Kahala Brands

What Kahala Brands does

Kahala Brands is a Scottsdale, Arizona-based restaurant franchising company that operates a portfolio of more than 28 quick-service restaurant (QSR) brands, including Cold Stone Creamery, Pinkberry, sweetFrog, TacoTime, Blimpie, Baja Fresh, Wetzel's Pretzels, Planet Smoothie, and The Counter. The company serves franchisees — primarily multi-unit developers domestically and master franchisees internationally — and indirectly serves end consumers through nearly 2,900 franchisee-operated locations across approximately 28 countries generating approximately $750 million in system-wide sales annually. Kahala Brands is a wholly-owned subsidiary of MTY Group, a Canadian publicly-traded food franchising conglomerate listed on the TSX under ticker TMY.

The company earns revenue through a multi-stream franchising model: initial one-time franchise fees under 10-year franchise agreements, ongoing royalty fees collected as a percentage of franchisee sales, and recurring advertising fees that fund national and local marketing initiatives. Supporting technology consists of a franchise management and brand portfolio platform with digital marketing capabilities, alongside shared back-office infrastructure in purchasing, finance, real estate, training, IT, and human resources. Brand-specific marketing is delivered through in-house creative, digital/interactive, public relations, and brand management teams that operate across the portfolio while preserving individual brand identity.

Kahala Brands distributes through domestic franchise development and international master franchise arrangements, with master franchisees acting as country-level operators responsible for sub-franchising and unit development. The company also generates brand-level marketing momentum through entertainment-licensed limited-time product launches — including 2026 partnerships with DC Studios/Warner Bros. (Supergirl) and Miraculous Corp — and recurring cross-promotions with major CPG partners such as General Mills (Lucky Charms). Operationally, the company runs the Kahala Training & Education Center (KTEC) in Scottsdale, which provides five-day classroom training as part of franchise onboarding.

Name

Kahala Brands

Legal name

Kahala Franchising, L.L.C.

Website

https://kahalamgmt.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Kahala Brands operates a portfolio of 28+ quick-service restaurant brands through nearly 2,900 franchisee-run locations across 28 countries, generating approximately $750 million in system-wide sales. The Scottsdale-based company, a subsidiary of Canada's MTY Group, earns revenue from franchise fees, royalties, and advertising fees.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Restaurant Franchising

NAICS

Specialty Food Retailers (4452)

SIC

Retail-Eating & Drinking Places (5810)

akta.pro primary industry

Coffee Chains & Franchise Cafes (THAFADAB)

Keywords

• Restaurant franchising
• Quick-service restaurants
• Franchise development
• Brand portfolio management
• Master franchise operations

Headquarters

HQ city

Scottsdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Franchise Royalties: Ongoing royalty fees from franchisees, varying by brand. Royalty fees are collected as a percentage of franchisee sales.
2. Franchise Fees: Initial franchise fees for new franchisees. Standard franchise agreement term is 10 years.
3. Advertising Fees: Advertising fees collected from franchisees, varying by brand, for national and local marketing initiatives.
4. System-wide Sales: Generating approximately $750 million in system-wide sales annually across the portfolio of 28+ brands and nearly 3,000 locations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kahala Brands is a restaurant franchising company that owns and licenses a portfolio of 28+ quick-service restaurant brands, including Cold Stone Creamery, Pinkberry, sweetFrog, Blimpie, TacoTime, Baja Fresh, and Wetzel's Pretzels. The company generates revenue by selling franchise rights and collecting ongoing royalties and advertising fees from approximately 2,900 franchisee-operated locations across 28+ countries. It supports franchisees with in-house services spanning marketing, R&D, operations, training (KTEC), real estate, design and construction, and centralized purchasing.

Product overview

Kahala Brands is a restaurant franchising company operating 28+ quick-service restaurant brands with approximately 2,900 locations across 28 countries and nearly $750 million in system-wide sales annually. The portfolio spans diverse food categories including ice cream (Cold Stone Creamery), frozen yogurt (Pinkberry, sweetFrog), sub sandwiches (Blimpie), Mexican cuisine (TacoTime, Baja Fresh, America's Taco Shop, La Salsa, Mucho Burrito), burgers (The Counter, Built Custom Burgers), Japanese food (Samurai Sam's Teriyaki Grill, Ginger Sushi Boutique, Thai Express), smoothies and health drinks (Planet Smoothie, Maui Wowi, NrGize, Surf City Squeeze, Grabbagreen), coffee (Kahala Coffee Traders), pretzels (Wetzel's Pretzels), pizza (Johnnie's), chicken (Ranch One), and various other concepts (Frullati Cafe & Bakery, Rollerz, Cereality, Tasti D-Lite, LaDiperie, Extreme Pita, Great Steak). The company provides franchise development, real estate, design & construction, training, operations, purchasing & supply chain, research & development, marketing, creative services, public relations, and digital/interactive marketing support to franchisees.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Kahala Brands Portfolio: Collection of 28+ quick-service restaurant brands including Cold Stone Creamery, Pinkberry, sweetFrog, TacoTime, Blimpie, Baja Fresh, Wetzel's Pretzels, and others
• Featured Brands
• Rewards Program

Products and services

• Cold Stone Creamery

Quantifiable outcome

• Cold Stone Creamery average gross sales of $621,052 per outlet (2024)
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Miraculous CorpminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 27 May 2026sweetFrog Premium Frozen Yogurt launched limited-time partnership with Miraculous Corp for hero-themed summer experience featuring 'Power Up Raspberry Macaron Frozen Yogurt' from May 27 through August 18, 2026.
• Warner Bros. PicturesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPinkberry partnered with Warner Bros. Pictures and DC Studios for Supergirl film promotional frozen yogurt products launching June 2026, featuring limited-time Supergirl Galactic Lemonade Frozen Yogurt.
• DC StudiosminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCold Stone Creamery collaborated with DC Studios and Warner Bros. for Supergirl-themed ice cream products timed to the June 26, 2026 film release, including Kettle Corn Ice Cream Creation and themed shake.
• General MillsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCold Stone Creamery annual Lucky Charms cross-promotion with General Mills featuring seasonal treats including 'Ice Cream at the End of the Rainbow' Creation and 'Sprinkled with Charms' shake.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Jack in the Box: Publicly traded QSR franchisor with primarily company-operated and franchised Jack in the Box and Del Taco locations. Comparable as a multi-concept franchisor with similar revenue mix (royalties, franchise fees, advertising).
• Restaurant Brands International: QSR holding company franchising Burger King, Tim Hortons, Popeyes, and Firehouse Subs. Larger and publicly traded, it competes for multi-unit franchisee capital and demonstrates the multi-brand QSR franchisor model at much greater scale.
• Yum! Brands: Fortune 500 multi-brand QSR franchisor of KFC, Pizza Hut, Taco Bell, and Habit Burger. While its brands operate at materially larger scale, the shared multi-brand QSR franchise operating model makes it a relevant broader incumbent comparable.
• Inspire Brands: Multi-brand restaurant company (Roark Capital portfolio) franchising Arby's, Buffalo Wild Wings, Sonic, Dunkin', Baskin-Robbins, and Jimmy John's. Closest direct comparison to Kahala in terms of portfolio breadth and franchise-led model, though at much larger scale.
• Flynn Restaurant Group: Largest franchise operator in the US operating Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, Wendy's, Arby's, and Panera locations. Adjacent peer - operates as a multi-brand franchisee rather than franchisor but competes for franchise rights and shares customer base with Kahala brands.
• Wendy's Company: Publicly traded QSR franchisor competing for franchisee capital and consumer share in the burger segment, where Kahala's Counter and Built Custom Burgers brands overlap. Larger scale but comparable franchise-driven unit economics.

Direct peers

• MTY Group: MTY Group is the Canadian parent company of Kahala Brands and itself operates a large portfolio of franchised food brands. It is the closest direct peer given shared multi-brand QSR franchising model and operational overlap, though Kahala is its US-focused subsidiary.
• Fat Brands: Publicly traded multi-brand restaurant franchising company operating Fatburger, Hurricane Grill & Wings, Round Table Pizza, and others. Highly comparable business model - multi-brand QSR franchisor with system-wide sales in similar range, providing direct read-across on valuation and unit economics.
• Yadav Enterprises: Large multi-brand QSR franchisee operating Taco Bell, KFC, and other concepts. Represents the franchisee customer base that Kahala targets; comparable in scale of multi-unit operations and provides demand signal for Kahala's franchise opportunities.
• Subway: World's largest single-brand QSR franchisor by unit count, directly competing with Blimpie in the sub sandwich category. While not multi-brand, its franchisor economics and target franchisee base closely overlap with Kahala's core offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kahala_92406

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries30 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A1 record

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kahala Brands