Franchise Facts Report → compare → Scooter's Coffee vs Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness
Scooter's Coffee 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.
| Scooter's Coffee | Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness | |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment FDD Item 7 | $954,650 – $1,523,400 | $293,233 – $768,992 |
| Initial franchise fee FDD Item 5 | $40,000 | — |
| Royalty FDD Item 6 | 6% | 6.5% |
| Item 19 earnings disclosed FDD Item 19 | Yes | Yes |
| Avg unit revenue (headline) FDD Item 19 | in report | $511,673 |
| Franchised outlets FDD Item 20 | 825 | 546 |
| Net outlet change (latest yr) FDD Item 20 | +96 | +18 |
| Closure rate FDD Item 20 | 2.7% | — |
| Franchisee lawsuits FDD Item 3 | disclosed | disclosed |
| Risk level our read | Low | Medium |
| FDD year registration | 2025 | 2024 |
Are Scooter's Coffee and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness the same company?
No — Scooter's Coffee and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness are franchised by separate companies. Scooter's Coffee's franchisor is SCOOTER'S COFFEE LLC; 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
Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $293,233 – $768,992, against $954,650 – $1,523,400 for Scooter's Coffee.
How much does each make? (Item 19)
Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation — the detailed figures are in each brand's FDD and in the full report.
Closures & failure rate
Scooter's Coffee reports 825 franchised outlets, net change +96 in the latest reported year, a 2.7% 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
Scooter's Coffee discloses litigation in FDD Item 3 (case detail in the full report). 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?
Scooter's Coffee vs Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness — frequently asked
Are Scooter's Coffee and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness the same company?
No — Scooter's Coffee and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness are franchised by separate companies. Scooter's Coffee's franchisor is SCOOTER'S COFFEE LLC; 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 Scooter's Coffee and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness?
Scooter's Coffee and Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness are food & beverage franchises from different franchisors (SCOOTER'S COFFEE LLC and RITA'S FRANCHISE COMPANY, LLC). Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $293,233 – $768,992, against $954,650 – $1,523,400 for Scooter's Coffee. Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation — the detailed figures are in each brand's FDD and in the full report.
Is Scooter's Coffee more profitable than Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness?
Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation — the detailed figures are in each brand's FDD and in the full report.
Which is cheaper to open — Scooter's Coffee or Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness?
Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $293,233 – $768,992, against $954,650 – $1,523,400 for Scooter's Coffee.
Is Scooter's Coffee or Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness growing faster?
Scooter's Coffee reports 825 franchised outlets, net change +96 in the latest reported year, a 2.7% 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 (Scooter's Coffee 2025, Rita's Ice-Custard-Happiness 2024). “—” means the FDD does not disclose it or the table did not parse cleanly — never an estimate.