Franchise Facts Report → compare → Mister Softee vs Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness
Mister Softee 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.
| Mister Softee | Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness | |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment FDD Item 7 | $204,500 – $287,000 | $293,233 – $768,992 |
| Initial franchise fee FDD Item 5 | — | — |
| Royalty FDD Item 6 | — | 6.5% |
| Item 19 earnings disclosed FDD Item 19 | Not disclosed | Yes |
| Avg unit revenue (headline) FDD Item 19 | — | $511,673 |
| Franchised outlets FDD Item 20 | 585 | 546 |
| Net outlet change (latest yr) FDD Item 20 | -6 | +18 |
| Closure rate FDD Item 20 | — | — |
| Franchisee lawsuits FDD Item 3 | 0 | disclosed |
| Risk level our read | Medium | Medium |
| FDD year registration | 2024 | 2024 |
Are Mister Softee and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness the same company?
No — Mister Softee and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness are franchised by separate companies. Mister Softee's franchisor is Mister Softee Franchise, L.L.C.; 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
Mister Softee is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $204,500 – $287,000, 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 (headline average unit revenue $511,673), while Mister Softee'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
Mister Softee reports 585 franchised outlets, net change -6 in the latest reported year (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
Mister Softee discloses no franchisee-initiated proceedings 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?
Mister Softee vs Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness — frequently asked
Are Mister Softee and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness the same company?
No — Mister Softee and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness are franchised by separate companies. Mister Softee's franchisor is Mister Softee Franchise, L.L.C.; 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 Mister Softee and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness?
Mister Softee and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness are food & beverage franchises from different franchisors (Mister Softee Franchise, L.L.C. and RITA'S FRANCHISE COMPANY, LLC). Mister Softee is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $204,500 – $287,000, 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 (headline average unit revenue $511,673), while Mister Softee'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 Mister Softee more profitable than Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness?
Only Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation (headline average unit revenue $511,673), while Mister Softee'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 — Mister Softee or Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness?
Mister Softee is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $204,500 – $287,000, against $293,233 – $768,992 for Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness.
Is Mister Softee or Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness growing faster?
Mister Softee reports 585 franchised outlets, net change -6 in the latest reported year (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 (Mister Softee 2024, Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness 2024). “—” means the FDD does not disclose it or the table did not parse cleanly — never an estimate.