Franchise Facts Report → compare → Kona Ice vs Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness
Kona Ice vs Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness
Two food & beverage franchises, compared on the numbers their own Franchise Disclosure Documents put on record — investment, fees, Item 19 earnings, outlet churn, and litigation. Not marketing copy.
| Kona Ice | Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness | |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment FDD Item 7 | $114,730 – $228,601 | $293,233 – $768,992 |
| Initial franchise fee FDD Item 5 | $15,000 | — |
| Royalty FDD Item 6 | — | 6.5% |
| Item 19 earnings disclosed FDD Item 19 | Not disclosed | Yes |
| Avg unit revenue (headline) FDD Item 19 | — | in report |
| Franchised outlets FDD Item 20 | 1,929 | 546 |
| Net outlet change (latest yr) FDD Item 20 | +113 | +18 |
| Closure rate FDD Item 20 | 1.5% | — |
| Franchisee lawsuits FDD Item 3 | 1 | disclosed |
| Risk level our read | Medium | Medium |
| FDD year registration | 2026 | 2024 |
Are Kona Ice and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness the same company?
No — Kona Ice and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness are franchised by separate companies. Kona Ice's franchisor is Kona Ice, Inc.; Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness's is RITA'S FRANCHISE COMPANY, LLC. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
Cost to open
Kona Ice is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $114,730 – $228,601, against $293,233 – $768,992 for Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness.
How much does each make? (Item 19)
Only Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation, while Kona Ice's most recent FDD makes none. That asymmetry is itself a data point: one franchisor puts its unit economics on paper, the other doesn't.
Closures & failure rate
Kona Ice reports 1,929 franchised outlets, net change +113 in the latest reported year, a 1.5% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness reports 546 franchised outlets, net change +18 in the latest reported year (FDD Item 20). Outlet churn — closures, terminations, non-renewals — is the closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate; the full report puts both brands' churn against food & beverage medians.
Litigation
Kona Ice discloses 1 franchisee-vs-franchisor proceeding in FDD Item 3. Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness discloses litigation in FDD Item 3 (case detail in the full report).
This page is the headline numbers. The Deep report compares up to three brands on the complete FDD record — every fee line, the actual Item 19 figures and what they represent, each lawsuit, and churn benchmarked against food & beverage peers.
Only looking at one of them?
Kona Ice vs Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness — frequently asked
Are Kona Ice and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness the same company?
No — Kona Ice and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness are franchised by separate companies. Kona Ice's franchisor is Kona Ice, Inc.; Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness's is RITA'S FRANCHISE COMPANY, LLC. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
What is the difference between Kona Ice and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness?
Kona Ice and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness are food & beverage franchises from different franchisors (Kona Ice, Inc. and RITA'S FRANCHISE COMPANY, LLC). Kona Ice is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $114,730 – $228,601, against $293,233 – $768,992 for Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness. Only Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation, while Kona Ice's most recent FDD makes none. That asymmetry is itself a data point: one franchisor puts its unit economics on paper, the other doesn't.
Is Kona Ice more profitable than Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness?
Only Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation, while Kona Ice's most recent FDD makes none. That asymmetry is itself a data point: one franchisor puts its unit economics on paper, the other doesn't.
Which is cheaper to open — Kona Ice or Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness?
Kona Ice is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $114,730 – $228,601, against $293,233 – $768,992 for Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness.
Is Kona Ice or Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness growing faster?
Kona Ice reports 1,929 franchised outlets, net change +113 in the latest reported year, a 1.5% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness reports 546 franchised outlets, net change +18 in the latest reported year (FDD Item 20).
Go deeper on each brand
Food & beverage rankings
Figures are as disclosed in each brand's most recent registered FDD (Kona Ice 2026, Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness 2024). “—” means the FDD does not disclose it or the table did not parse cleanly — never an estimate.