Quick Verdict · who it fits
Tapioca Express fits first-time franchise buyers looking for an emerging food & beverage concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$250K - $509K
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$30K
Royalty (Item 6)
4% + 1.5% ad
Item 19 median rev
$920k Operational Franchise Outlets
System size (Item 20)
13
Years in business
27+ yrs
Company-owned units
2
Model Tapioca Express's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Data extracted from the 2025 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.
Where units actually land — not just the headline average.
P25
$295k
Median
$920k
P75
$920k
▪ n = 15 units · Operational Franchise Outlets · 2025 Reporting Period · Source: 2025 FDD Item 19
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 4% + ad fund 1.5% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$920,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (4%)
—
Ad fund (1.5%)
—
Total / year
—
▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration
How Tapioca Express ranks against 749 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
32nd pct · of 749 peers
Franchise fee
20th pct · of 749 peers
System size
36th 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tapioca Express | Disclosed | $30K | $250K - $509K | 4% | 13 |
| Dirty DoughSimilar price | None | $35K | $154K - $510K | 6% | 59 |
| 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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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.
Tapioca Express requires a $30,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $250,000–$509,100, per the most recent FDD on file.
Tapioca Express franchises are sold by Tapioca Express, Inc., the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the corporate structure, including any parent companies and predecessors.
Yes. Tapioca Express discloses Item 19 financial performance representations with reported revenue around $919,952. See the financials sub-page for the full distribution.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 4% of Gross Sales and an advertising fund contribution of 1.5% of Gross Sales on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2025 FDD, Tapioca Express has 13 total locations. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt