Automated Processes
An established business model with extensive recipes and processes built into a rich POS system.
Training Optimized
You’ll receive a library of training materials and videos for you and your crew. Better yet, the software that runs your store is designed for minimal up-front training.
Unique Product
Jones Shakes are a unique product: easy to describe, but difficult to duplicate. You get to connect people to their soul shake.
Inventory Management
The software that runs your store has a powerful inventory management system. You can also take advantage of some optional advanced capabilities.
Best Practices
We share our knowledge when it comes to best practices – staff hiring, team scheduling, daily operations, and even equipment care. You won’t be going it alone.
Remote Management
The software used to operate a Jones franchise includes unique and powerful remote management features, giving you the ability to track operations when you can’t be physically at the store.
Branding Materials
We supply guidance and governance on all branding, including print, social media, and web. All you’ll need to do is order what you desire.
Flexible Software
Options for onsite or cloud-based point of sale software allow you to choose the best model for your physical location.
Our shake recipes are a result of more than a decade of refinement. Being a part of our team, you will be given the instructions and recipes for a number of shakes. These recipes, like in many food service operations, are the intellectual property of Jones and are therefore protected. You will be required to sign non-disclosures.
The system will help you procure and maintain the inventory necessary for these shakes, and then we’ll work with you to add to your menu as the local market comes to know the product.
In addition, the system includes instruction and inventory pick terminals, to allow your staff to easily create shakes for which they have no prior experience. These terminals automatically load recipes and instructions. In general, there is minimal flexibility on the recipes themselves, but you will be free to customize add-on’s and other modifiers to tailor to your clientele.
We will work with you to get the most out of your Jones experience. This can be time-consuming, but it’s worth the initial investment to ensure that your operations are smooth from the beginning. The setup process begins with vendor requirements and selection criteria.
We will evaluate and help you configure both your physical location, as well as your inventory zones, bins, and initial menu. Some of this work involves workflow design, storage, and fixture purchases. In our time learning how to make the best shakes, we know where you may experience bottlenecks in the kitchen, and we want to help you avoid that.
Once the fixture locations and workflow are designed, we will decide the types and locations of each terminal required. As each terminal carries some overhead and license cost, we’ll work to keep those to a reasonable level, while getting the most of their value.
This part allows us to jointly decide the signage needs, including menu boards, colors schemes, and other necessary aspects to convey the Jones brand. Customers will struggle to choose a shake flavor. We help make that process as welcoming as possible, and much of that comes from the decisions made here.
We’ll work together to select national and local suppliers who can provide the needed materials for shakes. In as many cases as possible, you’ll use GFS, Walmart, and Sam’s Club. These retailers provide some of the best and reliably priced materials.
It’s important to locate nearby service companies who can provide maintenance and repairs to your refrigeration equipment – especially the soft serve machines. We will help you find the right local partner.
Your initial franchise fee includes a full-scale soft opening and grand opening support program, where you get someone from the Jones team, onsite.
Pending a review of your business plan and location, Jones may offer you financial assistance in opening your location. Each circumstance is reviewed independently. Financial assistance is generally provided for opening, up to 20% of the total approved costs, in exchange for temporary or permanent ownership in your operations; or in exchange for higher franchises fees with a payment plan.
We always require Jones franchises to be a protected entity (LLC or Corporation).
A Jones location must be fun and inviting. We have some basic requirements to ensure that your location is appropriate for the Jones brand.
These kinds of operations are usually in standalone buildings. Hybrid building opportunities allow for both window/outdoor service and indoor service. If you choose a walk-up, outdoor service counter, you’ll need to meet the following conditions:
Locations which provide indoor seating generally lend themselves countertop (quick serve) ordering, with table service.
We generally recommend against utilizing a drive thru. The shake menu is very difficult to produce quickly enough to satisfy the expectations of a typical drive-thru customer. The effort to produce a craft milkshake is usually 150-270 seconds (2:30-4:30) which exceeds optimal drive thru wait time.
With these points above, if you have an operation that is outfitted with a drive thru, we would work with you to determine the optimal menu and workflow to accommodate quick order fulfillment.
What does it take to start a Jones franchise? Some aspects are wholly determined by your location, zoning, buildout requirements, and local market. Others are relatively the same. The guide here provides just that – guidelines. You’ll need to do the shopping and selection to get the best prices; and remember that often you can save a lot of money if you get used equipment. Provided that you have a good local service partner, that used equipment can last a long time and save you from large up-front expenditures.
This table is representative of most common equipment that you’ll need to produce up to 600 shakes per day.
Type | Description | Qty | Typical Cost Each |
Soft Serve Machine | Machine for making soft serve & shake mix. Minimum 2 for redundancy. Recommend water cooled for throughput. Purchase used if possible. Purchase three phase equipment if your location supports it. Brands: Prefer Stoelting brand; Taylor as secondary option. Throughput: Min 48 quarts/hr total |
Min 2 | $8,500 |
Blenders | For making shakes. Recommend ones with sound dampening shields. Used may be purchased. Brands: Blendtec only. ICB3 is a good model. | 3-8 | $350 used $1,100 new |
Pitchers | Recommend Fourside pitchers only (no Wildside or smalls) and hard lids (not soft lids). Used may be purchased. | 12-15 | $50-70 used $120 new |
Microwaves | For thawing ingredients | Min 2 | $200-300 |
Refrigeration: Freezers | For storing portioned ingredients. Brand: Arctic Air | Min 2 | $1,400 |
Freezer Bins | Sized to fit inside the freezers | $500-800 | |
Refrigeration: Refrigerators | For storing cool ingredients | Min 2 | $1,400 |
Portion Containers and Shelving | Manufactured to order from Jones | Min 2 | $1,500 |
Syrup Equipment | For holding bottles | 1 | $450 |
Toppings Station | All equipment required for toppings, including Hot Fudge warner, cool toppings container, shakers, small refrigerator | 1 | $850 |
Fixtures | Tables, sink(s), bins, shelving | 1 | $5,000 |
Kitchen Supplies | Utensils, cleaning cloths, buckets, trash cans, spatulas, microwaveable containers | 1 | $2,400-4,000 |
Basic opening inventory is $4,000-6,000. This can vary dramatically based upon the expected customer demand and variety of shakes that you serve.
Type | Description | Qty | Typical Cost Each |
Order Terminal | For taking orders; includes cash drawer, card swiper, printer, PC | Min 1 | $1,600 |
Credit Card Terminal | 3C Payment Yomani terminal | Min 1 | $650-700 |
Server | For running the POS, unless hosted | 1 | $800 (used) |
Make Table | PC and screens | 1 | $1,100 |
Other Terminals | Tablets, Screens | 1 | $2,600 approx. |
Temperature Monitoring | For tracking equipment temperatures | 0+ | $450 |
Pick to Light | For lighting bins on shake recipes | 0+ | $900-1,100 per zone |
For your own planning:
To begin your Jones franchise, you’ll need to fill out the application and demonstrate sufficient assets to cover the equipment costs and associated property lease/rent. The first step is submitting the general franchise inquiry form here.
To start the process, a nonrefundable fee of $12,000 is paid to Jonesburger LLC, along with the initial franchise agreement.
This fee covers typical startup assistance for your franchise, including onsite reviews, training, planning, and soft open / grand open support. It’s expected that you will have already selected a location at this point and plan to open within eight months of the fee. The fee schedules list below are effective from the point of grand opening.
Your franchise service rate schedule will be as follows:
These rates may be adjusted dependent on any financing or other assistance provided.
Your franchise marketing fee schedule will be as follows:
These rates may be adjusted dependent on any financing or other assistance provided.