Fastest-Growing Coffee Chains and Franchises of 2026

The fastest-growing coffee chains are not always available to a new franchise buyer. This guide ranks six coffee franchises on one measure: 2025 net change in total outlets from their 2026 FDDs. Separate sections cover company-reported growth and the fast-growers you cannot buy into, including Dutch Bros and Black Rock.

The ranking compares the cited brands, not the entire coffee market. Company announcements, development pipelines and publication rankings use different measures or periods and do not determine the order here. Franchise availability must be confirmed directly with each brand.

Coffee franchises ranked by 2025 net outlet change

Ranked by net change in total outlets during 2025, per each brand’s 2026 FDD Item 20 (Dec 31, 2024 to Dec 31, 2025). The +10 tie is ordered alphabetically, placing Aroma Joe’s before Ellianos. Investment figures retain their stated source dates; where the brand site and FDD differ, the FDD figure is used.

Rank	Brand	Outlets Dec 31, 2024	Outlets Dec 31, 2025	Net change	Growth %	FDD (issued)	Total investment
1	Scooter’s Coffee	849	906	+57	6.7%	April 3, 2026	End cap $658,898 to $1,068,525; drive-thru kiosk $1,163,650 to $1,345,750, per its cost page, retrieved September 29, 2026
2	Biggby Coffee	420	461	+41	9.8%	April 30, 2026	Whitebox leasehold $242,200 to $610,000; modular $457,750 to $826,000; site-built $484,200 to $973,000, per that FDD Item 7
3	The Human Bean	177	188	+11	6.2%	February 25, 2026; amended May 5, 2026	$672,000 to $1,537,000, per that FDD Item 7; its FAQ, checked October 13, 2026, gives a different $1,527,000 upper limit
4	Aroma Joe’s	120	130	+10	8.3%	March 3, 2026	$180,300 to $2,168,800 depending on model, per its FAQ, retrieved September 29, 2026
5	Ellianos Coffee	63	73	+10	15.9%	March 17, 2026	Traditional $797,450 to $1,397,400; End Cap Café $693,700 to $918,700; nontraditional $186,500 to $526,000, excluding real estate, per that FDD Item 7
6	PJ’s Coffee	182	180	-2 (net decline)	-1.1%	April 10, 2026	$280,500 to $1,680,000 depending on format, per its investment page, retrieved September 29, 2026

Growth is one column. Compare the rest.

Our free comparison spreadsheet lines up fee, Item 7, royalty, ad fund and liquidity gates across the FDDs you request. Plus the due-diligence kit.

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Method: Item 20 Table 1 totals include franchised plus company or affiliate outlets. Net change subtracts the starting total from the ending total, netting openings against closures; transfers between owners do not change the total. Growth percentage is net change divided by the starting total, rounded to one decimal. Aroma Joe’s table reports U.S. outlets. FDDs are dated disclosures; verify these figures and investment ranges in the current FDD. PJ’s net decline is included plainly rather than characterized as growth.

Context, not ranking inputs: Biggby’s company release reports 47 new stores in 2025, a gross-opening measure, versus the FDD’s net +41; the release reports 460 year-end locations while the FDD reports 461. Scooter’s 83 new stores in 2025 reported by Nation’s Restaurant News likewise differs from its FDD net +57. Franchise Times’ 2026 Fast and Serious coverage uses 2022 to 2024 growth, while Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500 placements are publication rankings, not this table’s 2025 net outlet measure. Locations in development are not counted as open outlets here.

Growth reported without a 2025 FDD figure

These brands are not ranked against the six above. Company-reported openings and plans do not substitute for an Item 20 net outlet comparison.

Brand	Dated growth evidence	FDD or registration evidence
HTeaO (iced tea)	36 new locations in 2025, company-reported via QSR Magazine	FDD issued April 30, 2025, Item 20: 101 to 144 total outlets during 2024 (+43). This is a different year.
Beans & Brews	11 new stores in 2025, company-reported via PR Newswire, January 30, 2026 and QSR Magazine	No FDD found in Minnesota or California searches on October 14, 2026.
Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii	44 units at year-end 2024 and 23 openings planned for 2025, company-reported via Verdict Foodservice, February 5, 2025. The plan is not a completed-opening count.	Latest Minnesota FDD on file is from 2024. Minnesota cancelled the registration on May 14, 2025; see the order below.

The Minnesota Department of Commerce’s May 14, 2025 cancellation order for Royal Aloha Franchise Company, LLC, the Bad Ass Coffee of Hawaii franchisor, states: “the franchisor has failed to file an annual report and fee pursuant to Minn. Stat. 80C.08, subd. 1”. Source: Minnesota CARDS registration search, checked October 14, 2026.

The fastest-growers you cannot buy into

Growth and access are separate questions. The official franchise-access pages below were checked September 29, 2026; confirm their current terms before treating any chain as an available opportunity.

• Dutch Bros: Its 2025 annual report reports 1,136 shops at December 31, 2025, including 325 franchise shops. Its support page says it no longer offers the option to franchise and offers regional operator positions exclusively to people within the company.
• Black Rock Coffee Bar: Its FAQ says it does not offer franchise opportunities and all locations are company-owned. Its 2025 annual report reports 181 stores at December 31, 2025 and an IPO completed September 15, 2025.
• 7 Brew: It ranked No. 1 in Franchise Times’ 2026 Fast and Serious coverage, covering growth from 38 locations in 2022 to 321 at the close of 2024. QSR Magazine reports more than 280 openings in 2025 and more than 600 locations. Its support page states it is not accepting new franchise applications or expressions of interest as of the September 29, 2026 check.

What fast growth does, and does not, tell you

Net outlet change answers a limited question: how much did the disclosed system size change over the year? It does not establish customer demand, support quality, available territory or suitability for a particular buyer. Gross openings, net growth and development commitments answer different questions and should remain separate.

Read the rest of Item 20 alongside Table 1, including openings, closures and transfers. Ask current and former franchisees about their experience and ask the franchisor to confirm current territory availability. A positive net figure does not replace that review, and a negative figure should not be presented as expansion.

How to use this list

Compare formats and opening budgets in the coffee franchise cost guide, then request the current FDD for each shortlisted brand. The Texas and Florida guides provide state-specific comparisons; systemwide growth does not establish local availability.

For SBA financing, consult the SBA Franchise Directory eligibility guide and the SBA’s directory for lenders. A directory listing is not an SBA endorsement. Review the current FDD with qualified advisers before committing.