Planet Smoothie vs Cold Stone Creamery Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Planet Smoothie vs Cold Stone Creamery including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

  Planet Smoothie Cold Stone Creamery
Investment 190150 - 358500 50200 - 467525
Franchise Fee 0
Royalty Fee 5% 6%
Advertising Fee 2% 3%
Year Founded 1995 1988
Year Franchised 1995 1994
Term Of Agreement
Term Of Agreement
Renewal Fee


Business Experience Requirements

  Planet Smoothie Cold Stone Creamery
Experience A Planet Smoothie franchisee should have an outgoing personality and a desire to provide customers a healthier option. You should also enjoy going out into the community to meet new people and let them know about your store. Building partnerships in the community is key to growing revenue for your store. We provide a detailed game plan to help you build awareness, and executing the game plan can be half the fun of owning a store: You get to be the person who makes the community a little bit better and a little bit healthier, and communities love that! To open a store, you need at least $100,000 in liquid capital and a net worth of $400,000.

Financing Options

  Planet Smoothie Cold Stone Creamery
 
Franchise Fees No
Start-up Costs No
Equipment No
Inventory No
Receivables No
Payroll No

Training & Support

  Planet Smoothie Cold Stone Creamery
Training Hands-on experience in operating a Planet Smoothie restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia. This covers all facets of operating the Planet Smoothie business. A Planet Smoothie representative will then assist you at the opening of your first restaurant. Franchising with Cold Stone Creamery means you ll never be alone in your business. As one of the world s premier ice cream franchises, Cold Stone Creamery s support network has launched hundreds of entrepreneurs without any experience in either the service industry or the restaurant industry into growing businesses in communities across the country and around the world. --Cold Stone Creamery has one of the most robust training platforms in the entire franchise industry,-- says John Wuycheck, SVP of Franchise Development. --Our franchisees make real investments of both time and money to franchise with Cold Stone Creamery, and we honor that by going above and beyond in providing an exceptional initial and ongoing training platform. We ve been helping entrepreneurs establish new Cold Stone Creamery businesses for a long time, and we ve built an iconic business model that requires no previous experience to become a top performer. As a franchisor, we re honored to report that franchisee satisfaction is at an all-time high.-- Initial New franchisees attend KTEC (Kahala Training and Education Center). In addition, new franchisees spend two weeks in a store where we cover every aspect of their new business, including making the ice cream, preparing and serving Cold Stone Creamery products, managing inventory and supporting their business through savvy marketing. On-The-Job New franchisees spend 80 hours in a store to learn the ins and outs of the business, including how to correctly prepare and serve the brand s products. Cold Stone Creamery also hosts monthly check-ins to help you meet your goals, to offer assistance and to ensure you have all the tools necessary to improve your business every day.
Support Cold Stone Creamery will meet with you regularly to help you and answer any of your questions. Every new franchisee receives monthly check-in calls from a Regional Director of Operations or Area Developer.
Marketing Cold Stone Creamery franchisees have access to in-house marketing and public relations teams, which significantly reduces expenses. These teams help with national, regional and local marketing, along with public relations from the grand opening through the life of the business. We train franchisees to manage their stores social media accounts, including Facebook , Twitter and Instagram -" and newer platforms such as Snapchat
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)

Expansion Plans

  Planet Smoothie Cold Stone Creamery
US Expansion Nationwide, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Canada Expansion 0
International Expansion Worldwide, Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azores, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bonaire, Bosnia, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Channel Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Equitorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Faeroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holland, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosrae, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Madeira, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norfolk Island, Northern Ireland, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Ponape, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic of Yemen, Reunion, Romania, Rota, Russia, Rwanda, Saba, Saipan, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Barthelemy, St. Christopher, St. Croix, St. Eustatius, St. John, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Martin, St. Thomas, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tahiti, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tinian, Togo, Tonga, Tortola, Trinidad & Tobago, Truk, Tunisia, Turkey, Turks & Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Union Island, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Gorda, Wake Island, Wales, Wallis & Futuna Islands, Western Samoa, Yap, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Start-Up Costs and Fees Mobile

Investment
Planet Smoothie
Cold Stone Creamery
Franchise Fee
Planet Smoothie
Cold Stone Creamery
Royalty Fee
Planet Smoothie 5%
Cold Stone Creamery 6%
Advertising Fee
Planet Smoothie 2%
Cold Stone Creamery 3%
Year Founded
Planet Smoothie 1995
Cold Stone Creamery 1988
Year Franchised
Planet Smoothie 1995
Cold Stone Creamery 1994
Term Of Agreement
Planet Smoothie
Cold Stone Creamery 10 years
Renewal Fee
Planet Smoothie
Cold Stone Creamery


Business Experience Requirements

Experience
Planet Smoothie A Planet Smoothie franchisee should have an outgoing personality and a desire to provide customers a healthier option. You should also enjoy going out into the community to meet new people and let them know about your store. Building partnerships in the community is key to growing revenue for your store. We provide a detailed game plan to help you build awareness, and executing the game plan can be half the fun of owning a store: You get to be the person who makes the community a little bit better and a little bit healthier, and communities love that! To open a store, you need at least $100,000 in liquid capital and a net worth of $400,000.
Cold Stone Creamery

Financing Options

 
Franchise Fees
Planet Smoothie
Cold Stone Creamery
Start-up Costs
Planet Smoothie
Cold Stone Creamery
Equipment
Planet Smoothie}
Cold Stone Creamery
Inventory
Planet Smoothie
Cold Stone Creamery
Receivables
Planet Smoothie
Cold Stone Creamery
Payroll
Planet Smoothie
Cold Stone Creamery

Training & Support

Training
Planet Smoothie Hands-on experience in operating a Planet Smoothie restaurant in Atlanta, Georgia. This covers all facets of operating the Planet Smoothie business. A Planet Smoothie representative will then assist you at the opening of your first restaurant.
Cold Stone Creamery Franchising with Cold Stone Creamery means you ll never be alone in your business. As one of the world s premier ice cream franchises, Cold Stone Creamery s support network has launched hundreds of entrepreneurs without any experience in either the service industry or the restaurant industry into growing businesses in communities across the country and around the world. --Cold Stone Creamery has one of the most robust training platforms in the entire franchise industry,-- says John Wuycheck, SVP of Franchise Development. --Our franchisees make real investments of both time and money to franchise with Cold Stone Creamery, and we honor that by going above and beyond in providing an exceptional initial and ongoing training platform. We ve been helping entrepreneurs establish new Cold Stone Creamery businesses for a long time, and we ve built an iconic business model that requires no previous experience to become a top performer. As a franchisor, we re honored to report that franchisee satisfaction is at an all-time high.-- Initial New franchisees attend KTEC (Kahala Training and Education Center). In addition, new franchisees spend two weeks in a store where we cover every aspect of their new business, including making the ice cream, preparing and serving Cold Stone Creamery products, managing inventory and supporting their business through savvy marketing. On-The-Job New franchisees spend 80 hours in a store to learn the ins and outs of the business, including how to correctly prepare and serve the brand s products. Cold Stone Creamery also hosts monthly check-ins to help you meet your goals, to offer assistance and to ensure you have all the tools necessary to improve your business every day.
Support
Planet Smoothie
Cold Stone Creamery Cold Stone Creamery will meet with you regularly to help you and answer any of your questions. Every new franchisee receives monthly check-in calls from a Regional Director of Operations or Area Developer.
Marketing
Planet Smoothie
Cold Stone Creamery Cold Stone Creamery franchisees have access to in-house marketing and public relations teams, which significantly reduces expenses. These teams help with national, regional and local marketing, along with public relations from the grand opening through the life of the business. We train franchisees to manage their stores social media accounts, including Facebook , Twitter and Instagram -" and newer platforms such as Snapchat
Operations
Planet Smoothie
Cold Stone Creamery 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)

Expansion Plans

US Expansion
Planet Smoothie
Cold Stone Creamery Nationwide, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Canada Expansion
Planet Smoothie 0
Cold Stone Creamery
International Expansion
Planet Smoothie
Cold Stone Creamery Worldwide, Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azores, Bahamas, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bonaire, Bosnia, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Canary Islands, Cape Verde Islands, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Channel Islands, Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Cook Islands, Costa Rica, Croatia, Curacao, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, England, Equitorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia, Ethiopia, Faeroe Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Gambia, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Holland, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, Kosrae, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar, Madeira, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Moldova, Monaco, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Myanmar, Namibia, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Norfolk Island, Northern Ireland, Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Ponape, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Republic of Yemen, Reunion, Romania, Rota, Russia, Rwanda, Saba, Saipan, Saudi Arabia, Scotland, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Barthelemy, St. Christopher, St. Croix, St. Eustatius, St. John, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Maarten, St. Martin, St. Thomas, St. Vincent & the Grenadines, Sudan, Suriname, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Tahiti, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Thailand, Tinian, Togo, Tonga, Tortola, Trinidad & Tobago, Truk, Tunisia, Turkey, Turks & Caicos Islands, Tuvalu, Uganda, Ukraine, Union Island, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, Uzbekistan, Vanuatu, Venezuela, Vietnam, Virgin Gorda, Wake Island, Wales, Wallis & Futuna Islands, Western Samoa, Yap, Yugoslavia, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe