Quick Verdict · who it fits
Caribou Coffee fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mid-scale food & beverage concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$281K - $1.5M
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$30K
Royalty (Item 6)
4–6% + 2% ad
Item 19 median rev
$1.09M franchised units (Kiosks and traditional franchises)
System size (Item 20)
144 +2
Agreement term
10 yrs
Years in business
89+ yrs
Company-owned units
350
Item 3 litigation
None disclosed
Model Caribou Coffee's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Buyer qualifications
•No exclusive territory•Owner-operator required✓No bankruptcy disclosed✓No Item 3 litigation
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 4–6% + ad fund 2% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$1,090,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (4–6%)
—
Ad fund (2%)
—
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.
494
Total units open
26
Units opened last year
2 franchised, 24 affiliate-owned
9
Units closed last year
0 franchised, 9 affiliate-owned
7 units
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
5
Risks to review
4
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Caribou Coffee ranks against 749 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
39th pct · of 749 peers
Franchise fee
20th pct · of 749 peers
System size
79th pct · of 749 peers
Food & Beverage industry averages
Avg investment
$589K - $1.4M
Avg franchise fee
$37K
Avg system size
261
Franchises analyzed
749
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Caribou Coffee | Disclosed | $30K | $281K - $1.5M | 4–6% | 144 |
| Angry ChickzSimilar price | Disclosed | $50K | $611K - $1.5M | 6% | 2 |
| 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 |
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Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
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.
Brand Analysis
The Häagen-Dazs Shoppe Company franchises the ice cream shops on a $30,000 fee and a 4% royalty, with a 2026 Item 7 range of $213,329 to $591,579. The trademark belongs to a different company, and the ice cream you are required to buy comes from a third.
Caribou Coffee requires a $30,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $281,100–$1,515,000, per the most recent FDD on file.
Caribou Coffee is franchised by Caribou Coffee Development Company, Inc., the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the franchisor's corporate history, parents, and predecessors.
Yes. Caribou Coffee discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $1,086,055. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 4.0% to 6.0% and an advertising fund contribution of 2% of Gross Sales on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Caribou Coffee has 144 total locations, with 2 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
No. Caribou 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, Caribou Coffee discloses an initial agreement term of 10 years. 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