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Coffee Franchise Comparison 2026: Fees, Royalties, Footprints

Compare six coffee franchise brands from their 2026 FDDs: initial fees, royalties, ad funds, investment by format, footprints, and outlet counts.

By FranchiseFeast EditorialAI-assisted, source-checkedPublished July 9, 2026Updated October 14, 2026

Figures on this page come from Franchise Disclosure Documents issued 2026. Franchisors reissue their FDD at least annually, so figures move. Confirm anything you plan to rely on against the brand's current FDD. We are an independent publisher, not a franchise broker, and this is not legal or financial advice.

We checked the sources behind this page in October 2026. Franchise status, terms and availability change, so confirm anything you plan to rely on at the official sites linked in the Sources list below.

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Compare Scooter’s Coffee, 7 Brew, Caribou Coffee, PJ’s Coffee, Toastique and Biggby Coffee using their 2026 Franchise Disclosure Documents. The table separates first-unit fees, ongoing charges, investment by format and dated outlet counts. All six FDD dates come from their covers, even though the Restaurant Finance Monitor download filenames end in 2025.pdf. For a dated contrast, Costa Coffee’s US partnering page listed franchise among its offerings but published no US franchise terms as of October 14, 2026; see the Costa Coffee US availability review.

First-unit fees span $7,000 for a Caribou university or hospital kiosk to $55,000 for Toastique. Biggby’s whitebox format has the lowest Item 7 starting point here, $242,200; 7 Brew has the highest printed ceiling, $2,283,500, including development rights for a minimum ten-store commitment. Those endpoints compare different formats and commitments, not equivalent projects.123456

For the category introduction, see the coffee franchise overview. This page focuses on comparing the six brands; the full cost breakdown by format explains the investment categories. For a separate format-by-format cost breakdown of Ziggi’s Coffee, see its franchise cost guide.

For another format-specific comparison, the Aroma Joe’s franchise cost guide separates existing-building conversion, ground-up and non-traditional investment paths from its March 3, 2026 FDD.

For a related tea-brand cost reference, see the HTeaO franchise cost guide.

For a separate view of system expansion, the fastest-growing coffee chains and franchises guide ranks comparable FDD outlet changes.

The comparison table

Every financial, format and outlet cell below comes from the named FDD. Item 7 totals are reproduced as printed, including their format assumptions. The footnotes distinguish multi-unit payments, sales definitions and website figures checked 2026-10-13. For PJ’s and 7 Brew, Item 20 dates its outlet counts December 31, although the financial statements use a December 28 fiscal year end; both dates are retained.

Brand Item 5 initial fee Item 6 royalty and sales basis Ad or brand fund Item 7 total investment by format Footprint or format Item 20 total outlets and date FDD issued
Scooter’s Coffee 1 $40,000; separate $20,000 opening support fee. Multi-store development: $20,000 per additional store, credited toward its then-current fee 6% of Net Sales Currently 2% of Net Sales; cap 4%; separate local/co-op obligations Kiosk $1,163,650-$1,345,750; end cap $658,898-$1,068,525; initial store plus multi-store development fee $678,898-$1,465,750 Drive-thru kiosk 650-700 sq. ft.; end cap 800-1,400 sq. ft. 906 (882 franchised + 24 company-owned), as of December 31, 2025, per its April 2026 FDD April 3, 2026
7 Brew 2 $35,000 first store; $25,000 each later store; minimum ten-store development fee $125,000 4.5%, 5.5% or 7% of weekly Gross Sales, tier determined by prior week’s Gross Sales 2% of weekly Gross Sales, current and cap Traditional drive-thru $940,500-$2,283,500; initial store plus minimum ten-store development rights, not construction of all ten 510 sq. ft. modular building; typical lot 8,000-50,000 sq. ft. 602 (578 franchised + 24 company-owned), as of December 31, 2025, per its May 2026 FDD; FY ended December 28, 2025; excludes two nontraditional outlets May 11, 2026
Caribou Coffee 3 Chalet/Cabin $30,000; kiosk $15,000, or $7,000 at a university or hospital; development payment described below 5% of Gross Sales Chalet/Cabin; 6% kiosk, or 4% at an airport, university or hospital; $6,000 annual minimum starts 12 months after signing Up to 3% of Gross Sales combined; currently 2% Brand Fund + 1% local; allocation can change Chalet $898,100-$1,515,000; Cabin $606,100-$979,000; kiosk $281,100-$712,000; excluding lease Chalet about 1,600-2,000 sq. ft.; drive-thru-only Cabin about 600; nontraditional kiosk 300-1,000 494 (144 franchised + 350 affiliate-owned), as of December 30, 2025, per its April 2026 FDD April 28, 2026
PJ’s Coffee 4 First-unit Item 7 assumes $40,000 traditional / $30,000 nontraditional; Item 5 ranges $15,000-$40,000 / $15,000-$30,000 include multi-unit terms. Multi-unit first $40,000; later option $15,000 5% of Net Sales, all formats 2% of Net Sales; no higher fund cap stated in Item 6; separate local/co-op obligations First unit: free-standing $925,500-$1,680,000; inline/end cap $522,500-$899,000; nontraditional $280,500-$585,500; later multi-unit totals below Free-standing 780-2,000 sq. ft.; inline/end cap 1,200-2,000; nontraditional 250-1,000 180 (167 franchised + 13 affiliate-owned), as of December 31, 2025, per its April 2026 FDD; FY ended December 28, 2025 April 10, 2026
Toastique 5 $55,000 single unit; 1-3 / 1-4 / 1-5 addenda $110,000 / $143,000 / $170,000; development agreement terms below 6% of weekly Gross Sales; qualifying multi-franchise addenda waive first three months after opening Currently not assessed; cap 2% of weekly Gross Sales; local minimum 2% of monthly Gross Sales Restaurant $471,152-$890,846; first-restaurant totals under multi-unit agreements below 1,200-1,400 sq. ft. restaurant; enhanced-shell assumption 57 (49 franchised + 8 company-owned), as of December 31, 2025, per its January 2026 FDD January 9, 2026
Biggby Coffee 6 $20,000 first unit; $10,000 additional unit for existing franchisees 6% of Gross Sales Greater of $100/week or 3% of Gross Sales; current percentage and percentage cap 3%; local up to 3% Whitebox leasehold $242,200-$610,000; modular $457,750-$826,000; site-built $484,200-$973,000 Whitebox 1,300-1,700 sq. ft.; modular/site-built typically half an acre leased or licensed; drive-thru formats 461 (461 franchised + 0 company-owned), as of December 31, 2025, per its April 2026 FDD April 30, 2026

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Application statements, checked 2026-10-13

7 Brew’s support page states: “At this time, we are not accepting new franchise applications or expressions of interest.”

Toastique’s investment page states: “For the rest of 2026 our team is focused on our current owners. Leave your details and we will be in contact when the next round opens.”

Caribou’s franchising page, checked in the live browser read on 2026-10-13, states: “Minimum commitment of 10+ locations” and “$3 million in cash/liquid assets”. Keep those published qualifications beside its per-format FDD fees.

Dutch Bros’ support article, checked 2026-10-13, states: “Dutch Bros no longer offers the option to franchise.” Dutch Bros is therefore outside this six-brand comparison; the Dutch Bros franchise guide covers that separate question.

For another drive-thru brand that no longer offers franchises, see Black Rock Coffee Bar’s franchise status.

The Human Bean vs Dutch Bros comparison pairs Human Bean’s disclosed costs with Dutch Bros’ closed franchise offering.

Compare ongoing charges on the same sales basis

Scooter’s and PJ’s both use Net Sales, but their definitions are not identical. The other four use Gross Sales with their own exclusions. Compare the definitions in the footnotes before adding percentages or treating one royalty as cheaper than another.

For example, Scooter’s disclosed 6% royalty plus its current 2% national contribution equals 8% of Net Sales, before any applicable local or cooperative spending. Biggby’s 6% royalty and 3% advertising percentage do not fully describe its obligations: the advertising fund has a $100 weekly minimum, and local advertising is separate. Caribou’s royalty has an annual minimum. These terms belong beside the headline percentages, not outside the comparison.136

The royalty fee guide explains how to read ongoing fee provisions. A lower percentage alone does not establish which contract fits a proposed business.

Match the footprint to the format

Building area and site area are different measurements. 7 Brew’s 510-square-foot modular building sits on a typical 8,000-50,000-square-foot lot. Biggby’s modular and site-built assumptions use roughly half an acre. Neither measurement is directly comparable to Toastique’s 1,200-1,400-square-foot restaurant interior.256

Caribou’s kiosk and PJ’s nontraditional unit also rely on host-location formats. Compare those with other nontraditional proposals, then compare drive-thru buildings with drive-thru buildings. Scooter’s smaller kiosk has a higher Item 7 range than its end cap; square footage alone does not order the investment ranges.134

Use the comparison to narrow a shortlist

Biggby’s $242,200 whitebox lower bound and 7 Brew’s $2,283,500 upper bound are arithmetic endpoints in this table, not quality rankings. Caribou has the lowest first-unit fee for a specific kiosk setting, alongside the separate multi-location qualifications on its website. Toastique’s larger initial fee also comes with a different restaurant format.2356

For each shortlisted brand, keep the same format and commitment across the proposal, Item 5, Item 6 and Item 7. Then compare the agreement’s support and territory terms and contact existing franchisees. The outlet table establishes a dated system size; it does not establish support quality, location suitability or future results. The editorial methodology explains the source standard behind this comparison.

Footnotes

  1. Scooter’s April 3, 2026 FDD, Items 1, 5, 6, 7 and 20. Net Sales includes product and service sales from or through the store, cash or credit regardless of collection or location, excludes discounts, and includes fair market value of barter. Local advertising is currently none, capped at 2% of Net Sales; regional co-op is currently none, capped at 3%. Item 6’s co-op row states a 5% maximum advertising expense, while Note 3 states a 6% combined maximum; the table therefore gives the national fund’s separate 4% cap. Item 7’s multi-store range includes the initial store plus a printed development-fee range of $20,000-$120,000, not construction of every committed store. Website comparison, checked 2026-10-13: the cost page matches the FDD’s $40,000 fee, both single-store investment ranges, 6% royalty and current 2% advertising contribution; the kiosk FAQ also matches 650-700 sq. ft. The brand’s store announcement describes 900 stores across 32 states; Item 20 reports 906 at December 31, 2025. These are separately dated measures. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  2. 7 Brew’s May 11, 2026 FDD, Items 1, 5, 6, 7 and 20. Royalty tiers use the preceding week’s Gross Sales: below $20,000, 4.5%; $20,000-$25,000, 5.5%; above $25,000, 7%. These are contractual thresholds, not performance figures. Gross Sales includes revenue, business-interruption insurance and permitted barter; excludes remitted sales/use/service taxes, other insurance and specified forfeiture/condemnation/seizure proceeds. Employee and public promotional discounts reduce the basis only up to an aggregate 2% of weekly Gross Sales; credit sales count when made and stored-value cards when redeemed. The $125,000 development fee includes the first $35,000 franchise fee plus $10,000 for each of nine additional stores; those additional development payments do not offset later $25,000 franchise fees. Item 6 also charges a 0.25% weekly Gross Sales technology fee, separate from the brand fund. Item 20 excludes two nontraditional outlets, one franchised and one affiliate-owned, and explicitly dates its totals December 31, 2025; the financial statements’ fiscal year ended December 28, 2025. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  3. Caribou’s April 28, 2026 FDD, Items 1, 5, 6, 7 and 20. Gross Sales includes products, services, related income, barter and business-interruption insurance; excludes remitted customer taxes, gift-card issuance, ordinary-course discounts/promotions and qualifying refunds or credits. The development payment is the full initial fee for the first location plus half the initial fee for each additional location, credited against franchise fees; it is not a discounted later-unit fee. Item 6 permits reduced marketing requirements for certain nontraditional locations. Website comparison, checked 2026-10-13: the live franchising page states, “Caribou Coffee has 470+ locations in the United States, across 19 states.” Item 20’s dated U.S. total is 494; the website gives a rounded lower bound. The page states “Minimum commitment of 10+ locations” and “$3 million in cash/liquid assets” and supplies no fee, investment or royalty figures. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

  4. PJ’s April 10, 2026 FDD, Items 1, 5, 6, 7 and 20. Item 5 also offers compliant existing franchisees an additional license for $30,000. Net Sales includes products, services, related income and barter without deduction for uncollected amounts; excludes payable retail excise/sales taxes, with qualifying over-rings, refunds, allowances, discounts and tips deductible under reporting requirements. Cooperative advertising is 1%-3% of Net Sales; Item 11 requires local spending of 1%-3% where there is no cooperative. Item 7’s later-unit totals under a multi-unit option agreement are free-standing $900,500-$1,655,000; inline/end cap $497,500-$874,000; nontraditional $265,500-$570,500. Website comparison, checked 2026-10-13: the investment page matches all three Item 7 first-unit totals, including free-standing $925,500-$1,680,000, and the $40,000 traditional / $30,000 nontraditional fees. The FDD cover instead prints lower bounds of $900,500, $497,500 and $265,500, with the same upper bounds as the first-unit table; this comparison uses Item 7 as printed. Item 20 explicitly dates its 180 outlets December 31, 2025, while the FDD states a December 28, 2025 fiscal year end. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  5. Toastique’s January 9, 2026 FDD, Items 5, 6, 7 and 20. Gross Sales includes restaurant sales, receipts and revenues from all sources, noncash value, insurance proceeds and related business; excludes remitted sales taxes and promotional discounts authorized in writing. The multi-franchise addenda cover options for up to three, four or five restaurants without another initial franchise fee for those additional restaurants. A separate development agreement covers six to ten restaurants: $55,000 for the first plus a $28,000 Development Area Fee per additional restaurant, with no additional initial fee for those subsequent restaurants. Item 7 prints first-restaurant totals of $581,152-$1,000,846 (1-3 addendum), $614,152-$1,033,846 (1-4), $641,152-$1,060,846 (1-5), and $611,152-$1,142,846 (development agreement). These cover the first restaurant and agreement fees, not construction of the entire group. The addendum tables’ notes describe excluding the $55,000 single-unit fee, but their printed component ranges retain the single-unit range; the totals here are reproduced without recalculation. Website comparison, checked 2026-10-13: the investment page matches the single-unit $55,000 fee and $471,152-$890,846 range. It states “65+ locations open.” and mentions 97 franchise partners; Item 20 reports 57 outlets at December 31, 2025. Partners and outlets are different measures, and the website check is later than the FDD count. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4

  6. Biggby’s April 30, 2026 FDD, Items 1, 5, 6, 7, 11 and 20. Item 5 also offers a $10,000 initial fee to qualifying military veterans. Gross Sales includes business and location revenues, delivery-platform receipts and lease revenue, with deductions for remitted sales taxes, qualifying customer discounts, refunds/credits and uncollectible receivables previously included; third-party service or delivery fees are not deductible. Item 6 states the greater of $100/week or 3% for the advertising fund; Item 11 confirms the 3% percentage cap, so the weekly minimum can exceed 3% of actual sales. Local advertising is up to 3% of Gross Sales; cooperative contributions currently up to 2% count toward that local obligation. Website comparison, checked 2026-10-13: the cost page matches the FDD’s $20,000 standard fee and $242,200-$610,000 whitebox total. That page shows whitebox investment; the FDD also supplies the modular and site-built ranges above. ↩ ↩2 ↩3 ↩4 ↩5

Common questions

Which coffee franchise has the lowest initial fee?

Caribou's university or hospital kiosk fee is $7,000 per its April 28, 2026 FDD, but Caribou's franchising page asks for a 10+ location commitment; among the other brands here, Biggby's $20,000 is the lowest explicitly stated first-unit fee, while PJ's Item 7 assumes $40,000 traditional or $30,000 nontraditional and its multi-unit agreement prices subsequent-unit options at $15,000.

How do royalty bases differ between these coffee franchises?

Scooter's and PJ's charge royalties on Net Sales; 7 Brew, Caribou, Toastique and Biggby use Gross Sales, with different exclusions in each FDD. Rates in the table run from 4% for specified Caribou kiosks to 7% at 7 Brew's highest tier. Compare the sales definition, minimum payments and advertising obligations along with the rate.

Does a lower total investment mean a better franchise?

No. Item 7 estimates opening investment for a particular format and set of assumptions. Compare equivalent formats, included development fees, ongoing charges and contract terms before using the range to narrow a shortlist.

Are these figures the same as what I'd pay today?

These are figures from the six FDDs issued between January and May 2026, compared on October 13, 2026. They are estimates and disclosed terms, not a site-specific quote; use the FDD and agreement supplied for your proposed location to confirm what applies.

What do 7 Brew and Toastique say about new applications?

Checked 2026-10-13, 7 Brew's support page states: 'At this time, we are not accepting new franchise applications or expressions of interest.' Toastique's investment page states: 'For the rest of 2026 our team is focused on our current owners. Leave your details and we will be in contact when the next round opens.'

Sources

Every figure above traces to one of these sources (page last updated October 14, 2026). Franchise numbers change with each FDD filing year; verify against the current FDD.

  1. Scooter's Coffee FDD issued April 3, 2026: Items 1, 5, 6, 7 and 20; Restaurant Finance Monitor copy
  2. 7 Brew FDD issued May 11, 2026: Items 1, 5, 6, 7 and 20; Restaurant Finance Monitor copy
  3. Caribou Coffee FDD issued April 28, 2026: Items 1, 5, 6, 7 and 20; Restaurant Finance Monitor copy
  4. PJ's Coffee FDD issued April 10, 2026: Items 1, 5, 6, 7 and 20; Restaurant Finance Monitor copy
  5. Toastique FDD issued January 9, 2026: Items 5, 6, 7 and 20; Restaurant Finance Monitor copy
  6. Biggby Coffee FDD issued April 30, 2026: Items 1, 5, 6, 7, 11 and 20; Restaurant Finance Monitor copy
  7. Scooter's Coffee official cost page, checked 2026-10-13
  8. Scooter's Coffee official kiosk-size FAQ, checked 2026-10-13
  9. Scooter's Coffee official 900-store announcement, checked 2026-10-13
  10. 7 Brew official support page, checked 2026-10-13
  11. Caribou Coffee official franchising page, live browser read checked 2026-10-13
  12. PJ's Coffee official investment page, live browser read checked 2026-10-13
  13. Toastique official investment page, checked 2026-10-13
  14. Biggby Coffee official cost page, checked 2026-10-13
  15. Dutch Bros official franchising support article, checked 2026-10-13

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