Marble Slab Creamery is a hand-scooped, mix-in-driven ice cream format, not a soft-serve or self-serve concept — the equipment package (dip cabinets, hard-freezer capacity, the marble slab itself) and the staff's smashing technique are part of what a buyer is actually paying for. The format's revenue also swings hard by season, so a resale built around a single trailing-twelve-month number can be misleading without a month-by-month read.
Marble Slab Creamery resales follow the franchisor's own approval process on top of the usual purchase mechanics — here's how the two run together.
Getting approved
The offer sets price and structure, conditioned on franchisor consent, a walkthrough of the freezer and dip-cabinet equipment, and confirmation of the premises lease.
1–2 weeks†The franchisor reviews the proposed buyer and the deal terms, and may exercise a right of first refusal before the sale can proceed.
several weeks, typically†A franchise disclosure document may still be required for this resale — Ontario courts read the resale-disclosure exemption narrowly, so franchisor involvement in the sale can trigger it even where it's called a private deal.
assessed early†Getting to closing
A mall food-court licence or a strip-plaza lease needs landlord (or mall operator) consent to assign, and food-court agreements often carry percentage-rent terms that need to be confirmed rather than assumed.
2–6 weeks†The incoming owner or a designated manager typically completes the brand's scooping and mix-in technique training before or shortly after taking over.
1–3 weeks†Funds and keys change hands, freezer and dip-cabinet condition is confirmed, and perishable ice cream and mix-in inventory is counted at cost.
1 day, once conditions are met†Dedicated Canadian franchise site (marbleslabfranchise.ca) actively recruits franchise partners; BeTheBoss Canada confirms the concept has been sold in Canada since 2003
Described as having 'stores coast to coast' across Canada since its introduction in 2003, including Ontario locations
This is the first real decision in a Marble Slab Creamery resale — and it changes what you're buying, what you're taking on, and how the franchise agreement moves.
| Question | Asset purchase | Share purchase |
|---|---|---|
| What you buy | The unit's dip cabinets, hard freezers, the marble slab and related equipment, leasehold improvements, inventory, and the franchise agreement's benefit, subject to franchisor consent. | The shares of the operating company — every location it holds, and everything it owes. |
| Seller's liabilities | Generally stay behind with the seller's existing corporation. | Generally come with the company, known and unknown. |
| Franchisor consent & ROFR | Required for the specific unit changing hands. | Required for the change of control itself. |
| The lease or food-court licence | Needs landlord or mall-operator consent to assign — food-court agreements often include percentage rent and marketing-fund contributions that are easy to overlook. | Usually stays in place, unless the agreement has its own change-of-control clause. |
| Seasonality | Revenue swings sharply by season, so a buyer's diligence should look at month-by-month numbers rather than an averaged annual figure. | The same seasonality applies at the company level, across whichever locations it holds. |
| Tax angle | Buyer gets a stepped-up cost base on the assets purchased. | Seller may access the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying shares. |
The unit's dip cabinets, hard freezers, the marble slab and related equipment, leasehold improvements, inventory, and the franchise agreement's benefit, subject to franchisor consent.
The shares of the operating company — every location it holds, and everything it owes.
Generally stay behind with the seller's existing corporation.
Generally come with the company, known and unknown.
Required for the specific unit changing hands.
Required for the change of control itself.
Needs landlord or mall-operator consent to assign — food-court agreements often include percentage rent and marketing-fund contributions that are easy to overlook.
Usually stays in place, unless the agreement has its own change-of-control clause.
Revenue swings sharply by season, so a buyer's diligence should look at month-by-month numbers rather than an averaged annual figure.
The same seasonality applies at the company level, across whichever locations it holds.
Buyer gets a stepped-up cost base on the assets purchased.
Seller may access the lifetime capital gains exemption on qualifying shares.
We tell you which structure fits — before you sign anything.
No open-ended hourly surprises — the cost is confirmed in writing before any work begins.
| Type of work | Fee | How it's confirmed |
|---|---|---|
| Straightforward purchase or sale | Starting from $3,388.87 Our charges · taxes included | Confirmed in writing once we see the agreement. |
| Larger or more complex deal | Quoted to scope | Short call → fixed written quote before any work begins. |
| Searches, filings & third-party fees | At cost | Itemized on your invoice, not marked up. |
A single Marble Slab Creamery scoop shop in a strip plaza, changing hands between one buyer and one seller with a straightforward lease.
Start my file →A multi-unit operator adding a location to an existing portfolio, or a mall food-court unit where the mall operator's own consent needs to be worked through alongside the franchisor's.
Book a consultation →Not sure which you are? That's our job to figure out, not yours. As a rough guide, most deals under a couple of million dollars are the first kind — above that, you're usually in Mergers & Acquisitions territory.
It typically means looking past a single trailing-twelve-month figure and asking for month-by-month sales, since summer months usually carry a disproportionate share of annual revenue. We build that seasonality into how we review the numbers behind an offer.
Age, service history, and repair cost are the main focus — refrigeration equipment is one of the more expensive things to replace in this format, so confirming its condition before closing matters more here than in many other quick-service resales.
Often, yes. Food-court licences can include percentage rent tied to sales and marketing-fund contributions that a standard strip-plaza lease doesn't carry, and the mall operator's consent process can run on its own timeline separate from the franchisor's.
Possibly. Ontario courts have read the resale-disclosure exemption narrowly, and franchisor involvement in matching a buyer to a seller can be enough to trigger a full disclosure requirement even where the deal is framed as a private resale.
Often, yes. Acquiring an operating company that holds more than one location is more commonly handled as a share purchase, so each location's franchise agreement and lease stay intact through the same transaction.
Related
Where we close franchise resale deals
Treadstone Law is an independent law firm. We act for buyers and sellers of franchise businesses. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or retained by Marble Slab Creamery or its franchisor.
Tell us about your Marble Slab Creamery resale — we'll point you the right way and confirm the cost in writing before any work begins.