Franchise Facts Report → compare → Kona Ice vs Tropical Smoothie Cafe
Kona Ice vs Tropical Smoothie Cafe
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 | Tropical Smoothie Cafe | |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment FDD Item 7 | $173,356 – $222,141 | $300,000 – $720,500 |
| Initial franchise fee FDD Item 5 | $15,000 | $35,000 |
| Royalty FDD Item 6 | — | 6% |
| Item 19 earnings disclosed FDD Item 19 | Not disclosed | Yes |
| Avg unit revenue (headline) FDD Item 19 | — | $1,673,798 |
| Franchised outlets FDD Item 20 | 1,670 | 1,371 |
| Net outlet change (latest yr) FDD Item 20 | +194 | +174 |
| Closure rate FDD Item 20 | 0.1% | 0.4% |
| Franchisee lawsuits FDD Item 3 | 0 | disclosed |
| Risk level our read | Medium | Low |
| FDD year registration | 2025 | 2025 |
Are Kona Ice and Tropical Smoothie Cafe the same company?
No — Kona Ice and Tropical Smoothie Cafe are franchised by separate companies. Kona Ice's franchisor is Kona Ice, Inc.; Tropical Smoothie Cafe's is Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC (Unit). 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 $173,356 – $222,141, against $300,000 – $720,500 for Tropical Smoothie Cafe.
How much does each make? (Item 19)
Only Tropical Smoothie Cafe disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation (headline average unit revenue $1,673,798), 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 1,670 franchised outlets, net change +194 in the latest reported year, a 0.1% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Tropical Smoothie Cafe reports 1,371 franchised outlets, net change +174 in the latest reported year, a 0.4% closure rate (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 no franchisee-initiated proceedings in FDD Item 3. Tropical Smoothie Cafe 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 Tropical Smoothie Cafe — frequently asked
Are Kona Ice and Tropical Smoothie Cafe the same company?
No — Kona Ice and Tropical Smoothie Cafe are franchised by separate companies. Kona Ice's franchisor is Kona Ice, Inc.; Tropical Smoothie Cafe's is Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC (Unit). 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 Tropical Smoothie Cafe?
Kona Ice and Tropical Smoothie Cafe are food & beverage franchises from different franchisors (Kona Ice, Inc. and Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC (Unit)). Kona Ice is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $173,356 – $222,141, against $300,000 – $720,500 for Tropical Smoothie Cafe. Only Tropical Smoothie Cafe disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation (headline average unit revenue $1,673,798), 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 Tropical Smoothie Cafe?
Only Tropical Smoothie Cafe disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation (headline average unit revenue $1,673,798), 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 Tropical Smoothie Cafe?
Kona Ice is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $173,356 – $222,141, against $300,000 – $720,500 for Tropical Smoothie Cafe.
Is Kona Ice or Tropical Smoothie Cafe growing faster?
Kona Ice reports 1,670 franchised outlets, net change +194 in the latest reported year, a 0.1% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Tropical Smoothie Cafe reports 1,371 franchised outlets, net change +174 in the latest reported year, a 0.4% closure rate (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 2025, Tropical Smoothie Cafe 2025). “—” means the FDD does not disclose it or the table did not parse cleanly — never an estimate.