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Bruster's Real Ice Cream franchise — is it worth it?

Food & beverage · FDD-based assessment · registered 2026

Medium risk Growing network Item 19 disclosed

Bruster's Real Ice Cream is a food and beverage franchise with a significant initial investment range of $1.2M to $2.6M.

Everything below is free, read straight off Bruster's Real Ice Cream's registered filing. The $99 report is the part a single FDD can't give you: the earnings figures themselves, and where every number lands against food & beverage peers.

Get the full report — $99what's inside ↓
Total initial investment
$1,215,120 – $2,669,060
Bottom quartile for food & beverage · median $385,713
Initial franchise fee
FDD Item 5
Royalty
5%
FDD Item 6
Item 19 earnings
Disclosed
figures locked
Litigation (Item 3)
1 case
in Item 3
Outlet network
219 units
+14 last year
The full Bruster's Real Ice Cream report — $99

The numbers above tell you what Bruster's Real Ice Cream discloses. The report tells you whether that's good:

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Figures above are as disclosed in Bruster's Real Ice Cream's most recent FDD (registered 2026). Source: Wisconsin Dept. of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration · filing 641261 — check it yourself. The Item 19 figures, where each number ranks against peers, and the litigation & churn detail are in the full report.

How much does a Bruster's Real Ice Cream franchise make?

Bruster's Real Ice Cream is one of the franchisors that answers this on the record: its most recent FDD makes an Item 19 financial performance representation — actual unit earnings figures, disclosed by the franchisor itself. The average revenue Bruster's Real Ice Cream reports, what that figure does and doesn't include, and where it ranks against food & beverage peers are in the full report. See every food & beverage brand that discloses earnings in the Food & beverage franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings ranking.

Bruster's Real Ice Cream franchise profit vs. revenue

Revenue is not profit. An Item 19 almost always reports sales — what a location takes in — not what an owner keeps. Out of that number come Bruster's Real Ice Cream's 5% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a Bruster's Real Ice Cream franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "Bruster's Real Ice Cream franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure. The full report sets Bruster's Real Ice Cream's disclosed revenue against its total ongoing fee load, so you can see what that revenue has to cover before anything reaches you.

Bruster's Real Ice Cream lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)

Bruster's Real Ice Cream's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026) does disclose 1 legal proceeding in Item 3 . Item 3 is the item where a franchisor must put its material legal history on the record. Two things it is not: it covers the franchisor and its predecessors, parents and affiliates, so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Bruster's Real Ice Cream itself; and a disclosure is a fact, not a finding of wrongdoing — most entries are contract disputes with former franchisees, which every large system accumulates. The full Bruster's Real Ice Cream report lists each case with what it was about and how it ended, separates franchisee disputes from corporate and securities matters, and flags the ones a franchisee started — the split that actually matters, because franchisees suing their franchisor is the signal a buyer is looking for.

Bruster's Real Ice Cream closures & failure rate

Before you sign, Bruster's Real Ice Cream will hand you a list of current owners to call as references — and they choose who's on that list. It won't include the owners who quit, got bought out, or were forced out last year. The FDD does report that number, even though the reference list leaves those people off. Below is what Bruster's Real Ice Cream's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a food & beverage of this kind.

The closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate is Item 20 — outlet openings, closures, terminations and non-renewals, reported by the franchisor. Bruster's Real Ice Cream's latest tables show a growing franchised network. The actual closure and termination counts, and how Bruster's Real Ice Cream's churn ranks against food & beverage peers, are in the full report.

The full Bruster's Real Ice Cream report — $99

The Item 19 earnings figures, every number ranked against food & beverage peers, and the litigation and churn detail — delivered instantly, yours to keep.

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Who owns Bruster's Real Ice Cream?

Bruster's Real Ice Cream's franchise is offered by BRUSTER'S Limited Partnership — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at WI DFI; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.

Food & beverage franchises at a similar investment level

Anyone weighing Bruster's Real Ice Cream is really weighing it against the other brands their money could go into. These are the closest by total initial investment (FDD Item 7), each with its own FDD-based page.

Bubble N Tea$293,750 – $444,000 · Item 19 disclosedBrooklyn Dumpling Shop$373,278 – $721,778Bud's Place$590,000 – $1,170,000Bruegger's Bagels$693,800 – $1,227,150Nan Xiang Xiao Long Bao$1,180,000 – $1,894,0007 Brew$940,500 – $2,283,500 · Item 19 disclosedSouthern Steer$1,101,169 – $2,364,529Canteen$1,404,500 – $2,100,000 · Item 19 disclosedNeehee's Restaurant$1,662,000 – $2,053,000Honest Hospitality Group$1,507,000 – $2,334,000Laduree$1,694,158 – $2,167,658Black Rifle Coffee Company$1,593,750 – $3,314,000

Bruster's Real Ice Cream franchise — frequently asked

Who owns Bruster's Real Ice Cream — who is the franchisor?

Bruster's Real Ice Cream's most recently filed FDD (2026) names BRUSTER'S Limited Partnership as the franchisor — the entity you would actually sign the franchise agreement with, as stated on the disclosure document itself. A registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent company.

How much does a Bruster's Real Ice Cream franchise cost?

Bruster's Real Ice Cream's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $1,215,120 – $2,669,060 and a 5% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. The full report breaks down every fee line and benchmarks it against food & beverage peers.

How much profit does a Bruster's Real Ice Cream franchise make?

Bruster's Real Ice Cream discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (5% of gross for Bruster's Real Ice Cream), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any Bruster's Real Ice Cream franchise profit number quoted elsewhere is an estimate. The full report shows the disclosed revenue against the full ongoing fee load it has to cover.

Does Bruster's Real Ice Cream disclose financial performance (Item 19)?

Yes — Bruster's Real Ice Cream reports unit-level earnings in Item 19. The full report shows the actual revenue figures and how they rank against food & beverage peers.

Are there lawsuits against Bruster's Real Ice Cream?

Bruster's Real Ice Cream's most recently filed FDD (2026) discloses 1 legal proceeding in Item 3. Item 3 covers the franchisor, its predecessors, parents and affiliates — so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Bruster's Real Ice Cream itself, and a disclosure is not a finding of wrongdoing. The full report lists each case, separates franchisee disputes from corporate and securities matters, and flags the franchisee-initiated ones.

Is Bruster's Real Ice Cream a good franchise to buy?

Nobody can answer that from Bruster's Real Ice Cream's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against food & beverage peers, which is what the full report is for. Our read on this filing is medium risk, stated free above. For $99 you get the figures driving that read, the actual Item 19 earnings (disclosed in this FDD), where every figure ranks against peers, and the specific questions to ask the franchisor before you sign.

Decide with the numbers — $99

A Bruster's Real Ice Cream franchise is a $1,215,120 – $2,669,060 decision you make once, on a ten-year agreement, usually with a personal guarantee behind it. For $99 you get an independent read of the document that decides it: the actual Item 19 earnings, every figure ranked against food & beverage peers, the litigation split into franchisee and corporate matters, the churn behind the outlet count — and the questions to put to the franchisor before you sign. If it tells you nothing new, reply within 14 days and we'll refund it.

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Get a free email when something changes on Bruster's Real Ice Cream or food & beverage: a new FDD registration, a new lawsuit, an outlet count that shifts, or Item 19 earnings going from undisclosed to disclosed. Pulled straight from the same registries every report is built on.

This report compiles and structures publicly filed Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) data from state franchise registrations. It is not legal, financial, or investment advice, is not affiliated with or endorsed by any franchisor, and does not replace reading the full FDD or consulting a franchise attorney or accountant. All figures are as disclosed by the franchisor in its most recent registered FDD. Item 19 financial performance representations are made at the franchisor’s option and may be absent or limited.