Franchise Facts Report → compare → Marble Slab Creamery vs Ding Tea
Marble Slab Creamery vs Ding Tea
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.
| Marble Slab Creamery | Ding Tea | |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment FDD Item 7 | $354,500 – $476,650 | $195,240 – $324,170 |
| Initial franchise fee FDD Item 5 | $25,000 | $30,000 |
| Royalty FDD Item 6 | 6% | — |
| Item 19 earnings disclosed FDD Item 19 | Yes | Not disclosed |
| Avg unit revenue (headline) FDD Item 19 | $540,659 | — |
| Franchised outlets FDD Item 20 | 249 | 101 |
| Net outlet change (latest yr) FDD Item 20 | +1 | -19 |
| Closure rate FDD Item 20 | 4.8% | 4.2% |
| Franchisee lawsuits FDD Item 3 | 3 | disclosed |
| Risk level our read | Medium | Medium |
| FDD year registration | 2025 | 2025 |
Are Marble Slab Creamery and Ding Tea the same company?
No — Marble Slab Creamery and Ding Tea are franchised by separate companies. Marble Slab Creamery's franchisor is MARBLE SLAB FRANCHISING, LLC; Ding Tea's is DING TEA CORPORATION. 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
Ding Tea is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $195,240 – $324,170, against $354,500 – $476,650 for Marble Slab Creamery.
How much does each make? (Item 19)
Only Marble Slab Creamery disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation (headline average unit revenue $540,659), while Ding Tea'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
Marble Slab Creamery reports 249 franchised outlets, net change +1 in the latest reported year, a 4.8% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Ding Tea reports 101 franchised outlets, net change -19 in the latest reported year, a 4.2% 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
Marble Slab Creamery discloses 3 franchisee-vs-franchisor proceedings in FDD Item 3. Ding Tea 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?
Marble Slab Creamery vs Ding Tea — frequently asked
Are Marble Slab Creamery and Ding Tea the same company?
No — Marble Slab Creamery and Ding Tea are franchised by separate companies. Marble Slab Creamery's franchisor is MARBLE SLAB FRANCHISING, LLC; Ding Tea's is DING TEA CORPORATION. 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 Marble Slab Creamery and Ding Tea?
Marble Slab Creamery and Ding Tea are food & beverage franchises from different franchisors (MARBLE SLAB FRANCHISING, LLC and DING TEA CORPORATION). Ding Tea is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $195,240 – $324,170, against $354,500 – $476,650 for Marble Slab Creamery. Only Marble Slab Creamery disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation (headline average unit revenue $540,659), while Ding Tea'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 Marble Slab Creamery more profitable than Ding Tea?
Only Marble Slab Creamery disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation (headline average unit revenue $540,659), while Ding Tea'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 — Marble Slab Creamery or Ding Tea?
Ding Tea is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $195,240 – $324,170, against $354,500 – $476,650 for Marble Slab Creamery.
Is Marble Slab Creamery or Ding Tea growing faster?
Marble Slab Creamery reports 249 franchised outlets, net change +1 in the latest reported year, a 4.8% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Ding Tea reports 101 franchised outlets, net change -19 in the latest reported year, a 4.2% 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 (Marble Slab Creamery 2025, Ding Tea 2025). “—” means the FDD does not disclose it or the table did not parse cleanly — never an estimate.