Franchise Facts Report → compare → Tropical Smoothie Cafe vs JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box
Tropical Smoothie Cafe vs JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box
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.
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe | JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box | |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment FDD Item 7 | $300,000 – $720,500 | $26,914 – $332,732 |
| Initial franchise fee FDD Item 5 | $35,000 | $1,000 |
| Royalty FDD Item 6 | 6% | — |
| Item 19 earnings disclosed FDD Item 19 | Yes | Not disclosed |
| Avg unit revenue (headline) FDD Item 19 | $1,673,798 | — |
| Franchised outlets FDD Item 20 | 1,371 | 1,277 |
| Net outlet change (latest yr) FDD Item 20 | +174 | -96 |
| Closure rate FDD Item 20 | 0.4% | — |
| Franchisee lawsuits FDD Item 3 | disclosed | 0 |
| Risk level our read | Low | Medium |
| FDD year registration | 2025 | 2023 |
Are Tropical Smoothie Cafe and JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box the same company?
No — Tropical Smoothie Cafe and JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box are franchised by separate companies. Tropical Smoothie Cafe's franchisor is Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC (Unit); JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box's is JFE Franchising, Inc.. 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
JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $26,914 – $332,732, 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 JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box'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
Tropical Smoothie Cafe reports 1,371 franchised outlets, net change +174 in the latest reported year, a 0.4% closure rate (FDD Item 20). JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box reports 1,277 franchised outlets, net change -96 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
Tropical Smoothie Cafe discloses litigation in FDD Item 3 (case detail in the full report). JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box discloses no franchisee-initiated proceedings in FDD Item 3.
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?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe vs JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box — frequently asked
Are Tropical Smoothie Cafe and JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box the same company?
No — Tropical Smoothie Cafe and JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box are franchised by separate companies. Tropical Smoothie Cafe's franchisor is Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC (Unit); JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box's is JFE Franchising, Inc.. 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 Tropical Smoothie Cafe and JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe and JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box are food & beverage franchises from different franchisors (Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC (Unit) and JFE Franchising, Inc.). JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $26,914 – $332,732, 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 JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box'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 Tropical Smoothie Cafe more profitable than JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box?
Only Tropical Smoothie Cafe disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation (headline average unit revenue $1,673,798), while JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box'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 — Tropical Smoothie Cafe or JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box?
JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $26,914 – $332,732, against $300,000 – $720,500 for Tropical Smoothie Cafe.
Is Tropical Smoothie Cafe or JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box growing faster?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe reports 1,371 franchised outlets, net change +174 in the latest reported year, a 0.4% closure rate (FDD Item 20). JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box reports 1,277 franchised outlets, net change -96 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 (Tropical Smoothie Cafe 2025, JFE | Snow Fox | Sushi Box 2023). “—” means the FDD does not disclose it or the table did not parse cleanly — never an estimate.