Bubbles franchise
2024 filing · April 26, 2024GrowingShares sales figures
Bubbles at a glance
A juice and tea bar serving cold-pressed juices, fruit and vegetable smoothies, bubble teas and snacks. At the end of 2023 there were 11 Bubbles locations in the US, 4 franchised and 7 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
The business
- Franchisor
- Bubbles Franchise LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Typical size
- 500–1,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $150K–$393K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- Reduced per unit when you buy several at once
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross revenues, paid weekly, plus 2% to the advertising fund and at least $500 a month on local advertising
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- 25% of the then current Initial Franchise Fee
- Agreement length
- 10 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 11
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 4
- Company-owned
- 7
- Change in 3 years
- +4
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
- States
- 1
- Most in Ohio
From Bubbles Franchise LLC’s 2024 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Bubbles among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Bubbles | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $271,375 | Costs less than 60% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $30,000 | Lower than 72% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 11 | Fewer than 60% of franchises |
How much a Bubbles franchise costs
Opening one Bubbles costs an estimated $150,250 to $392,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($25,000 to $150,000) and restaurant furniture and fixtures ($22,000 to $40,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $30,000 | ||
| Security Deposits | $5,000 | $8,000 | |
| Real Estate/Rent | $2,500 | $8,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $25,000 | $150,000 | |
| Utility Deposits | $500 | $2,000 | |
| Signage and Displays | $5,000 | $25,000 | |
| Restaurant Furniture and Fixtures | $22,000 | $40,000 | |
| Office Equipment and Supplies | $500 | $1,000 | |
| Initial Inventory | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| Training Expenses, including salaries and travel | $2,500 | $5,000 | |
| Business Licenses and Permits | $2,000 | $8,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $2,500 | $10,000 | |
| Computer System | $1,250 | $5,000 | |
| Insurance Deposits and Premiums (3 months) | $1,500 | $3,000 | |
| Real Estate Transaction Management | $0 | $5,000 | |
| Grand Opening and Initial Marketing | $5,000 | $7,500 | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $20,000 | $40,000 | |
| Foxfield Construction | $15,000 | $30,000 | |
| Total | $150,250 | $392,500 | |
Source: Bubbles Franchise LLC, 2024 filing, page 15
Bubbles franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000, reduced per unit when you buy several at once. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Bubbles Franchise LLC, 2024 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross revenues, paid weekly, plus 2% to the advertising fund and at least $500 a month on local advertising. |
|---|---|
| Renewal Fee | 25% of the then current Initial Franchise Fee |
| Minimum Local Advertising Requirement | Minimum of $500 per monthly |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Bubbles Franchise LLC, 2024 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
Shares figures Bubbles publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $553,211
- Median sales
- $440,980
Yearly figures for 2023, covering affiliate-owned stores in 2023 (6 locations). The average is about 2 times the midpoint of the cost to open.
Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.
Source: Bubbles Franchise LLC, 2024 filing, pages 38–39
How Bubbles compares
Of the 56 bubble tea franchises on this site, Bubbles is the 8th cheapest to open and the 21st largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Bubbles | Typical bubble tea brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $150K | $264K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $393K | $502K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $30K | $40K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 5% | 6% |
| US locations | 11 | 8 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 0% | 0% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 19 of 56 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 56 brands in bubble tea franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 0 (0) | 7 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 (+1) | 7 | +1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 4 (+3) | 7 | +3 | 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: smoothie and juice franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Bubbles Franchise LLC, 2024 filing, page 41
Where Bubbles locations are
At the end of 2023, Bubbles had locations in 1 state. The most are in Ohio.
- Ohio11
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 4 | 7 | 11 |
Source: Bubbles Franchise LLC, 2024 filing, page 42
Who owns Bubbles?
Bubbles franchises are sold by Bubbles Franchise LLC.
From Bubbles Franchise LLC’s 2024 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: Bubbles Franchise LLC, 2024 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
Bubbles filings
The figures on this page come from Bubbles Franchise LLC’s 2024 filing, issued April 26, 2024, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | April 26, 2024 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other bubble tea franchises
All bubble tea franchises
Bubbles is also on these lists: smoothie franchises, food franchises.