partnership
Tim Hortons Inc. and Kahala Corp., the privately held owner of Cold Stone Creamery, said Thursday they would expand their partnership to create co-branded stores at locations in Canada. The two companies said earlier this year that they would create up to 100 co-branded stores -- 50 from each ch... more

Cold Stone Takes To The Caribbean
Yesterday, Cold Stone Creamery announced it has reached an agreement with Sundaes Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of Flavorite Foods Ltd., to open up to 14 stores in the Caribbean during the next five years. More specifically, this territory includes the following countries: Trinidad and Tobago, ... more

Cold Stone Reaches Out To Franchise Owners
With the economy worrying small-business owners, the executive management team of ice cream company Cold Stone Creamery is visiting local markets to share advice on how to market and remain successful during an economic slump. Cold Stone Creamery's president Dan Beem will be in Dallas on Jan.... more

Cold Stone Achieves A Milestone In Tokyo
Scottsdale-based Cold Stone Creamery on Tuesday announced the opening of its 100th international store, at one of the busiest railways stations in the world. The ice-cream-store franchiser said its newest store is at Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. "Reaching our 100th-store mark has bee... more

Cold Stone Opens 100th International Store
Cold Stone Creamery has announced the super-premium ice cream concept has reached two milestones in its international expansion after just three years. On Aug. 19, 2008, Cold Stone Creamery will open its 100th international location in the same country it began its international expansion, Japa... more

View all Cold Stone Creamery Press Releases

Franchise History

When did the first Cold Stone Creamery open? 1988
When did Cold Stone Creamery start Franchising? 1994

Year	U.S.A.	Canada	International	Corporate
2004	890	0	0	10
2003	423	0	0	4
2002	261	0	0	3
2001	166	0	0	2
2000	118	0	0	2

Expansion Plans

International:

Financing Options

Expense	In-House	Third Party
Franchise Fee	No	Yes
Startup Costs	No	Yes
Equipment	No	Yes
Inventory	No	Yes
Accounts Receivable	No	Yes
Payroll	No	Yes

Training & Support

Support
Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives

Marketing
Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertising

Business Operations

35% of all franchisees own more than one unit

Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 15

Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

Related Franchise Categories

• Ice Cream, Yogurt & Smoothies Franchise Opportunities
• Franchises $250K to $500K

Listing Tags

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