Franchise opportunities compared
Carvel Corporation vs Rainbow Cone Five Flavors
Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.
Before you compare
- Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
- Carvel Corporation and Rainbow Cone Five Flavors disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
- Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Carvel Corporation: 5, Rainbow Cone Five Flavors: 25). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure |  Carvel Corporation | RCRainbow Cone Five Flavors |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $38,850 – $1,051,200 2026 FDD · Item 7 | $137,860 – $4,969,378 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $3,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 30 | Not available No single standard fee identified |
| Royalty (Item 6) | $6.00 OTHER FEES Type of Fee 1, 4 Amount Date Due Remarks Royalty Fee — 6% 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 31 | $6.00 Royalty 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $2.00 Marketing Obligation Currently, each calendar quarter, you must spend not less than — 2% 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 32 | $3.00 Brand marketing fund contribution maximum 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 720 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 93 | 27 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 80 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | +68 Calculated: 652 at end of 2023 → 720 at end of 2025 | +11 Calculated: 16 at end of 2023 → 27 at end of 2025 |
| Outlet exits (Item 20) | Not available No complete exit records for a year | Not available No complete exit records for a year |
| Franchising since (Item 1) | 1950 From a verified franchisor listing | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 104eligible singlebranded full Streetside Shoppes — 2nd Quartile 26 shoppes other 2nd Quartile Sample size · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 92 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 104eligible singlebranded full Streetside Shoppes — Top Quartile $779,624 other Top Quartile Mean net sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 92 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 104eligible singlebranded full Streetside Shoppes — 3rd Quartile 26 shoppes other 3rd Quartile Sample size · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 92 +2 more groups in the full report | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Crew $15 /hour other Crew wages range · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 71 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Salaried managers $47,000 /year other Salaried manager wages range · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 71 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Affiliate-owned Express unit #2 inside Buona Beef restaurant $171,093 other Gross sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 76 +22 more groups in the full report |
Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.