Quick Verdict · who it fits
Scooter's Coffee fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mature food & beverage concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$955K - $1.5M
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$40K
Royalty (Item 6)
6% + 2–4% ad
System size (Item 20)
825 +121
Agreement term
10 yrs
Years in business
28+ yrs
Company-owned units
24
Item 3 litigation
1 suit
Model Scooter's Coffee's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Buyer qualifications
•No exclusive territory✓Semi-absentee eligible✓No bankruptcy disclosed•1 Item 3 case
Data extracted from the 2026 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 6% + ad fund 2–4% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$500,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (6%)
—
Ad fund (2–4%)
—
Total / year
—
▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
849
Total units open
121 franchised units opened in 2024
Units opened last year
14 franchised Kiosk Stores permanently closed in 2024
Units closed last year
99 units
Net unit growth
from 750 at end of 2023 to 849 at end of 2024
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
5
Risks to review
4
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Scooter's Coffee ranks against 753 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
86th pct · of 753 peers
Franchise fee
57th pct · of 753 peers
System size
93rd pct · of 753 peers
Food & Beverage industry averages
Avg investment
$589K - $1.4M
Avg franchise fee
$37K
Avg system size
261
Franchises analyzed
753
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scooter's Coffee | None | $40K | $955K - $1.5M | 6% | 825 |
| Heritage Restaurant Brands, Lp (perko's Cafe Grill)Similar price | None | $35K | $384K - $1.5M | 6% | 6 |
| Doctor's AssociatesBiggest system | None | $15K | $227K - $630K | 8% | 18,773 |
| Vintage Hospitality GroupTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $50K | $3.5M - $6.4M | 5.5% | 33 |
Not sure Scooter's Coffee is the one?
Answer five questions and get matched against 2,000+ analyzed FDDs — including every Food & Beverage brand we cover. Free, no account needed.
Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Franchise Comparisons
Dunkin' is the legacy East Coast coffee-and-donuts brand with deep penetration and slow growth. Scooter's is the Midwest-born drive-thru-only coffee concept that's expanded into 30+ states. They're competing for the same buyer dollars now — and the unit economics differ in ways that matter.
Brand Analysis
Chipotle reported 4,186 company-operated restaurants and 15 international licensed restaurants as of June 30, 2026. None are franchised, there is no FDD, and there is nothing to apply for. Qdoba is the franchised version of the same order line, and its 12/25 FDD puts a traditional restaurant at $548,100 to $1,294,000.
Brand Analysis
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. reported 656 company-operated stores in 43 states as of January 30, 2026, and the brand has never sold a franchise. Huddle House and Another Broken Egg cover the same daypart with filed FDDs, at $555,375 to $1,715,275 and $792,500 to $1,804,000.
Scooter's Coffee requires a $40,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $954,650–$1,523,400, per the most recent FDD on file.
Scooter's Coffee is franchised by Scooters Coffee, the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the franchisor's corporate history, parents, and predecessors.
No. Scooter's Coffee does not include a financial performance representation in its FDD. Prospective buyers should rely on validation calls with existing franchisees and benchmark against industry medians.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 6% of Net Sales and an advertising fund contribution of 2.0% to 4.0% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Scooter's Coffee has 825 total locations, with 121 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
No. Scooter's Coffee does not grant exclusive territory rights under Item 12. The franchisor retains the right to operate or grant additional units inside or adjacent to your trade area.
Per the FDD, Scooter's Coffee discloses an initial agreement term of 10 years, a renewal fee of $10,000, a transfer fee of $10,000. Review Items 10 and 17 for the full renewal and termination provisions.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt