Franchising

Betty Rae’s Ice Cream scoops into franchising

Matt Shatto purchased Betty Rae's in 2023. Photo: Betty Rae’s

March 19, 2025

After opening its first franchised location in Omaha, Kansas City's Betty Rae's Ice Cream is targeting St. Louis, Nashville, Denver, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Wichita, Kansas and Bentonville, Arkansas.

"We have always believed that any growth of any company that we are associated with should be driven not by us, but instead by our customers," said Matt Shatto, who purchased Betty Rae's in 2023, and grew it from two to five locations in Kansas City. He and his mother also own Shatto Milk Company, a dairy farm founded by his family over 80 years ago. Located north of Kansas City, the family began processing milk in 2023, and now bottles it for customers. Betty Rae's has a commissary and production facility that makes all premium flavors, including ingredients.

The chain is seeking franchise partners to open two to five locations, ranging from 1,000 to 2,700 square feet.

"The cities that we have decided to focus on for Betty Rae's franchise expansion are in direct response to customer requests and customer outreach," Shatto told FastCasual. "We want to share Betty Rae's world-class ice cream to those who want it first and foremost. We are extremely excited to get Kansas City's best ice cream to more people throughout the country."

Betty Rae's serves 26 core flavors with a rotation of monthly creations, along with waffle cones, ice cream sandwiches, sundaes and boozy shakes, ice cream flights and vegan and gluten-free options and hand-packed pints, quarts and gallons are also available.