Franchise with Popbar
Own the shop people photograph before they eat.
Handcrafted gelato on a stick, dipped to order in front of the customer. A small-footprint dessert format with no fryers, no espresso bar, and a product that sells itself on a phone screen.
The model
One product, made in front of the customer.
A guest picks a gelato or sorbetto pop from the case, chooses a chocolate to dip it in, then picks toppings. The whole transaction takes under ninety seconds and happens in full view of the counter — which is why the queue is the marketing.
Everything arrives frozen and finished. There is no pastry program, no fryer, no hood, no barista training. The skill you are hiring for is speed and friendliness, not culinary experience.
Why operators choose it
Built for a small footprint and a short training curve.
No kitchen build-out
Frozen product, display freezers and a dipping station. No hood, no grease trap, no fryer — which widens the list of spaces you can sign and cuts the fit-out you have to fund.
Ninety-second ticket
A simple, repeatable build means new staff are productive in days. Throughput holds up in the evening rush, which is when a dessert concept earns its rent.
The product markets itself
A dipped pop with toppings is photographed before it is eaten. Your customers produce the local content that fills the store on weekends.
Two revenue lines, not one
Retail counter by day, plus event catering and corporate orders — carts, parties, weddings, office gifting — using the same freezer and the same staff.
A winter answer
Hot Chocolate on a Stick carries the cold months, when most frozen-dessert concepts go quiet. It is the same counter, a different season.
A real product story
All-natural gelato and dairy-free sorbetto, made without artificial colours or flavours. The ingredient list is the answer to the question every parent asks.
Formats
Start at the size your market supports.
Most operators begin with an in-line store and add a cart once they know their calendar. Investment ranges are indicative and confirmed with you during discovery.
In-line retail store
A leased unit in a mall, high street or lifestyle centre with a full counter and seating for a handful of guests.
- Small footprint, no commercial kitchen
- Full topping bar and dipping station
- Year-round trade with the winter range
Kiosk or pop-up
A compact counter inside a mall concourse, food hall or seasonal space. Lower rent, shorter commitment, faster to open.
- Reduced fit-out and fewer staff per shift
- A way to prove a market before signing a store
- Converts to in-line when demand is established
Events and catering
A branded cart that leaves the store for weddings, corporate days and private parties — booked in advance, paid in advance.
- Runs from the freezer you already stock
- Deposits collected before the date
- Fills the weekday gaps in a retail calendar
What you get
Support that lands before opening day and stays after it.
Site selection
We review your shortlisted spaces against footfall, co-tenancy and the evening trade the concept depends on.
Store design
Layout, fixtures, freezer specification and the signage package, adapted to your unit.
Training
Hands-on opening training for you and your team, covering the dip, the topping bar and shift flow.
Supply chain
Established production and distribution for gelato, sorbetto, chocolate and toppings.
Brand and marketing
Launch assets, seasonal campaigns and the photography library, ready to localise.
Ongoing operations
A direct line for menu changes, seasonal ranges and the questions that only come up once you are trading.
The path
Five steps from first conversation to opening.
Inquiry
You submit the form with your market, timeline and background. We respond within two business days.
Discovery call
An honest conversation about your city, the unit economics and whether the format fits.
Market review
We look at the territory together — competition, footfall, seasonality and the sites available.
Agreement
Disclosure documents, territory terms and the build timeline are settled in writing.
Build and open
Fit-out, staff training, launch campaign, opening weekend.
Who this suits
The operators who do well with it.
You do not need a food background. You do need to be in the store in the first year, and you need a market you genuinely know.
- An owner-operator, not a passive investor
- Local knowledge of the city and its retail corridors
- Capital in place, or a clear route to it
- Comfortable hiring and running a young shift team
- Interested in the events side, not only the counter
- Planning one strong store first, not five at once
Where we are
Open today, and the markets we are talking to.
Franchise stores in California, a delivery kitchen and events operation in New York, and event catering across Georgia. Territory in most of the country is open.
Questions
The things operators ask first.
Do I need restaurant experience?
No. Most of our operators come from retail, another business, or a corporate career. What matters more is that you will be present in the store through the first year and that you are comfortable managing a shift team.
How much space do I need?
Less than a café. There is no cooking line, no hood and no grease trap — the requirement is display freezer space, a dipping station and a counter. That is what makes kiosks and in-line mall units viable.
What does it cost to open?
It depends on the format and your market, and we will not quote you a number before we have seen your site. Ranges are covered in the discovery call and confirmed in the disclosure documents.
Is it seasonal?
Frozen dessert has a summer peak, which is why the winter range exists. Hot Chocolate on a Stick and the events calendar are what carry the colder months.
Do I get an exclusive territory?
Territory is defined in the franchise agreement and discussed during the market review, once we both understand the city and how many units it can support.
How long from signing to opening?
Most of the timeline is site and construction, not brand approval. The variable that moves it most is how quickly you secure a lease.
Next step
Tell us about your market.
The inquiry takes about two minutes. We read every one and respond within two business days — with a real answer about whether your city fits, not a brochure.
Prefer to talk first? andrew@pop-bar.com · (212) 444-8141