In the 1980s, the business also began franchising and through a franchisee opened its first Northern Kentucky locations in 1984. In 1989, another franchisee opened another location in Columbus and, eventually, the same franchise was able to add locations in Dayton, as well, with this franchise eventually growing to 15 stores and managing its own ice cream production in a Columbus store by 2000. Another franchisee opened a location in Louisville in 1998 after lobbying unsuccessfully to expand the ice cream business into Indianapolis, with that franchisee growing to eight Kentucky locations by 2010. By 2010 it had 45 locations across all of these markets. In 2010, the company bought back the Columbus and Dayton franchise, giving it direct control of all Ohio stores. At the time, it said it did not have plans to add additional franchisees. Graeter family members also said they intended to keep it a family business, resisting offers to sell the company to a larger brand. The 2017 acquisition of the Louisville franchise eliminated the final non-family owned footprint of the ice cream chain. In 2018, a location opened in Cincinnati Union Terminal, in the former Rookwood tea room.