Financing a Cold Stone Creamery with an SBA loan
Since FY2020, 45 Cold Stone Creamery locations changed hands on an SBA 7(a) loan. Here is what those deals looked like, what the brand costs to open, which lenders wrote the loans, and where the brand stands with the SBA.
Cold Stone Creamery franchising: coldstonefranchising.com
What a Cold Stone Creamery deal looks like
Cold Stone Creamery is an established brand in the SBA loan file: 45 acquisitions cleared underwriting in the last five years. The median loan was $334,000 at 9.75 percent. Amortized over 10 years, that is about $4,368 a month, or $52,413 a year in debt service. SBA's 10 percent minimum equity injection on a deal that size is roughly $37,111 of buyer cash, some of which a seller note on standby can sometimes cover.
Illustrative only: the median loan is not a purchase price, and every deal differs. Model your own in the deal analyzer or the DSCR calculator.
7(a) or 504 for a Cold Stone Creamery?
Cold Stone Creamery is typically a leasehold business: the value is goodwill, equipment, and the brand, not real estate. That points to an SBA 7(a) loan, usually amortized over 10 years. The 504 program, which finances owner-occupied real estate, is rarely the fit here unless the deal happens to include a building. Model the payment in the 7(a) calculator and check coverage in the DSCR calculator.
What it costs to open a Cold Stone Creamery
These are Cold Stone Creamery's own franchise terms, set by the franchisor and separate from the SBA loan. They matter to a buyer because the franchise fee and the build-out are part of the project the loan has to cover, and lenders weigh the net-worth and liquidity minimums when they size a deal.
- Total initial investment
- $322,675 to $627,775
- Initial franchise fee
- $27,000
- Ongoing royalty
- 6% of gross sales
- Net worth required
- $250,000
- Liquid capital required
- $120,000
Quick-service restaurant (ice cream / dessert), figures from the 2024 FDD. Sources: Franchise Chatter - Cold Stone Creamery 2024 FDD Talk (Item 7 investment, Item 5 fee, royalty), FranchiseOverview - Cold Stone Creamery FDD, Fees & Cost (2024 FDD), Entrepreneur Franchise Directory - Cold Stone Creamery (fee, royalty, net worth, cash), VettedBiz - Cold Stone Creamery Franchise Cost (independent verification: Item 7 $335,675-$655,275, Item 5 $12,000-$27,000, 6% royalty). Franchise economics are drawn from each brand's public Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD Items 5 and 7) and reputable third-party franchise databases, compiled for independent editorial reference. The Closing Binder is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any franchisor listed. Franchise fee, investment, royalty, and net-worth figures are set by the franchisor and change with each FDD; confirm current terms in the brand's latest FDD before relying on them.
Lenders that actually write these
The banks below approved the most Cold Stone Creamery acquisitions in the file. A lender that has funded this brand before is the fastest path through underwriting.
- Huntington National Bank11 Cold Stone Creamery loans
- Citizens Bank4 Cold Stone Creamery loans
- Bancorp Bank National Association2 Cold Stone Creamery loans
- First Bank of the Lake2 Cold Stone Creamery loans
- KEMBA Financial CU2 Cold Stone Creamery loans
SBA conditions on this brand
1. When the real estate where the franchise business is located will secure the SBA-guaranteed loan, the Lease addendum to Lease agreement and all Sublease docuemnts may not be executed. 2. Lende/CDC must ensure they obtain the correct lien position on all collateral as required pursuant to the SOP 50 10. 3. An applicant operating under an Area Representative Agreement is NOT eligible.
Every franchise the SBA will finance carries an entry in its directory, and some carry conditions like this one about how the real estate and the lease may be held. A lender has to clear these before funding, so they are worth reading before you make an offer.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to buy a Cold Stone Creamery franchise?
Opening a Cold Stone Creamery takes a total initial investment of about $322,675 to $627,775, including a $27,000 initial franchise fee, per the brand's FDD. Buying an existing location is priced differently: the median SBA 7(a) acquisition loan for Cold Stone Creamery was $334,000 in the federal loan file.
Can you buy a Cold Stone Creamery with an SBA loan?
Yes. 45 Cold Stone Creamery locations were acquired with SBA 7(a) financing since FY2020, and the brand is listed in the SBA Franchise Directory. The directory attaches a lender condition to this brand, so a lender clears that before funding.
How much do you need for a down payment on a Cold Stone Creamery?
SBA requires a minimum 10 percent equity injection. On the median Cold Stone Creamery loan of $334,000, that is roughly $37,111 of buyer cash, though a seller note kept on full standby can cover part of it. The rest is financed over about 10 years, around $4,368 a month at the median rate.
Which lenders finance Cold Stone Creamery acquisitions?
Huntington National Bank, Citizens Bank and Bancorp Bank National Association wrote the most Cold Stone Creamery acquisition loans in the federal file. A lender that has funded the brand before knows its franchise agreement and tends to move faster. See the full lender detail above.
Other restaurant brands buyers finance
Loan counts, median size, median rate, and lender ranking are computed from the SBA 7(a) FOIA file, change of ownership approvals, FY2025 to FY2026 Q3, as of June 30, 2026. Eligibility, the identifier code, and any conditions are from the SBA Franchise Directory, effective August 11, 2026. Franchise cost figures are from Cold Stone Creamery's public FDD and third-party franchise databases. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Cold Stone Creamery or its franchisor, and directory listing is not an endorsement of any individual deal. Methodology.