Recipes

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.

Setup Team

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.

Physical Location

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.

Terminal Locations

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.

Branding and Signage

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.

Vendors and Suppliers

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.

Equipment Maintenance

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.

Soft Open and Grand Opening Support

Your initial franchise fee includes a full-scale soft opening and grand opening support program, where you get someone from the Jones team, onsite.

Financial Assistance

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).

Your Venue

A Jones location must be fun and inviting.  We have some basic requirements to ensure that your location is appropriate for the Jones brand.

Outdoor Service

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:

• Parking spaces:  Minimum ten (10) available when employees are working
• Sufficient area for outdoor menu board(s), signage and lighting
• Location for order kiosk is preferred

Indoor Seating

Locations which provide indoor seating generally lend themselves countertop (quick serve) ordering, with table service. 

• There must be a reasonable area for queueing which has visibility to the menu in multiple locations

Drive-Thrus

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.

Expected Costs

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.

Equipment

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

Opening Inventory

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.

Technical Requirements

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

Menu Parameters

• Assumption of no food service
• May or may not carry ice cream; there are benefits and drawbacks to either scenario
• Recommend that you carry Jones soda
• Menu will consist of 80-100 core flavors; additional flavor rotation TBD

Buildout Potential Requirements

• Equipment electricity
• Plumbing
• LAN drops
• Temperature monitor installation
• Server installation
• Outdoor signage
• Inspections

Typical Monthly Expenditures

For your own planning:

• Soft serve testing
• Credit card fees
• POS licenses
• Temperature monitoring (if selected)

Franchise Costs

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.

Initiation Fee

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.

Service Fee

Your franchise service rate schedule will be as follows:

• Months 1-6:  2.5% gross, paid n/15 following the month
• Months 7-12: 3.5% gross, paid n/15 following the month
• Months 13-24: 4.0% gross, paid n/15 following the month
• Months 25+: 4.5% gross, paid n/15 following the month

These rates may be adjusted dependent on any financing or other assistance provided.

Marketing Fees

Your franchise marketing fee schedule will be as follows:

• Months 1-6:  1% gross, paid n/15 following the month
• Months 7-12: 1% gross, paid n/15 following the month
• Months 13-24: 1.5% gross, paid n/15 following the month
• Months 25+: 2.0% gross, paid n/15 following the month

These rates may be adjusted dependent on any financing or other assistance provided.