Utahn buys exclusive franchise for 100 froyo vending locations

Utah doesn’t have any of Reis & Irvy’s popular robot-staffed frozen yogurt and ice cream vending kiosks yet, but a Salt Lake City mechanical contractor is about to change that. Jason Olsen has purchased exclusive rights to install the franchised locations in Utah and Salt Lake Counties from Generation Next Franchise Brands Inc. of San Diego.{mprestriction ids="1,3"} Olsen’s $5 million 10-year, exclusive territory contract includes the upfront purchase of 23 kiosks for $1.15 million along with contract commitments to purchase an additional 77 kiosks — 100 ice cream machines in all.

Reis & Irvy’s branded robot machines dispense servings of frozen yogurt, ice cream, gelato and sorbet topped with any of six toppings in under 60 seconds. With self-checkout touchscreen ordering, video animation, music and frozen Dannon-brand desserts, the gadgets accept cash, credit cards, Apple Pay and Google Wallet. The company said it is working on accepting cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin for payment in the near future.

“When we heard of Reis & Irvy’s, we immediately knew that this was going to be something that would thrive in this area,” said Olsen. “We know that a quicker, easier, cleaner and more exciting way of getting a quickfrozen treat would be welcomed in the Salt Lake/Provo area. The idea of using our modern-day technology to deliver your frozen yogurt in minutes will not only revolutionize this area but bring joy to the people of Utah.” 

“More concentrated ownership of Reis & Irvy’s robots and franchisees with larger footprints makes a lot of sense to us at the head office,” said Nick Yates, CEO of Generation Next Franchise Brands. “We can work closely with these franchisees and their teams to build long-term relationships with location partners throughout each community they represent. We have built a network of exclusive territory franchisees that all bring something special to the table. These entrepreneurs are engineers, software developers, fund managers, sales and marketing professionals and logistics experts. Jason is no exception and I have no doubt he will represent the Reis & Irvy’s brand the best way possible throughout Utah.”

Reis & Irvy’s vending machines do not require a storefront location but franchisees lease space from existing businesses to install the dispensers. Many machines are located in shopping malls, medical centers, hospitals, airports and any other high-traffic areas. Since its debut, Reis & Irvy’s has grown to over 300 franchisees across the U.S. and has approximately 1,500 current and pending robots with additional contract commitments for over 2,700 robots, Generation Next said. 

Olsen will target locations to take advantage of university and college locations in Salt Lake and Utah counties as well as the area’s skiing and tourist sites, according to Generation Next. Combined, the exclusive territory purchased by Olsen has a population of more than 1.6 million. {/mprestriction}