Franchise Facts Report → compare → Mister Softee vs Rita's Ice Custard Happiness
Mister Softee vs Rita's Ice Custard Happiness
Two food & beverage franchises, compared on the numbers their own Franchise Disclosure Documents put on record — investment, fees, Item 19 earnings, outlet churn, and litigation. Not marketing copy.
| Mister Softee | Rita's Ice Custard Happiness | |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment FDD Item 7 | $297,000 – $385,000 | $315,233 – $712,542 |
| Initial franchise fee FDD Item 5 | — | — |
| Royalty FDD Item 6 | — | 6.5% |
| Item 19 earnings disclosed FDD Item 19 | Not disclosed | Yes |
| Avg unit revenue (headline) FDD Item 19 | — | in report |
| Franchised outlets FDD Item 20 | 618 | 569 |
| Net outlet change (latest yr) FDD Item 20 | — | +5 |
| Closure rate FDD Item 20 | — | — |
| Franchisee lawsuits FDD Item 3 | 0 | disclosed |
| Risk level our read | Medium | Low |
| FDD year registration | 2026 | 2026 |
Are Mister Softee and Rita's Ice Custard Happiness the same company?
No — Mister Softee and Rita's Ice Custard Happiness are franchised by separate companies. Mister Softee's franchisor is Mister Softee Franchise, L.L.C; Rita's Ice Custard Happiness's is Rita's Franchise Company, LLC. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
Cost to open
Mister Softee is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $297,000 – $385,000, against $315,233 – $712,542 for Rita's Ice Custard Happiness.
How much does each make? (Item 19)
Only Rita's Ice Custard Happiness disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation, while Mister Softee's most recent FDD makes none. That asymmetry is itself a data point: one franchisor puts its unit economics on paper, the other doesn't.
Closures & failure rate
Mister Softee reports 618 franchised outlets (FDD Item 20). Rita's Ice Custard Happiness reports 569 franchised outlets, net change +5 in the latest reported year (FDD Item 20). Outlet churn — closures, terminations, non-renewals — is the closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate; the full report puts both brands' churn against food & beverage medians.
Litigation
Mister Softee discloses no franchisee-initiated proceedings in FDD Item 3. Rita's Ice Custard Happiness discloses litigation in FDD Item 3 (case detail in the full report).
This page is the headline numbers. The Deep report compares up to three brands on the complete FDD record — every fee line, the actual Item 19 figures and what they represent, each lawsuit, and churn benchmarked against food & beverage peers.
Only looking at one of them?
Mister Softee vs Rita's Ice Custard Happiness — frequently asked
Are Mister Softee and Rita's Ice Custard Happiness the same company?
No — Mister Softee and Rita's Ice Custard Happiness are franchised by separate companies. Mister Softee's franchisor is Mister Softee Franchise, L.L.C; Rita's Ice Custard Happiness's is Rita's Franchise Company, LLC. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
What is the difference between Mister Softee and Rita's Ice Custard Happiness?
Mister Softee and Rita's Ice Custard Happiness are food & beverage franchises from different franchisors (Mister Softee Franchise, L.L.C and Rita's Franchise Company, LLC). Mister Softee is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $297,000 – $385,000, against $315,233 – $712,542 for Rita's Ice Custard Happiness. Only Rita's Ice Custard Happiness disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation, while Mister Softee's most recent FDD makes none. That asymmetry is itself a data point: one franchisor puts its unit economics on paper, the other doesn't.
Is Mister Softee more profitable than Rita's Ice Custard Happiness?
Only Rita's Ice Custard Happiness disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation, while Mister Softee's most recent FDD makes none. That asymmetry is itself a data point: one franchisor puts its unit economics on paper, the other doesn't.
Which is cheaper to open — Mister Softee or Rita's Ice Custard Happiness?
Mister Softee is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $297,000 – $385,000, against $315,233 – $712,542 for Rita's Ice Custard Happiness.
Is Mister Softee or Rita's Ice Custard Happiness growing faster?
Mister Softee reports 618 franchised outlets (FDD Item 20). Rita's Ice Custard Happiness reports 569 franchised outlets, net change +5 in the latest reported year (FDD Item 20).
Go deeper on each brand
Food & beverage rankings
Figures are as disclosed in each brand's most recent registered FDD (Mister Softee 2026, Rita's Ice Custard Happiness 2026). “—” means the FDD does not disclose it or the table did not parse cleanly — never an estimate.