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Why keep Betty Rae’s from the world? KC ice cream shop franchising brand across region
Matt Shatto wants to “create smiles across the country” — not just in the metro. His plan: scoop a pint of franchising into the handcrafted mix for Betty Rae’s Ice Cream, a shop that developed into multiple must-visit Kansas City destinations over nearly a decade.
Betty Rae’s cinnamon roll ice cream; courtesy photo
Betty Rae’s is now targeting seven cities in the region for its franchise footprint: St. Louis, Missouri; Wichita, Kansas; Bentonville, Arkansas; Nashville, Tennessee; Denver, Colorado; and Oklahoma City and Tulsa in Oklahoma. The company is eying franchise partners who will open two to five shops in each market.
Shatto purchased Betty Rae’s in 2023 with the idea of expanding the number of locations. He rapidly added three more metro shops.
“We wanted to get it to more people in Kansas City. But we didn’t want to limit [the brand] to people in Kansas City,” he said of taking Betty Rae’s regional, then national. “We think it is the best ice cream available. Why in the world are we keeping it from people outside?”
A franchise brochure for Betty Rae’s touts its strong neighborhood draw and unique made-from-scratch offerings.
The brand features 26 core flavors, including such classics as vanilla bean and chocolate, along with monthly rotational creations such as Matcha, Bee’s Knees and Nutty Professor, and collaborations with local makers such as Joe’s Kansas City Bar-B-Que.
The menu also includes waffle cones, ice cream sandwiches, shakes, sundaes, and ice cream flights. It recently introduced a vegan and gluten-free cone to go with its vegan and dairy-free ice cream options. Customers also can pick up 4-ounce containers (with a wooden spoon), pints, quarts and gallons of its ice cream at the stores.
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For prospective franchisees, Betty Rae’s wants to know: Do you have retail experience? Do you have available funds? How deep is your love for ice cream?
Interested entrepreneurs should have a net worth of $500,000 (including $250,000 in liquid capital), and preferably franchise or food experience. Start-up costs range from $272,000 to $545,000.
The franchise fee is $45,000, royalty fees would be 6 percent of gross sales and the brand fund would be 3 percent of gross sales.
Betty Rae’s will help franchisees select sites and design the spaces — typically between 1,000-to-2,700 square feet with a patio, Shatto said. Then it will help with marketing, advertising, and employee training.
Interior look at branding and merch inside Betty Rae’s Ice Cream in Omaha; photo by Omaha Guide
The first franchise location opened in Omaha, Nebraska, in September, and franchisee Zach Molacek plans to open another shop in the spring.
“It’s been good, we didn’t open in an optimal time,” he said, noting the cooler fall season, “but we have had a steady flow of traffic. I’ll be real curious to see what it does in the summer months up here.”
“Matt’s been great,” Molacek added. “He’s been more than willing to help out, answer questions and lead me in the right direction.”
Locally, Betty Rae’s has locations in Merriam, Olathe, Prairie Village, the River Market, and Waldo. Any new metro shops will continue to be corporate-owned.
Betty Rae’s commissary and production facility is at the Merriam location. The company would also consider opening a commissary in one of the regional markets.
Click here for more information about the franchise program or email Matt Shatto at [email protected]
Startland News contributor Joyce Smith covered local restaurants and retail for nearly 40 years with The Kansas City Star. Click here to follow her on Bluesky, here for X (formerly Twitter), here for Facebook, here for Instagram, and by following #joyceinkc on Threads.
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