Bubble Bus franchise
2022 filing · April 27, 2022Growing
Bubble Bus at a glance
A mobile party business that brings a graffiti-painted bus with bubble machines to birthday parties, school and community events. At the end of 2021 there were 11 Bubble Bus locations in the US, 7 franchised and 4 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Bubble Bus Franchise LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Current franchisor selling since
- 2015
- 7 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- St. Louis, Missouri
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $121K–$147K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $18,000
- For one vehicle in a protected territory
- Royalty
- $750–$900 a quarter
- A flat quarterly fee for a first franchise: none for the first six months, $750 a quarter for the rest of the first year, $825 a quarter in year 2 and $900 a quarter in years 3 to 5
- Brand fund
- Yes
- $150 a month
- Renewal fee
- $2,500
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 5 years
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2021
- 11
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 7
- Company-owned
- 4
- Change in 3 years
- +3
- Franchised locations, 2019–2021
- States
- 4
- Most in Missouri, New York and Texas
From Bubble Bus Franchise LLC’s 2022 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Bubble Bus among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Bubble Bus | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $134,125 | Costs less than 80% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $18,000 | Lower than 92% of franchises |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 11 | Fewer than 60% of franchises |
How much a Bubble Bus franchise costs
Opening one Bubble Bus costs an estimated $121,000 to $147,250. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Bubble Bus Franchise LLC, 2022 filing, page 1
Bubble Bus franchise fee
The franchise fee is $18,000, for one vehicle in a protected territory. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Bubble Bus Franchise LLC, 2022 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | A flat quarterly fee for a first franchise: none for the first six months, $750 a quarter for the rest of the first year, $825 a quarter in year 2 and $900 a quarter in years 3 to 5. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | $150 a month. |
| Technology Fee | Currently $0 |
| Renewal Fee | $2,500 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Bubble Bus Franchise LLC, 2022 filing, page 11
Other fees as filed, from pages 11–12. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Bubble Bus does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: Bubble Bus Franchise LLC, 2022 filing, page 36
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2021 / 2019–2021. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Bubble Bus | Typical mobile brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | +40% / +75% | +4.5% / +77% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 0% / 0% | 4.7% / 23% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical mobile brand is the median of the 34 brands in mobile franchises with three years of counts.
How Bubble Bus compares
Of the 139 mobile franchises on this site, Bubble Bus is the 91st cheapest to open and the 63rd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Bubble Bus | Typical mobile brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $121K | $96K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $147K | $167K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $18K | $35K | $40K |
| US locations | 11 | 10 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 91 of 139 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 139 brands in mobile franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 5 (+1) | 4 | +1 | 0 |
| 2020 | 5 (0) | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 7 (+2) | 4 | +2 | 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: franchise failure rates.
Source: Bubble Bus Franchise LLC, 2022 filing, page 36
Where Bubble Bus locations are
At the end of 2021, Bubble Bus had locations in 4 states. The most are in Missouri, New York and Texas.
- Missouri6
- New York2
- Texas2
- Florida1
Source: Bubble Bus Franchise LLC, 2022 filing, page 37
Who owns Bubble Bus?
Bubble Bus franchises are sold by Bubble Bus Franchise LLC.
From Bubble Bus Franchise LLC’s 2022 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| 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: Bubble Bus Franchise LLC, 2022 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 9
Bubble Bus filings
The figures on this page come from Bubble Bus Franchise LLC’s 2022 filing, issued April 27, 2022, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 filing | April 27, 2022 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2019–2021 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other mobile franchises
All mobile franchises
Bubble Bus is also on these lists: entertainment franchises.