Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to questions about qualifications, investment, costs, equipment training and more about City Kidz Ice Cream.
GENERAL
Q: Is City Kidz™ a franchise?
Q: What sets City Kidz™ apart from the competition?
Q: What are the various solutions City Kidz™ license?
Q: Do you serve anything else besides ice cream?
Q: Do you sell multi-unit agreements?
Q: What markets are available?
Q: Can a City Kidz™ Ice Cream Cafe be purchased as an investment without me being the full-time manager?
Q: Besides being a great ownership opportunitiy. Does City Kidz™ get involved in the community?
LICENSING
Q. What type of development options is available?
Q: What does the City Kidz™ Ice Cream license include?
Q: What is the license fee?
Q: What is the term of the license agreement?
Q: How much is the ongoing royalty?
Q. How do I obtain your License Agreement?
FINANCIAL
Q: How much does it cost to open a City Kidz Ice Cream?
Q: What other expenses should I expect?
Q: How quickly will I make a profit?
Q: Does City Kidz™ offer financing?
INVENTORY
Q: Where does my food product come from?
Q: How much inventory must I carry?
QUALIFICATION
Q: Do I need prior industry experience?
NEXT STEPS
Q: What is the first step toward owning a City Kidz™ City Kidz Ice Cream?
Q: If I send in an application, does it commit me to anything?
Q: What next after the application?
SPECIAL PROGRAM FOR WOMEN, MINORITIES, MBA’S AND MILITARY VETERANS
Q: What is this special program all about?
Q: Why did the founders create this special program?
Q: What program structure?
Q: Qualifications?
GENERAL
Q: Is City Kidz™ Ice Cream Café a franchise?
A: City Kidz™ Ice Cream does not franchise operations and has no plans to franchise in the foreseeable future. City Kidz™ enters into licensing agreements with select entrepreneurs who own and operate a City Kidz™ Ice Cream Cafe in locations such as airports, malls, churches, office buildings, college and university campuses and hospitals.
Q: What sets City Kidz™ Ice Cream apart from the competition?
A: Founded in 2006 by entrepreneurs Pastor Clinton Bush and Anthony B. Miles, City Kidz™ Ice Cream has perfected a system that delivers premium ice cream, baked goods, smoothies, gourmet sandwiches, soups and more. City Kidz™ Ice Cream offers licensees 8 powerful reasons to choose its brand:
- Our menu quality (ice cream, baked goods, smoothies, espresso, soups, gourmet sandwiches and more) is second to none.
- Seven different café solutions are available to suit your goals.
- We teach you everything you need to know to run a City Kidz™ Ice Cream Café solution.
- With our affordability ($42,000 to $176,000) we make it easy to start your City Kidz™ Ice Cream cafe.
- We help get the financing to start your City Kidz™ Ice Cream Cafe, and to help it grow in the future.
- We are committed to ethical business practices in all aspects of our company.
- We want strong licensees, therefore, each City Kidz™ Ice Cream owner has a protected area.
- Our founder’s lifetime commitment to financial literacy for children.
Q: What are the various solutions City Kidz™ Ice Cream license?
A: Here are the various custom build-outs with suggested application in which City Kidz™ Ice Cream licenses:
Solution #1: Concession Cart
Great For: Delis, Coffee Shops, Book Stores, College Cafeterias, Movie Theatres
Solution #2: Sidewalk Café
Great For: Youth Ministries, Schools, Special Events, Catering and Stadiums
Solution #3: Mobile Café
Great For: Youth Ministries, Schools, Special Events, Catering and Stadiums
Solution #4: Kiosk
Great For: College, Universities, Travel Plaza’s, Theatres and More!
Solution #5: Walk-up Café
Great For: Full Service Retail Café, Malls, Convenience Stores and Airports
Solution #6 : Island Café
Great For: Full Service Retail Café, Malls, Convenience Stores and Airports
Solution #7: Full Scale Cafe
Great For: Hotel & Hospital Lobbies, Office Buildings, Churches and Store Fronts
Each of our 7 City Kidz™ Ice Cream solutions above are made to plug and play. We set it up, plug it in, turn on the lights and you start selling!
Q: Do you serve anything else besides ice cream?
A: You better believe it. While premium ice cream is our “bread and butter,” we offer many other menu items including: fruit smoothies, fresh baked goods (kosher gourmet cookies, scones and coffee cake loaves), espresso drinks, restaurant quality soups, gourmet sandwiches, boxed lunches and cold beverages.
Q: Do you sell multi-unit agreements?
A: We absolutely do if all the requirements are met. Typically we will work with you to develop a Business Plan to determine how many units you need to achieve your goal and then put together a plan to acquire that number of units. We grant exclusive multiple unit territories based on territory approval, development plans and your capital position. This would allow you to have a large territory, for your exclusive expansion, in accordance with a specific predetermined development schedule. There is no discount for purchasing multi-units since our License Fee is one of the lowest in the Industry of comparable concepts.
Q: What markets are available?
A: Since City Kidz™ Ice Cream just began licensing its brand nationwide, you will find that most major markets are still available. Click here for available ownership opportunities.
Q: Can a City Kidz™ Ice Cream Cafe be purchased as an investment without me being the full-time manager?
A: Yes, but you need a qualified manager to operate the cafe. We have found that the more involved the licensee is, the more successful the cafe will be.
Q: Besides being a great ownership opportunitiy. Does City Kidz™ get involved in the community?
A: Yes, the founders of City Kidz™ Ice Cream have pledged their lifetime commitment toward teaching kids financial & business literacy. They have created the following vehicles: City Kidz™ University, financial literacy computer games and 7 proprietary cartoon characters used to bring their message to life. We encourage all of our licensees to adopt our corporate mission in their respective area.
LICENSING
Q. What type of development options are available?
A: Develop one store at a time. You secure the exclusive site, trade area, or target search area available for site analysis and selection. When you sign your lease, typically you will receive a 1 mile radius protection (1/4 mile in extremely densely populated trade areas such as a downtown business district.
- Single Unit License
One store at a time. You will select the exclusive site with 1 mile radius protection, or identify your targeted trade area for site selection.
- Multi-Unit License
2-10 unit plan. Knowing you want more than 1 unit, you plan for multiple cafes in your area. You select several exclusive trade areas, or sites, and stake your claim to build your chain of cafes.
- Area Development License
Reserved for the very best operational candidates with extensive capital reserve. We specify an exclusive geographic region (large or small) for site selection and analysis. These defined areas are located in new territory, where City Kidz™ Ice Cream is yet to be discovered. Your plan will include at least 20+ units and require that you meet certain opening time frames.
Q: What does the City Kidz™ license include?
A: The exclusive rights to the City Kidz™ Ice Cream name, trademark and system within a pre-determined area.
Q: What is the license fee?
A: The license fee ranges from $15,000 to $40,000 per unit.
Q: What is the term of the license agreement?
A: The initial term of your City Kidz™ license agreement is 10 years.
Q: How much is the ongoing royalty?
A: The ongoing royalty is 7% of gross sales. The royalty helps to fund our continued development of new products and systems upgrades.
Q. How do I obtain your License Agreement?
A. Our License Agreement is a confidential document which we do not indiscriminately distribute. Following the procedure outlined in our "Ownership Process" page we will be happy to provide you with a single, multi-unit or Area Development License Agreement.
FINANCIAL
Q: How much does it cost to build-out a City Kidz?
A: Depending on the type of City Kidz™ build-out (concession cart, kiosk, mobile or full scale etc.) you choose, you'll need somewhere between $42,000 to $176,000 to open. The start-up costs include the application fee, licensing fee, start-up kit, build-out and renovation, equipment and your initial inventory of ingredients and supplies. The licensing fee is paid when you sign your licensing agreement.
Q: What other expenses should I expect?
A: Costs that may vary from market to market such as permits & licenses, employee uniforms, food safety certification course, insurance premiums, rental space, utility deposits & hook-ups and 3-months working capital.
Q: How quickly will I make a profit?
A: Your profits will depend on how well you run the business, how good your location is, and how well you manage your employees. There is no real way to average out how fast you will see a profit because it depends on the individual licensee. We can tell you that a business opportunity similar to City Kidz™ average unit volume for a full scale café exceeds $350,000+ per year. We invite you to do research on the sales and profit numbers of similar concepts.
Q: Does City Kidz™ offer financing?
A: No. City Kidz™ Ice Cream will connect you with a 3rd party lender. The license fee is typically not financed and that is paid in a lump sum once you are granted a license.
INVENTORY
Q: Where does my food product come from?
A: City Kidz™ Ice Cream's product distribution system was developed through a national full-service distributor. Its network of distribution centers provides a minimum weekly delivery of food, beverage and supply products to City Kidz™ solutions.
Q: How much inventory must I carry?
A: This will depend on the solution's sales volume, the number of deliveries scheduled during the week and the size of your storage area. A reasonable estimate would be in the area of $1,500 to $4,000 per week.
QUALIFICATION
Q: Do I need prior industry experience?
A: No, you don’t necessarily need experience in the sweet-shop industry. We look for licensees that have solid business management skills, required amount of capital, strong commitment to customer service and a record of community involvement.
NEXT STEPS
Q: What is the first step toward owning a City Kidz™?
A: Completing the City Kidz™ Ice Cream license application is the first step toward becoming a City Kidz™ licensee. You can download the application by clicking this link License Application.
Q: If I send in an application, does it commit me to anything?
A: Absolutely not! And, better yet, there is a minimal application fee $1,500. Submitting your application simply allows us to get to know you better. It gives us the chance to review your financial picture as well as your area(s) of interest. Your application is completely confidential. We will not share your information with anyone outside of City Kidz™ Ice Cream organization without your permission.
If you have any questions while filling out your application, feel free to give us a call. Once we receive your application, you can expect to hear back from us within five business days.
Q: What’s next after the application?
A: The ownership process is simple. Our "Ownership Process" page will show you every step in exploring this turnkey ground floor opportunity.
SPECIAL PROGRAM FOR WOMEN, MINORITIES, MBA’S AND MILITARY VETERANS
Q: What is this special program all about?
A: City Kidz™ Ice Cream Café offers a special 6-12 month program to build women, minority-African American, MBA and military veteran ownership by providing structured mentorship to help qualified candidates get the capital needed to purchase and operate a City Kidz™ solution.
Q: Why did the founders create this special program?
A: City Kidz™ Ice Cream founders Pastor Clinton Bush and Anthony B. Miles created this special program to address the under representation of women, minority-African Americans, MBA and military veterans in many business opportunities and the trillion-dollar franchise industry.
Q: What is the program structure?
A: Potential City Kidz™ Ice Cream licensees must submit a completed City Kidz™ licensee application. Once approved, candidates are enrolled in an intensive 6 to 12-month mentoring program that combines classroom instruction and practical exercises to take participants step-by-step through all the stages to get the capital needed to purchase and operate a City Kidz™ Ice Cream solution.
The core of the program is the one-on-one mentorship that occurs between the educational sessions in establishing business credit. During the 6 to 12 months, we will help each participant to bring their company in compliance with business credit bureau and lender requirements, set-up their file with business credit bureaus, Dun & Bradstreet, Experian Business and Business Credit USA, continually strategize to improve personal credit scores for each officer, member or partner, get them approved for the capital needed to purchase and operate a City Kidz™ Ice Cream solution and obtain a business credit rating of 75+ with Dun & Bradstreet and Experian Business.
In exchange for the mentorship provided by the Women, Minority – African American, Master Business Administration (student or graduate) or Miltary Veteran Ownership Program, participating licensees pay a fee of $5,000.
Q: Qualifications?
A: Here are the 6 qualifications:
- Verifiable Women, Minority – African American, Master Business Administration (student or graduate) or Miltary Veteran owned business.
- A submitted City Kidz™ Licensee and Women, Minority, MBA or Military Veteran Ownership Program Application
- Some business experience.
- Self-motivated “people person”
- $5,000 Cash on Hand
- 650+ Personal credit Score
