sweetFrog franchise
sweetFrog is a self-serve frozen yogurt chain with six to ten soft-serve machines and around 40 toppings in a traditional shop of 1,300 square feet or more. Smaller non-traditional shops offer a limited menu. It is part of the MTY group. At the end of 2025 there were 203 sweetFrog locations in the US, all franchised.
- Cost to open
- $327K–$692K
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- Royalty
- 5%
- Locations, 2025
- 203−18 in 3 yrs
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Company snapshot
- Franchisor based in
- Scottsdale, Arizona
- Financing
- None offered
From MTY Franchising USA, Inc’s 2026 filing.
How much a sweetFrog franchise costs
Opening a traditional sweetFrog shop costs an estimated $326,500 to $692,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
| Non-traditional location | $195,600 to $423,000 |
|---|
Source: MTY Franchising USA, Inc, 2026 filing, page 41
sweetFrog franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000, for a first traditional shop ($15,000 for later ones and for kiosks). You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: MTY Franchising USA, Inc, 2026 filing, page 29
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales plus a surcharge of up to $10 a week, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2.5% of weekly gross sales: 1.5% national and 1% regional. |
Source: MTY Franchising USA, Inc, 2026 filing, page 32
Sales and earnings
Shares figures sweetFrog publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations: it gives average and median gross sales for U.S. franchised stores open the full measurement year. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: MTY Franchising USA, Inc, 2026 filing, page 81
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 216 (−5) | 0 | 13 |
| 2024 | 206 (−10) | 0 | 13 |
| 2025 | 203 (−3) | 0 | 9 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
Source: MTY Franchising USA, Inc, 2026 filing, page 83
How sweetFrog compares
Of the 12 ice cream franchises on this site, sweetFrog is the 6th cheapest to open and the 9th largest by number of locations.
| Measure | sweetFrog | Typical ice cream |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $327K | $359K |
| Royalty | 5% | 6% |
| Closed or left per year | 5.4% | 2.8% |
| Change in franchised locations, 3 yrs | −8.1% | +8.6% |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 11 of 12 |
Typical is the median across the 12 brands in ice cream franchises.
Other ice cream franchises
sweetFrog franchise questions
Does sweetFrog help with financing?
No. sweetFrog does not offer financing or guarantee loans or leases, so buyers arrange their own, usually a bank or SBA loan.
Is sweetFrog growing or shrinking?
Over the last 3 years 17 franchised locations opened and 35 closed or left, a net change of −8.1%. About 5.4% of locations closed or left each year. That is above the 2.8% typical for ice cream franchises.
How does sweetFrog compare with other ice cream franchises?
Of the 12 ice cream franchises here, sweetFrog is the 6th cheapest to open (low end $327K against a $359K median) and the 9th largest by number of locations. Its 5% royalty is below the 6% median.
Does sweetFrog say how much franchisees make?
Yes: it gives average and median gross sales for U.S. franchised stores open the full measurement year. Your results can differ; the filing explains which locations are counted.
Where is sweetFrog based?
MTY Franchising USA, Inc is based in Scottsdale, Arizona.