The Baked Bear
The Baked Bear is a privately held, San Diego-based franchise dessert restaurant chain specializing in made-to-order custom ice cream sandwiches built from over a dozen baked-from-scratch cookies and ice cream flavors. Founded in 2012, it operates 40+ storefronts and food trucks across 13 US states via owner-operator franchisees.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2013
- HeadquartersSan Diego, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What The Baked Bear does
The Baked Bear is a San Diego-based, privately held dessert restaurant concept founded in 2012 by childhood friends Rob Robbins and Shane Stanger, with the first retail location opening in Pacific Beach in May 2013. The company's core product is a made-to-order ice cream sandwich built through a mix-and-match configurator: customers select from over a dozen baked-from-scratch original-recipe cookies or brownies for the top and bottom, choose an ice cream flavor for the middle, add toppings, and can opt to have the sandwich hot pressed. The product portfolio also includes Bear Bowls, hot fudge sundaes, standalone brownies, rotating "Cookies of the Month," and a rotating flavor library including vegan and gluten-free options.
The company operates through a franchise-led distribution model. The franchisor entity, BB Franchise, LLC, charges a $35,000 one-time franchise fee per location plus a 6% royalty on sales; total entry costs range from $279,548 to $870,839, and the target franchisee is an owner-operator with a minimum of $200,000 in liquid capital. The network comprises 40+ storefronts and a handful of food trucks across 13 US states, plus an online ordering platform for pickup and delivery. Customer-facing technology is a configurator-style menu and standard ordering site; there is no proprietary AI/ML, no mobile app, and no public API.
Primary end customers are individual consumers, families, and tourists visiting coastal and tourism-oriented markets such as Pacific Beach, Fisherman's Wharf, Hermosa Beach, Miami Beach, and South Padre Island. Secondary B2B customers are franchisees, who are recruited through a dedicated franchise application funnel and trained at the flagship Pacific Beach location. Pricing follows a unit-pricing consumer model at the store level and a multi-year franchise license plus ongoing royalty model at the system level. Revenue to the franchisor is a mix of upfront franchise fees and recurring 6% royalty income; system-wide retail revenue is not disclosed.
The Baked Bear firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- The Baked Bear
- Legal name
- BB Franchise, LLC
- Website
- https://thebakedbear.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2013
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- The Baked Bear is a privately held, San Diego-based franchise dessert restaurant chain specializing in made-to-order custom ice cream sandwiches built from over a dozen baked-from-scratch cookies and ice cream flavors. Founded in 2012, it operates 40+ storefronts and food trucks across 13 US states via owner-operator franchisees.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
The Baked Bear industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Specialty Dessert Restaurant
- NAICS
- Baked Goods Retailers (445291), Ice Cream and Frozen Dessert Manufacturing (311520), Bread and Bakery Product Manufacturing (31181), Cookie and Cracker Manufacturing (311821)
- SIC
- Ice Cream & Frozen Desserts (2024), Cookies & Crackers (2052), Bakery Products (2050)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Cookie & Brownie Shops (THAFAGAF)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Dessert-First Bakeries (Cupcakes, Cookies, Brownies) (THAFAFAH)
Keywords
Where The Baked Bear is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Diego
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices46 records
Markets served
The Baked Bear business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Retail Store Sales: Direct customer purchases of custom ice cream sandwiches, ice cream cups/cones/pints, cookies, sundaes, Bear Bowls, and seasonal rotating flavors at physical store locations.
- Franchise Fees: One-time franchise fee of $35,000 per location plus ongoing 6% royalty on sales from franchisees.
- Online Ordering: Pickup and delivery orders placed through the company's online ordering platform.
- Catering Services: Catering services offered at individual store locations as indicated by catering email contacts at various stores.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| One time/ perpetual license | Multi-year contract | Franchise Cost Range |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Consumer Menu Items |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
The Baked Bear product offering
Product offeringCore offering
The Baked Bear operates a specialty dessert restaurant concept centered on made-to-order custom ice cream sandwiches. Customers mix and match from over a dozen baked-from-scratch original-recipe cookies or brownies for the top and bottom, choose their preferred ice cream flavor, add toppings, and can optionally have the sandwich hot pressed. The company also offers Bear Bowls, Hot Fudge Sundaes, Brownies, catering, and operates a franchise program for expansion.
Product overview
The Baked Bear is a specialty dessert restaurant chain offering made-to-order custom ice cream sandwiches as its core product. Customers build their sandwiches by selecting from over a dozen baked-from-scratch original-recipe cookies or brownies for the top and bottom, choosing their preferred ice cream flavor from a rotating selection, adding toppings like sprinkles, hot fudge, Nutella, or candy pieces, and optionally getting the sandwich hot pressed. The product portfolio also includes standalone Bear Bowls (cookie/brownie bowls with ice cream), Hot Fudge Sundaes, and Brownies. The company operates a franchise program for expansion and maintains food truck operations in select markets. The business is built around a mix-and-match customization model where each sandwich is assembled to order, supporting both traditional sandwich formats and alternative presentations.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Custom Ice Cream Sandwich The flagship product offering: made-to-order ice cream sandwiches where customers select cookies or brownies for the top and bottom, choose their ice cream flavor, add toppings, and optionally get the sandwich hot pressed.
- Ice Cream Flavors Over a dozen original-recipe ice cream flavors including Caramel Pretzel Fudge, Bear Batter, Mud Pie, Mint Chip, Dark Chocolate, Cookies & Cream, Strawberry Shortcake, Cookie Dough, Vegan Chocolate Chip, Blackberry Crumble, Old Fashioned Vanilla, and Toasted S'mores.
- Fresh Baked Cookies Homemade from-scratch cookies including White Chocolate Macadamia Nut, Chocolate Chip, Cookie Monster, Cookies & Cream, Funfetti, Gooey Butter Cake, Nutella Chocolate Chunk, Snickerdoodle, plus rotating Vegan/Gluten-Free and Cookies of the Month varieties.
- Bear Bowl Warm cookie or brownie bowl filled with ice cream, offering an alternative to the traditional sandwich format.
- Hot Fudge Sundae Classic sundae featuring hot fudge and ice cream.
- Brownies Fudgy brownie pieces available as a standalone item or as sandwich components.
- Franchise Program Franchise opportunity allowing entrepreneurs to open The Baked Bear locations, with total costs ranging from $279,548-$870,839, franchise fee of $35,000, and 6% royalty fee.
- Food Truck Operations Mobile food truck units serving The Baked Bear products at various locations and events, including Dallas, Oklahoma, and Jersey Shore food trucks.
Quantifiable outcome
- Lines out the door from day one of first location opening
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use The Baked Bear
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
The Baked Bear technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
The Baked Bear partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators4 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
The Baked Bear competitors and assessment
Company assessmentEmerging players
- Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams: Specialty ice cream scoop shop brand with distinctive flavors and DTC shipping; competes for the same premium, experience-driven dessert consumer but with a different core format than The Baked Bear's sandwich.
- Van Leeuwen Ice Cream: Premium ice cream brand with shop, grocery, and DTC channels; overlaps with The Baked Bear on premium positioning and visual, social-media-friendly product, though focused on pints and scoops rather than sandwiches.
- Salt & Straw: Craft ice cream brand with rotating small-batch flavors and strong storytelling; competes with The Baked Bear on premium, experiential, shareable positioning but does not currently franchise at similar scale.
Broad incumbents
- Dairy Queen: Mass-market ice cream and frozen dessert QSR incumbent with thousands of franchised locations; competes for the same impulse-dessert occasion but with a much broader, less customizable menu.
- Baskin-Robbins: Largest US specialty ice cream chain with a wide flavor rotation and broad franchise footprint; competes for custom dessert occasions but operates at much larger scale and lower customization intensity than The Baked Bear.
Others
- Crumbl Cookies: High-growth franchise cookie brand with rotating weekly flavors and strong social media presence; relevant adjacent comparable for The Baked Bear's franchise economics, social-driven marketing, and customer overlap.
Direct peers
- Cold Stone Creamery: National ice cream franchise built around customizable mix-ins on a frozen slab; the most direct functional analog to The Baked Bear's build-your-own dessert concept, with similar franchise economics.
- Insomnia Cookies: Late-night cookie chain that has expanded into ice cream and cookie ice cream sandwiches; overlaps directly with The Baked Bear on the cookie-plus-ice-cream sandwich offering and direct-to-consumer delivery model.
- Marble Slab Creamery: Franchise concept centered on made-to-order ice cream with mix-ins on a frozen marble slab; competes head-on with The Baked Bear's customization-and-fresh-ingredients positioning in the custom dessert category.
- Creamistry: Specialty ice cream franchise using liquid nitrogen to make-to-order customizable ice cream; comparable to The Baked Bear on experiential, build-your-own premium ice cream positioning and franchise-driven growth.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
The Baked Bear social profiles
Digital presenceThe Baked Bear financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
The Baked Bear leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
The Baked Bear funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
The Baked Bear M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about The Baked Bear
What does The Baked Bear do?
The Baked Bear operates a specialty dessert restaurant concept centered on made-to-order custom ice cream sandwiches. Customers mix and match from over a dozen baked-from-scratch original-recipe cookies or brownies for the top and bottom, choose their preferred ice cream flavor, add toppings, and can optionally have the sandwich hot pressed. The company also offers Bear Bowls, Hot Fudge Sundaes, Brownies, catering, and operates a franchise program for expansion.
Is The Baked Bear a public or private company?
The Baked Bear is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was The Baked Bear founded?
The Baked Bear was founded in 2013. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is The Baked Bear based?
The Baked Bear is headquartered in San Diego, United States, in the North America region.
How does The Baked Bear make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Retail Store Sales are the primary driver. The others are franchise Fees, online Ordering and catering Services.
Who are The Baked Bear's main competitors?
Emerging players on record are Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams, Van Leeuwen Ice Cream and Salt & Straw. Broad incumbents are Dairy Queen and Baskin-Robbins. Crumbl Cookies is listed as an others. Direct peers are Cold Stone Creamery, Insomnia Cookies, Marble Slab Creamery and Creamistry.
Does The Baked Bear have an API?
No public API is recorded for The Baked Bear.
What industry is The Baked Bear in?
The Baked Bear's product category is Specialty Dessert Restaurant. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFAGAF, Cookie & Brownie Shops, with a secondary code of THAFAFAH, Dessert-First Bakeries (Cupcakes, Cookies, Brownies). Its NAICS code is 445291 and its SIC code is 2024.