How Much Does Bahama Buck's Original Shaved Ice Company Franchise Cost?

A single Bahama Buck's Store requires an estimated initial investment of $539,550 to $1,190,550 under the July 16, 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. That range covers the period before opening and the first three months of operation. It applies to the core store model, which may be an inline location or a free-standing location; the FDD does not publish a separate total investment range for each of those two premises formats.

Item 7 includes 17 cost categories covering the agreement, premises, construction, systems, opening stock, training-related travel, launch expenses and a three-month cash allowance. The figures below preserve the FDD's official categories rather than replacing them with a midpoint or a locally estimated budget.

Agreement, site and construction costs

These payments begin at signing and continue through site control and construction. They are the categories most likely to determine how quickly capital must be available.

*Item 5 and Item 6 state a $5,000 Provisional Architect Review Fee when the franchisee uses an unapproved architect, while the Item 7 row caps the amount at $2,500. Source: 2025 FDD, Items 5-7, pp. 4, 6 and 10.

Systems, signage and opening stock

Item 7 groups the physical operating package into Signage & Decor, the Revel POS package, Equipment, Inventory and Supplies. Trade Winds Distribution, LLC, the franchisor's affiliate, is a required source for specified proprietary products and an optional source for several other categories.

Source: 2025 FDD, Item 7, p. 10; required and optional supplier relationships are explained in Item 8, pp. 15-17.

Training, launch costs and Additional Funds

The remaining categories cover travel, living expenses, insurance, pre-opening advertising and a working-capital allowance. Additional Funds are already included in the total investment and must not be added a second time.

Source: 2025 FDD, Item 7, pp. 11 and 14-15. Item 7 Note 18 also says the high amount would be $40,000 for a franchisee not obtaining an SBA loan, although the table prints $20,000 at both ends; that inconsistency requires written clarification.

The 2025 FDD describes one core store total, with inline and free-standing premises inside that range. A mobile-sales amendment adds an approved cart, trailer or truck to a store relationship, while a development agreement creates obligations for additional full stores. These structures should not be blended into one attractive headline number.

What does the Multi-Store Amendment require?

A three-store commitment carries a disclosed total initial investment of $1,617,150 to $3,571,500. The development fee is $17,250 for the second store and $17,250 for the third store, payable when the development agreement is signed. Each amount is nonrefundable but is credited against the Initial Franchise Fee for that later store. A separate contract is required for each location. Source: 2025 FDD, Item 5, pp. 4-5, and Item 7, pp. 11-12.

The three-store table does not fully reconcile with the single-store table: it lists first-location costs of $539,050 at the low end, which is $500 below the single-store Item 7 total. The official three-store total is reported as disclosed, not recalculated.

The cash requirement is staged rather than paid as one check. The Franchise Fee and any Multi-Store development fees come first; premises, design, construction and equipment payments follow; launch and working-capital costs continue through the first three months.

1. Sign the agreements

   Pay the $34,500 signing fee when the contract is executed. For a three-store commitment, also pay $17,250 for each additional committed store, excluding the first.

2. Control the site and submit plans

   Fund rent or security deposits, Professional Services and permits as incurred. An architect-review charge applies when an architect outside the approved pool is used; the FDD contains conflicting $2,500 and $5,000 figures.

3. Construct and equip the store

   Pay contractors during and upon completion of construction, then fund Signage & Decor, the Revel POS package, Equipment, Inventory, Supplies and Utility Deposits as incurred.

4. Complete training and opening preparation

   Pay travel and living expenses during training, quarterly Insurance, Licenses & Permits and the pre-opening advertising expense. Training tuition for two people is included in that signing payment; additional people may create a separate fee.

5. Carry the first three months

   Use the included opening-cash allowance for disclosed operating shortfalls and cash-flow shortages, while the percentage-based continuing charges begin after sales occur.

The principal continuing percentage charges are a 6% Royalty Fee and a 2% Advertising Fee, each based on Gross Sales. Gross Sales are defined as gross revenue from all items sold in the franchised retail business, less applicable sales taxes, coupon credits and discounts. The FDD does not convert either percentage into an annual dollar amount.

Source: 2025 FDD, Item 6, pp. 5-10, and Item 11, p. 25.

Training and meeting charges after the included program

Initial training tuition is included for two people for five days, but extra participants and later training can create separate costs.

Additional initial trainees

$300 per person per day plus the franchisor's expenses; due under the Item 6 schedule.

Retraining

$300 per person per day plus expenses when required to cure a contractdefault.

Optional continuing training

$300 per person per day. Mandatory continuing programs are stated to have no additional tuition charge.

Annual national or regional meetings

$200 per person per day, plus the franchisee's attendance costs.

Item 6 contains several event-triggered charges that are not part of the ordinary percentage-fee cycle. They become relevant when opening is delayed, a store is transferred or renewed, reports are late, a supplier is proposed, products are returned or a contractual default occurs.

• Development Extension Amendment: $3,000 for six months or $5,000 for twelve months, due when the amendment is executed.
• Provisional Architect Review Fee: Item 6 states $5,000 upon submission of the selected architect's plan; Item 7 states $0-$2,500.
• Product Rush Fee: the greater of $25 or 10% of the order value when less than 24 hours' notice is provided.
• Renewal Fee: $7,500 at renewal. Item 17 also requires good standing, two-to-six months' notice and conformity with current standards.
• Transfer and Assignment Fee: $7,500 at transfer, waived for a single-store transfer to a legal entity controlled by the franchisee.
• Delinquency and violation charges: currently $25 per late payment, interest up to 18% per year, and escalating late-report or violation fees of $100, $250 and $500 after a warning.
• Supplier approval: $150 per hour plus actual costs to evaluate a non-approved supplier; a trademark-using supplier may also owe a licensing fee.
• Lost, destroyed or stolen Manual: $500 per manual.
• Audit: the franchisor's actual examination cost if amounts owed were under-reported by 2% or more.
• Restocking Fee: 20% of the cost of qualifying products returned in original condition, deducted from the merchandise credit.
• Insurance reimbursement: actual cost if required insurance is not maintained and the franchisor purchases coverage.
• Indemnification, attorneys' fees and default cure: actual fees and costs as incurred or on demand under the circumstances stated in Item 6.

Source: 2025 FDD, Item 6, pp. 5-10, and Item 17, pp. 35-38.

The 2025 FDD does not disclose minimum amounts for Liquid Capital, Net Worth or Non-Borrowed Funds. Those concepts are not interchangeable with the Estimated Initial Investment, and a buyer should not infer an approval threshold from Item 7.

Estimated Initial Investment

The disclosed startup range for the store and first three months; it is not a statement of lender equity or available cash.

Liquid Capital

No minimum is disclosed in the 2025 FDD. Confirm the franchisor's current screening standard in writing.

Net Worth

No minimum is disclosed in the 2025 FDD. Net Worth would not equal cash available for construction and opening.

Personal Guarantee

The FDD states that entity owners are individually responsible for specified obligations and that a spouse may be required to sign a guaranty.

Item 10 states that the franchisor does not offer direct or indirect financing and does not guarantee a note, lease or obligation. Item 7 says financed improvements or Equipment may reduce immediate investment outlay but increase working-capital needs for debt service or lease payments. General government information is available through the SBA 7(a) loan program and SBA Lender Match, but neither source implies approval for this franchise or for a particular borrower.

Source: 2025 FDD, Item 7, pp. 13-15; Item 9, p. 20; Item 10, p. 21; and the Special Risks page.

The 2025 FDD contains several internal differences that can affect a construction budget, opening cushion or multi-store calculation. They should be reconciled against the current agreement, approved supplier quotes and location-specific development documents before money is committed.

• Single-store high total: the cover and line-item arithmetic support $1,190,550, while the Item 7 total row prints $1,190,500.
• Architect review: Items 5 and 6 state $5,000; Item 7 states a high of $2,500.
• Build-out versus format note: the Item 7 row is $300,000-$750,000, but the inline and free-standing footnote ranges span $270,000-$800,000 and exclude some free-standing site work.
• Equipment: Item 7 lists $111,000-$185,000, while Item 5 and Item 7 notes contain different affiliate-purchase ranges.
• Additional Funds: the table shows $20,000 at both ends, while Note 18 references a $40,000 high amount for a non-SBA borrower.
• Three-store low total: the Multi-Store table uses $539,050 for the first location, $500 below the single-store Item 7 low total.
• Excluded or unresolved amounts: real estate purchase payments, free-standing paving and property improvements, some payroll taxes, owner or manager salary, utility expense, debt service, equipment lease payments and future POS upgrades are not fully resolved by the stated total.

The verified 2025 disclosure places a single store at approximately $539,550 to $1,190,550, with premises construction as the largest disclosed variable. A three-store commitment is separately disclosed at $1,617,150 to $3,571,500, and Mobile/Satellite equipment can add $7,000 to $159,600 depending on the unit. Those figures are distinct from any undisclosed liquidity or net-worth screening standard.

The ongoing cost contract includes a 6% Royalty Fee, a 2% Advertising Fee, required proprietary-product purchases and several conditional charges. The most important unresolved issue is not the $34,500 signing payment; it is the written reconciliation of construction format, the opening-cash allowance, affiliate purchases and the FDD's internal numeric differences.