Millie's^®

Food & Beverage • Year: 2026

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What Is Millie's?

Millie's is a franchise of brick-and-mortar shops (with authorized mobile food trucks) offering a menu of super-premium ice cream and dairy-free gelato made with all‑natural ingredients; select Millie's Ice Cream and Coffee Shops may also serve coffee, specialty espresso drinks and affogato. Primary service channels are in-shop sales and off-premises sales via mobile food trucks. Shops are typically 700–1,500 square feet and located in high-density urban neighborhoods, central business centers, or high-traffic retail shopping centers (standalone locations are generally not permitted unless there is significant pedestrian traffic).

Millie's Franchise: Pros and Cons

The franchise’s most notable strength is a spotless legal and regulatory record—zero disclosed lawsuits, judgments, government penalties, or franchisor enforcement actions—well below typical food & beverage levels, but the $50,000 initial franchise fee is in the top quarter for the sector, increasing your upfront cash requirement.

Pros

Zero disclosed lawsuits, zero franchisee-initiated judgments or settlements, zero government penalties or regulatory orders, and zero franchisor-initiated enforcement actions — all figures are well below what's typical in food & beverage, giving you a clean legal and regulatory record to start from.

Zero outlet terminations and zero reacquired outlets, both well below the industry norm, indicate relative stability in the system and fewer past operator exits for you to inherit as an operational issue.

Zero signed-but-not-open outlets (bottom 5% for the sector) means there’s no backlog of openings currently in process, so you won’t be competing with a queue of imminent system rollouts when you plan your launch.

Cons

The $50,000 initial franchise fee is well above what's common in food & beverage (top quarter), which raises your upfront cash requirement before operations begin.

Two outlet non-renewals is unusually high for a system this size (top 10%), suggesting some past operators chose not to renew earlier than you would typically expect.

Lawsuits & Legal Risk

100

Excellent

The franchise reported no material legal proceedings.

Territory Protection

48/100

NORMAL

Grants a protected operating area where the franchisor will not place other physical units; the franchisor retains rights to develop additional units in the surrounding market, sell via e-commerce/alternative channels, acquire/convert units, operate under different marks, protection contingent on performance contingencies, and the franchisee may relocate.

Training & Support

66/100

NORMAL

Millie's provides a robust 104-hour training curriculum designed to prepare incoming franchise personnel for launch; the initial fee does not include any trainees and the program includes both classroom and on-site components. The program includes on-site launch assistance for operational readiness, with travel and lodging expenses borne by the franchisee and on-site support available for an additional fee.

How Much Does It Cost to Open a Millie's Franchise?

Opening a Millie's franchise requires a total initial investment of $253,500 to $556,500, according to the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. This range covers the franchise fee, real estate, equipment, training, and initial working capital needed to launch and operate through the early months.

Minimum Investment

$253,500

Franchise Fee

Real Estate

Equipment & Assets

Reserves

Training

Other

Maximum Investment

$556,500

Minimum Investment Breakdown

Franchise Fee$50,000

Real Estate$64,000

Equipment & Assets$56,500

Reserves$15,000

Training$1,500

Other$66,500

Maximum Investment Breakdown

Franchise Fee$50,000

Real Estate$291,000

Equipment & Assets$90,500

Reserves$25,000

Training$2,500

Other$97,500

Investment Analysis

This investment analysis is coming soon. Have ideas for other analyses you'd like us to add? Get in touch.

The initial investment amounts shown are estimates only. Actual costs may vary based on location size, business model, and multi-unit ownership arrangements. We recommend reviewing the full Franchise Disclosure Document for complete details.

How Much Do Millie's Franchise Owners Make?

Millie's franchise locations reported average gross sales of $552,417 and median gross sales of $518,402 in 2026, based on financial performance data disclosed in Item 19 of the Franchise Disclosure Document.

Average Gross Sales:

$552,417

Median Gross Sales:

$518,402

High Gross Sales:

$624,972

Low Gross Sales:

$513,877

Sample Size:

Franchise vs Corporate Performance: Franchised standard 7-day Shops (average CY2024 gross sales 552,417) performed roughly in line with corporate-owned standard Shops (two corporate standard Shops average 544,185.5), indicating similar revenue levels between ownership types in the standard format.

Performance Variability Analysis: Within the franchised standard 7-day sample there is a moderate spread in CY2024 gross sales (low 513,877; high 624,972), a range of 111,095, showing meaningful variability even among the small sample of similar-format outlets.

Data Scope and Limitations: The Item 19 data are limited to CY2024 and a small, Pittsburgh-area sample (three franchised standard Shops), exclude partial-year outlets, and contain no audited or expense/P&L figures, so conclusions should be viewed as preliminary and location-specific.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much does it cost to open a Millie's franchise?

The total initial investment for a Millie's franchise ranges from $253,500 to $556,500, according to the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. This includes the franchise fee, real estate, equipment, training, and working capital.

What is the Millie's initial franchise fee?

The initial franchise fee for Millie's is $50,000, as stated in the 2026 FDD. This fee is paid upon signing the Franchise Agreement.

How much do Millie's franchise owners make?

Millie's franchise locations reported average gross sales of $552,417 and median gross sales of $518,402 in 2026, based on Item 19 of the Franchise Disclosure Document. Actual earnings vary by location, market, and operator experience.

Does Millie's have any franchise lawsuits or legal issues?

Millie's received a legal risk score of 100 out of 100 in the 2026 FDD analysis. The franchise reported no material legal proceedings.

Does Millie's offer exclusive franchise territories?

Millie's received a territory protection score of 48 out of 100. Grants a protected operating area where the franchisor will not place other physical units; the franchisor retains rights to develop additional units in the surrounding market, sell via e-commerce/alternative channels, acquire/convert units, operate under different marks, protection contingent on performance contingencies, and the franchisee may relocate.

What training does Millie's provide to new franchisees?

Millie's received a training and support score of 66 out of 100. Millie's provides a robust 104-hour training curriculum designed to prepare incoming franchise personnel for launch; the initial fee does not include any trainees and the program includes both classroom and on-site components.