Best Coffee Franchise in Texas: The Brands You Can Open (2026)

Drive through any Texas suburb and you will pass more coffee stands than you can count, which makes it easy to assume the state is wide open for a coffee franchise. It is not, and one prominent drive-thru name, Dutch Bros, says on its own support page (read September 29, 2026) that it no longer offers the option to franchise. This guide separates the brands you can buy from the ones you cannot, and it prices the ones you can from each brand’s own 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), including how many Texas units each reported as of December 31, 2025. For a closer look at the two drive-thru brands’ formats and costs, see our Scooter’s vs. 7 Brew comparison, based on Scooter’s April 3 and 7 Brew May 11, 2026 FDDs.

For a comparison of Scooter’s with Biggby, see the Biggby vs Scooter’s franchise comparison.

Dutch Bros doesn’t franchise: its official FAQ says it ‘no longer offers the option to franchise’ (checked 2026-10-14).

First, the brands you cannot actually open

This trips up more Texas buyers than anything else, so it comes first. Dutch Bros’ support page says “Dutch Bros no longer offers the option to franchise,” and adds that regional operator positions are offered exclusively to people inside the company. Its fiscal 2025 Form 10-K explains why: “Since 2017, our focus has been a company-operated strategy with all operators recruited from within our organization,” and the company expects most new shops to be company-operated. Its June 30, 2026 Form 10-Q reports 1,225 shops, 888 company-operated and 337 franchised. Those 337 are run by franchise partners who, per the 10-K, “continue to open new shops as they look to infill their high-demand markets” (12 franchised openings in the first half of 2026). That is growth for existing franchise partners, not a franchise offer to you. The support page’s statement that all locations are company-owned does not match the filings, so take the filings as the more precise count and the support page as the current sales position.

Black Rock Coffee Bar, which has stores in Texas, is a company-operated business. Its fiscal 2025 Form 10-K says “Our stores are 100% company-operated,” reports 181 stores in seven states at December 31, 2025, and calls itself the largest fully company-owned coffee retailer in the country.

Not every franchise that is for sale is for sale in Texas. Ellianos Coffee discloses a $30,000 initial franchise fee in Item 5 and a Traditional store total investment of $797,450 to $1,397,400 in Item 7 (excluding real estate) of its March 17, 2026 FDD, but its franchising site says it is expanding across “Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Carolina, Tennessee and throughout the south East US” and does not name Texas in that text (Texas does appear in the state dropdown of its inquiry form). Ask Ellianos directly before treating it as a Texas option.

The coffee franchises that actually operate and franchise in Texas

Every brand below has Texas franchised units in its 2026 disclosure document. Read the tables in two passes. First, what you would pay:

Brand	Franchise fee (Item 5)	Total investment (Item 7 / cover page)	Ongoing fees (Item 6)
Scooter’s Coffee (FDD Apr. 3, 2026)	$40,000, plus a $20,000 initial opening support fee at signing	$658,898 to $1,068,525 end cap; $1,163,650 to $1,345,750 kiosk	6% of net sales royalty; 2% national marketing, up to 4%
7 Brew (FDD May 11, 2026)	$35,000 within a $125,000 minimum development fee	$940,500 to $2,283,500, assuming a 10-store commitment	4.5%, 5.5% or 7% of weekly gross sales by sales tier; 2% brand fund; 0.25% technology fee
PJ’s Coffee (FDD Apr. 10, 2026)	$40,000 traditional, $30,000 non-traditional; $15,000 per later unit under a multi-unit option agreement	$925,500 to $1,680,000 free-standing; $522,500 to $899,000 inline or end cap; $280,500 to $585,500 non-traditional	5% royalty; 2% marketing; 1% to 3% cooperative, all on net sales
Dunkin’ (FDD Mar. 26, 2026)	$40,000 to $90,000 by development area type	$532,400 to $1,832,500 free-standing; $443,000 to $1,333,500 storefront; $216,400 to $1,065,500 gas station or convenience store; $142,000 to $862,500 non-traditional	5.9% royalty and 5.0% advertising fee on gross sales
The Human Bean (FDD Feb. 25, 2026, amended May 5, 2026)	$35,000 (its site lists a 20% veteran discount, which works out to $28,000 by our arithmetic)	$672,000 to $1,537,000 (its site lists $1,527,000 as the top)	No royalty; 1% brand fee on adjusted gross sales, plus required supply purchases
Ziggi’s Coffee (FDD Mar. 31, 2026)	$40,000; $30,000 each for 3 to 8 shops; $25,000 each for 9 or more; plus a $10,000 launch fee for each franchise	$315,830 (mobile unit) to $2,093,361 (free-standing cafe with drive-thru)	6% royalty; 1% marketing and technology fee (up to 2%) on gross sales
Summer Moon (FDD July 7, 2026)	$25,000, plus a $20,000 initial training and grand opening support fee for the first shop, a $12,000 development services fee and $6,000 design layout fee plus $1,500 design fee per shop	$616,150 to $1,041,500	6% royalty; advertising fee currently 0% (up to 2% permitted); technology fee $385 per accounting period

Sources: each brand’s FDD as dated above (copies hosted by Restaurant Finance Monitor, read September 29, 2026), plus Scooter’s, 7 Brew and The Human Bean official sites for the checks noted in Sources.

Some of these numbers rest on conditions. 7 Brew’s investment figure assumes you commit to develop at least ten stores, with the $125,000 minimum development fee being the $35,000 fee for the first store plus $10,000 for each of stores two through ten. Ziggi’s fee falls from $40,000 to $25,000 per shop as your development commitment rises. Dunkin’s fee depends on which Development Area Type your market falls in, and its FDD says franchisees paid between $0 and $90,000 in fiscal 2025. Summer Moon’s shop cost excludes the development-agreement fees it lists separately.

The percentage fees side by side

Because every brand quotes a different mix of royalty, marketing and technology charges, convert them to one basis. Per $100,000 of sales (using each brand’s stated base, net sales or gross sales), the percentage fees in Item 6 are:

Brand	Percentage fees	Per $100,000 of sales
Summer Moon	6% royalty; advertising currently 0% (up to 2%)	$6,000 (up to $8,000)
7 Brew	4.5%, 5.5% or 7% royalty by weekly tier, plus 2% brand fund and 0.25% technology	$6,750, $7,750 or $9,250
Ziggi’s	6% royalty plus 1% marketing and technology (up to 2%)	$7,000 (up to $8,000)
Scooter’s	6% royalty plus 2% marketing (up to 4%)	$8,000 (up to $10,000)
PJ’s Coffee	5% royalty plus 2% marketing plus 1% to 3% cooperative	$8,000 to $10,000
Dunkin’	5.9% royalty plus 5.0% advertising	$10,900
The Human Bean	No royalty; 1% brand fee; required supply purchases	$1,000 plus the markup on supplies, which Item 8 discloses

7 Brew’s tiers work as a step, not a ramp. The royalty clause in its FDD applies the tier rate to the whole week’s gross sales, so a store whose sales for a week land at $24,999 pays 5.5 percent ($1,374.95), and one at $25,001 pays 7 percent ($1,750.07), about $375 more for $2 of extra sales. Read the franchise agreement clause for how weekly sales are measured before you model a 7 Brew store. The Human Bean row is not comparable on percentage alone, because its cost sits in the price of required supplies, which is why our Human Bean cost breakdown points you to FDD Items 6 and 8.

Second, how much Texas franchising is actually happening. Item 20 reports year-end units, agreements signed but not yet open, and projected openings by state:

Brand	Texas franchised units, Dec. 31, 2025	Change during 2025	Texas agreements signed, not open	Texas openings projected, next fiscal year
7 Brew	89	+41	2	41
Dunkin’	181	+30	13	23
Scooter’s	70	-6	20	3
PJ’s Coffee	29	+3	86	5
Summer Moon	13	0	3	3
The Human Bean	12	+1	2	2
Ziggi’s Coffee	5	+1	19	3

Source: Item 20 tables of each FDD listed above (Dunkin’s are as of December 28, 2025, its fiscal year-end; the others as of December 31, 2025). Scooter’s Texas count went from 76 to 70 (6 opened, 1 non-renewal, 11 ceased operations for other reasons); it also lists 4 company-owned Texas stores. Summer Moon also lists 10 affiliate-owned Texas shops. Item 1 separately describes 24 shops run by 6 licensees of its affiliate Coffee Unplugged (in Texas, Kansas and Missouri at December 31, 2025), which are licensed shops rather than franchised units. Change = year-end 2025 minus year-end 2024.

Compare these Texas rows with the broader outlet-growth measures in the fastest-growing coffee chains and franchises guide before treating a systemwide trend as evidence about a Texas market.

What makes Texas different for a coffee franchise

Texas adds costs and rules that do not depend on the brand, and the disclosure documents will not model them for you.

• Franchise (margin) tax. The Texas Comptroller says the no-tax-due threshold for the 2026 and 2027 reports is $2,650,000, with the annual report due May 15, and lists rates of 0.375 percent for retail or wholesale entities and 0.75 percent for other entities. Ask your CPA how the tax applies to your situation before you sign a development agreement.
• Sales tax. The state rate is 6.25 percent, and local jurisdictions can add up to 2 percent, for a maximum combined rate of 8.25 percent, per the Comptroller. Confirm the rate at each site you are considering, since local rates are set by jurisdiction.
• A large footprint of ready competition. Texas is where several of the brands above are opening the most units (7 Brew and Dunkin’ together added 71 Texas units in 2025), which means a drive-thru site you find may already be near another brand’s shop. Check the brand’s Item 12 territory language, which for PJ’s says you do not receive an exclusive territory and that another traditional PJ’s unit generally will not open within two driving miles of yours.

None of this makes a Texas site succeed. Sites depend on traffic counts, lane stacking, visibility, and how you run the shop.

How to choose, and what to verify

1. Sort by the format you can afford, not the brand you like. Match the Item 7 range to your capital using our coffee franchise cost guide, and remember the fee is a small slice of the total. Our PJ’s Coffee cost breakdown and Human Bean cost breakdown go line by line.
2. Read the Texas row of Item 20. Use the table above as a starting point and re-check it against the current FDD, since new documents are issued each spring.
3. Confirm the brand is recruiting in your metro. Ask in writing, name the city, and get the answer before you pay a deposit.
4. Check financing eligibility. If you plan to use an SBA loan, confirm the brand’s listing with our SBA directory guide.
5. Have an attorney read the FDD. Items 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 17 and 20 matter most. Our guide to reading an FDD explains what each covers.