Aroma Espresso Bar franchise
2023 filing · May 4, 2023Fewer locationsShares sales figures
Aroma Espresso Bar at a glance
An espresso bar serving coffee drinks, other beverages including alcohol, and a café food menu. At the end of 2022 there were 4 Aroma Espresso Bar locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Franchisor
- Aroma Franchise Company, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Typical size
- About 2,500 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $538K–$1.5M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $55,000
- Less any development fee credit
- Royalty
- 7%
- 7% of gross sales, paid monthly
- Brand fund
- 1.5%
- 1.5% of gross sales, paid with the royalty; it can rise to 2%
- Agreement length
- 10 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2022
- 4
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 4
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- −1
- Franchised locations, 2020–2022
- States
- 2
- Most in Florida and New Jersey
From Aroma Franchise Company, Inc’s 2023 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Aroma Espresso Bar among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Aroma Espresso Bar | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,018,750 | Costs more than 83% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $55,000 | Higher than 82% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 7% | Higher than 70% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 4 | Fewer than 74% of franchises |
How much a Aroma Espresso Bar franchise costs
Opening one Aroma Espresso Bar costs an estimated $537,500 to $1,500,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($250,000 to $775,000) and furniture, fixtures, and equipment ($100,000 to $250,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $55,000 | ||
| Security Deposit and Rent (first 3 months) | $0 | $180,000 | |
| Design, Architect and Engineers | $32,000 | $60,000 | |
| General Contractor | $20,000 | ||
| Leasehold Improvements | $250,000 | $775,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment | $100,000 | $250,000 | |
| Signage | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| Computer Hardware and Software | $15,000 | $25,000 | |
| Initial Training | $20,000 | $30,000 | |
| Grand Opening Expenses | $500 | $5,000 | |
| Initial Inventory of Aroma Products | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| Other Products & Supplies | $5,000 | $15,000 | |
| Professional Services | $5,000 | $15,000 | |
| Insurance and Other Prepaid Expenses | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| Additional Funds for the initial phase (approximately 3 months) | $10,000 | $30,000 | |
| Total | $537,500 | $1,500,000 | |
Source: Aroma Franchise Company, Inc, 2023 filing, page 18
Aroma Espresso Bar franchise fee
The franchise fee is $55,000, less any development fee credit. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Aroma Franchise Company, Inc, 2023 filing, page 13
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 7% of gross sales, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1.5% of gross sales, paid with the royalty; it can rise to 2%. |
| Transfer Fee | $10,000, plus our reasonable costs associated with the transfer.. |
| Local Advertising | 1% of Gross Sales. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Aroma Franchise Company, Inc, 2023 filing, pages 14 and 15
Other fees as filed, from pages 15–16. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Aroma Espresso Bar publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Aroma Franchise Company, Inc, 2023 filing, page 48
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $920K–$1.6M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Aroma Espresso Bar franchisees
Lenders approved 3 SBA-backed loans for Aroma Espresso Bar franchisees from 2016 to 2024, $1.56M in all: 2 7(a) loans and 1 504 loan. None has been paid off or charged off yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2022 / 2020–2022. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Aroma Espresso Bar | Typical coffee brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | 0% / −20% | +13% / +73% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 40% | 2.2% / 13% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical coffee brand is the median of the 29 brands in coffee franchises with three years of counts.
How Aroma Espresso Bar compares
Of the 117 coffee franchises on this site, Aroma Espresso Bar is the 86th cheapest to open and the 73rd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Aroma Espresso Bar | Typical coffee brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $538K | $350K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.5M | $741K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $55K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 7% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1.5% | 1.5% | 2% |
| US locations | 4 | 8 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 69 of 117 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 117 brands in coffee franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 3 (−2) | 0 | 0 | −2 |
| 2021 | 4 (+1) | 0 | +1 | 0 |
| 2022 | 4 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: coffee franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Aroma Franchise Company, Inc, 2023 filing, page 51
Where Aroma Espresso Bar locations are
At the end of 2022, Aroma Espresso Bar had franchised locations in 2 states. The most are in Florida and New Jersey.
- Florida3
- New Jersey1
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Florida | 3 |
| New Jersey | 1 |
Source: Aroma Franchise Company, Inc, 2023 filing, page 52
Who owns Aroma Espresso Bar?
Aroma Espresso Bar franchises are sold by Aroma Franchise Company, Inc.
From Aroma Franchise Company, Inc’s 2023 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on pages 11–13. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: Aroma Franchise Company, Inc, 2023 filing, litigation on pages 11–13, bankruptcy on page 13
Aroma Espresso Bar filings
The figures on this page come from Aroma Franchise Company, Inc’s 2023 filing, issued May 4, 2023, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 filing | May 4, 2023 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2020–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other coffee franchises
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Aroma Espresso Bar is also on these lists: restaurant franchises, food franchises.