Quench It Soda Shack

The question every prospective franchise investor should ask before writing a check is deceptively simple: does this brand solve a real consumer need, in a growing market, with a replicable operating model? For Quench It Soda Shack franchise, the answer begins in Heber City, Utah, in 2014, when founders Chris and Erika Stover opened a single soda shack with a clear vision for delivering customized beverages, cookies, and snacks in a fast, friendly, drive-thru-oriented format. Chris Stover brought a Business Management degree from Southern Utah University and a career managing golf operations, giving him a practical foundation in business processes, customer throughput, and cost discipline. Erika Stover contributed a Bachelor's degree in English and a Master's degree in Education, along with 12 years of classroom teaching experience, a skill set she channeled into developing the franchisee support materials, operations manuals, and training content that now underpin the brand's expansion. From that single Utah location, Quench It Soda Shack has grown to 5 total franchise units, all franchisee-owned with zero company-owned locations, and is actively expanding into Texas, Nevada, and Arizona. Headquartered in Bluffdale, Utah, the brand has established a strong presence across the Wasatch Front before turning its attention to multi-state growth. The total addressable market for the Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars category is estimated at $333.12 billion in 2025 alone, with projections reaching $456.47 billion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate of 6.7%. In a market of that scale, a brand offering craft sodas, customized beverages, and fresh cookies occupies a well-defined and rapidly expanding niche. This analysis is independent research prepared by PeerSense, not marketing copy supplied by the franchisor, and every claim in this profile is sourced from verifiable data.

The industry Quench It Soda Shack franchise operates within is one of the more compelling growth stories in consumer foodservice right now. The Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars market, sized at $333.12 billion in 2025, is projected to reach $352.46 billion in 2026 at a CAGR of 5.8%, with longer-range forecasts pointing to $456.47 billion by 2030 accelerating at 6.7% annually. The global non-alcoholic beverages market adds further context: one estimate places it at $1.42 billion in 2025 rising to $2.93 billion by 2035, a CAGR of 7.5% over that forecast period. The carbonated soft drinks segment, the core of Quench It Soda Shack's menu, held the largest revenue share within non-alcoholic beverages at 29% in 2024, confirming that customized sodas remain the dominant consumer preference within this category. Several macro-level trends are reinforcing demand: premiumization, meaning consumers' demonstrated willingness to pay more for artisanal and craft beverages; the technology integration trend, which Quench It already addresses through its mobile ordering app with saved orders and a loyalty program; and the convenience trend, which the brand's drive-thru format serves directly. Health and wellness awareness is reshaping menu development industry-wide, pushing brands toward clean-label ingredients and lower-calorie customization options, while the craft and artisanal beverage movement has elevated consumer expectations for flavor variety and customization depth. North America is projected to be the fastest-growing geographic region within the Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars market during the forecast period, a structural tailwind that directly benefits U.S.-focused expansion brands. The industry is still largely fragmented at the regional and local level, which creates meaningful first-mover advantages for franchise systems that can establish brand recognition and operational density in new markets before the category consolidates.

The Quench It Soda Shack franchise cost reflects a meaningful range, with total initial investment running from $157,800 on the low end to $2.33 million at the high end. That spread is wide by industry standards, and understanding what drives it is essential for any investor conducting due diligence. Format, geography, real estate configuration, and build-out complexity all influence where a specific project lands within that range. A smaller, leaner build in a lower-cost market could approach the $157,800 floor, while a full-feature drive-thru build in a higher-cost state could approach the upper bound. For reference, the Syracuse, Utah, franchise location clocks in at 1,454 square feet and includes a drive-thru, lobby, prep area, storage, office, and bathroom, suggesting a mid-to-upper build-out profile. The general QSR franchise industry benchmarks show initial fees typically ranging from $6,250 to $90,000, with ongoing royalties between 4% and 8% of gross sales and marketing fees from 1% to 5%, providing useful context for evaluating Quench It Soda Shack's overall cost-of-ownership picture relative to peers. The brand requires franchise applicants to submit to a credit history check and, if requested by the franchisor, provide statements from professional advisors including bankers, brokers, accountants, or attorneys verifying assets, plus copies of federal income tax returns for the last five years. These qualification requirements signal that the franchisor is vetting for financial stability and creditworthiness, consistent with responsible franchise development practices. The company's recently reported annual revenue of $16.8 million across its system, with estimated revenue per employee of $243,000 and 30% employee count growth last year, provides system-level context for investors evaluating the brand's current trajectory. Prospective investors should engage an independent franchise attorney and accountant to review the full Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment commitment, particularly given the breadth of the investment range.

The Quench It Soda Shack franchise operating model is built around a fast-casual, drive-thru-oriented format that prioritizes speed, customization, and a high-energy customer experience. Daily operations at a franchise location involve taking orders, building customized sodas and beverages, preparing cookies and snacks, maintaining cleanliness, restocking inventory, and managing drive-thru throughput, all in a fast-paced environment. Staffing data from the Syracuse location provides a concrete operational snapshot: 19 employees with shifts typically running 3.5 to 5 hours, staff rotating stations every 30 minutes, pay ranging from $8 to $13.25 per hour, and monthly payroll totaling approximately $8,000. The owner at that location dedicates 30 to 35 hours per week to the business, suggesting this is primarily an owner-operator model rather than a semi-absentee one. On the support side, the Stovers have built a comprehensive infrastructure: architectural plans are provided to ensure each building is attractive and functional, an extensive operations manual covers everything needed to run the business profitably, and a library of professional training videos enables rapid onboarding for franchisees and staff alike. The brand's mobile app handles customer ordering, saved orders, and a loyalty program, putting Quench It Soda Shack ahead of many small-format peers in terms of technology integration and customer retention infrastructure. A professionally designed website and brand identity developed by an industry expert maintain visual consistency across locations. Chris and Erika Stover remain personally involved from initial franchise steps through Grand Opening and beyond, providing hands-on training, employee launch support, and ongoing question-and-answer access, a founder-led support model that differentiates an early-stage system from larger, more institutionalized brands. The brand is currently expanding into Texas, Nevada, and Arizona, indicating that new territory is actively available in high-growth Sun Belt markets.

Item 19 financial performance data is not disclosed in the current Franchise Disclosure Document for Quench It Soda Shack. That fact is significant and should factor directly into investor due diligence: without Item 19 disclosure, prospective franchisees cannot rely on franchisor-provided average unit volumes, median revenues, or profit margin representations. The FDD Item 19 section is where franchisors may voluntarily provide Financial Performance Representations, and while franchisors are not legally required to include it, its absence means investors must construct their own financial model from alternative data sources. What is publicly available offers a useful starting framework. Quench It Soda's estimated annual system revenue is $16.8 million, with an estimated revenue per employee of $243,000. Applied against the Syracuse location's reported $8,000 per month in payroll across 19 employees, a franchisee can begin to estimate labor cost as a percentage of revenue at that unit. The 30% employee count growth reported last year is a meaningful signal of system-level business volume expansion, as labor headcount at service businesses closely tracks revenue and transaction volume. The initial investment range of $157,800 to $2.33 million creates a wide range of possible payback periods, which is why unit-level revenue data is especially critical for this franchise. At the industry benchmark level, QSR formats in the specialty beverage category that generate $400,000 to $800,000 in annual revenue with lean staffing models can produce reasonable owner earnings, but these figures are general industry estimates and not Quench It Soda Shack-specific. Investors should request any earnings claims made verbally during the sales process in writing, verify they are substantiated in the FDD, and stress-test their financial model against conservative revenue assumptions before committing capital to a Quench It Soda Shack franchise investment.

The growth trajectory of Quench It Soda Shack franchise is the defining characteristic that makes this brand worth watching in 2025. From a single soda shack in Heber City, Utah, in 2014, the brand has reached 5 franchised units with an active push into four states, describing itself as "growing fast with new franchise locations in 4 states." The company's geographic expansion strategy is focused on the Sun Belt, with Texas, Nevada, and Arizona named as imminent expansion markets, all three of which are among the fastest-growing states by population in the United States and represent ideal demographic profiles for a fast-casual specialty beverage concept. The acquisition of Süss Cookie Co., now operating as "A Quench It Soda Company," is a strategically important development: it secures a proprietary supply chain for the cookie component of the menu, ensuring consistent product quality as the system scales and reducing dependence on third-party suppliers. That kind of vertical integration move is typically associated with franchise systems preparing for meaningful unit count acceleration, as consistent product quality is one of the most common points of failure during rapid geographic expansion. System-level revenue of $16.8 million across 5 units implies strong per-unit volume and suggests the existing locations are generating meaningful transaction counts. The brand's 30% year-over-year employee growth rate signals genuine operational expansion rather than stagnant unit economics. The mobile ordering app and loyalty program infrastructure position Quench It Soda Shack to capture repeat purchase data and drive customer lifetime value metrics that increasingly differentiate high-performing QSR franchises from their peers. The competitive moat at this stage is primarily built on brand affinity in Utah markets, a proprietary cookie supply chain, founder-led operational quality, and early-mover positioning in states where the specialty craft soda category is still underpenetrated.

The ideal Quench It Soda Shack franchise candidate is, at this stage of the brand's development, someone who brings active owner-operator energy to the business rather than a passive investment orientation. The Syracuse location's owner working 30 to 35 hours per week represents a realistic benchmark for what day-to-day involvement looks like, particularly in the early months of operation. The franchisor's qualification process requires a credit history check and up to five years of federal income tax returns, along with potential professional advisor verification of assets, which means candidates should expect financial scrutiny consistent with a mid-tier franchise investment. Relevant backgrounds in food and beverage, retail management, customer service operations, or multi-unit QSR management would provide a meaningful advantage in building throughput efficiency and managing a fast-paced hourly workforce. The current expansion into Texas, Nevada, and Arizona means new territory is available in three large, high-growth states where the brand has no existing presence, representing genuine ground-floor market entry opportunities in markets with strong demographic tailwinds. Available territory in Sun Belt states with dense suburban and drive-thru-friendly commercial corridors would align well with the format's drive-thru and grab-and-go model. The initial investment range of $157,800 to $2.33 million reflects the significant variability in real estate, build-out, and market costs across different geographies, so candidates targeting the lower end of that range should focus on markets with favorable commercial lease rates. Multi-unit franchise development in new state markets is a logical path for well-capitalized operators who can establish cluster density to support brand awareness, operational efficiency, and eventual territory protection.

Synthesizing the available data, the Quench It Soda Shack franchise opportunity presents as a legitimate early-stage franchise investment in one of the fastest-growing segments of the U.S. foodservice economy. The Snack and Nonalcoholic Beverage Bars category is a $333.12 billion market in 2025 expanding to $456.47 billion by 2030, driven by craft beverage premiumization, convenience demand, and technology-enabled customer experience, all trends that Quench It Soda Shack addresses directly through its format, menu, and mobile ordering infrastructure. System-level annual revenue of $16.8 million, revenue per employee of $243,000, and 30% employee count growth paint a picture of a brand generating genuine business volume with improving operational scale. The acquisition of Süss Cookie Co. demonstrates strategic supply chain thinking. The FPI Score of 59, characterized as Moderate on the PeerSense scale, reflects the early-stage nature of the system and the absence of Item 19 financial disclosure, both factors that a diligent investor should weigh carefully against the upside of ground-floor market entry in high-growth Sun Belt states. The total initial investment range of $157,800 to $2.33 million means this opportunity is accessible to a wide range of investors depending on format and market, but the absence of disclosed unit-level financial performance data makes independent due diligence more important, not less. PeerSense provides exclusive due diligence data including SBA lending history, FPI score, location maps with Google ratings, FDD financial data, and side-by-side comparison tools that allow investors to benchmark Quench It Soda Shack against comparable concepts across the specialty beverage and snack bar category. Explore the complete Quench It Soda Shack franchise profile on PeerSense to access the full suite of independent franchise intelligence data.