DENVER--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Following last year’s acquisition of Doc Popcorn, the world’s largest franchisor of fresh-popped popcorn by Dippin’ Dots, maker of iconic flash-frozen ice cream treats, dual-branded locations offering both brands’ savory and sweet snacks are beginning to pop up in malls around the country.
A new prototype kiosk featuring Doc Popcorn and Dippin’ Dots products opened last week at the South Premium Outlets Mall in Las Vegas. Operated by a husband and wife franchisee team, the location is the first co-branded kiosk unit in the United States for the recently-merged brands and represents Doc Popcorn’s first entry in the Las Vegas market. Earlier this year, a co-branded in-line location opened in Springfield, Missouri, also owned and operated by a husband and wife franchisee team.
Company executives say the new kiosk prototype is one of several important milestones reached this year for Doc Popcorn and Dippin’ Dots domestically, along with its first co-branded in-line store in Missouri and a development agreement with Fabulous Freddy’s Car Washes, a chain of convenience store/car washes in the Southwest. The influx of co-brand prototypes and opportunities offers a unique investment opportunity for franchisees in addition to the single-brand opportunities that both offer.
Stephanie and Rob Todd, the franchise owners of the new co-brand prototype in Las Vegas, have experience owning and operating several Great Clips hair salon franchise locations. “The synergy of savory popcorn and sweet treats with the dual branding model offers balanced revenue streams for different seasons of the year,” Rob Todd said. “We’re planning to bring two additional locations to the area in the near future and eventually bring our son into the business.”
Doc Popcorn co-founder Rob Israel said demand for the co-branded Doc Popcorn/Dippin’ Dots franchise model exists in malls, convention centers, fairs and other non-traditional, high-traffic venues around the country. Additional Doc Popcorn/Dippin’ Dots co-brand units projected to open this year include Yorktown Center in Illinois, Coronado Mall in New Mexico, and Fox River Mall in Wisconsin. He noted development expansion efforts will focus on the following markets where the co-brand is especially an ideal fit:
- Alabama – Birmingham and Mobile
- Arizona – Tucson
- Maine – Bangor and Portland
- Michigan – Ann Arbor and Grand Rapids
- Washington State – Bellingham, Spokane and Tacoma
- Wisconsin – Madison
“Response to the first Doc Popcorn/Dippin’ Dots store in Springfield, Missouri has been fantastic. People really love the combination of offerings. It’s obvious that the two snacks complement each other and perform well in the same space,” Israel noted. “We’re looking forward to similar positive results for the new kiosk in Las Vegas and to duplicate that success around the country.”
About Doc Popcorn
Using 100 percent corn oil, proprietary flavor blends and other high-quality ingredients, Doc Popcorn handcrafts a wide variety of fresh-popped specialty flavors of popcorn. Doc Popcorn's delicious flavors are gluten-free, whole grain, wheat-free and nut-free. Doc Popcorn started franchising in 2009 and has since been recognized as one of the hottest snack franchises in the country. In 2015, Entrepreneur Magazine ranked Doc Popcorn among the “Top Food Franchises,” “Top Mobile Franchises,” “Top Franchises Under $50,000,” and placed the company at No. 239 in its “Franchise 500,” a highly-regarded list in the franchise industry. For more information, please visit www.docpopcorn.com.
About Dippin’ Dots
Dippin’ Dots has produced and distributed its flash frozen tiny beads of ice cream, yogurt, sherbet and flavored ice products since microbiologist Curt Jones invented the cryogenic process in 1988. Made at the company’s production facility in Paducah, Ky., Dippin’ Dots distributes its unique frozen products in all 50 states and 11 countries and employs nearly 200 people. For more information about the company, including franchising, please visit www.dippindots.com.
