Buttermilk Cafe franchise
2026 filing · April 28, 2026Shares sales figures
Buttermilk Cafe at a glance
A café restaurant with a coffee bar. At the end of 2025 there were 5 Buttermilk Cafe locations in the US, all company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Buttermilk Franchise Group, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.08M–$2.35M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 1% to the brand fund (up to 3%), 2% on local advertising and a $30 weekly technology fee
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross sales, paid weekly
- Agreement length
- 10 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 5
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 5
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 1
- Most in Illinois
From Buttermilk Franchise Group, Inc’s 2026 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 53; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
Buttermilk Cafe among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Buttermilk Cafe | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,713,000 | Costs more than 91% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 5 | Fewer than 71% of franchises |
How much a Buttermilk Cafe franchise costs
Opening one Buttermilk Cafe costs an estimated $1,081,000 to $2,345,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($200,000 to $600,000) and kitchen/prep equipment ($150,000 to $600,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ini(cid:415)al Franchise Fee | $40,000 | ||
| Initial Training Fee | $45,000 | ||
| Travel and Living Expenses and Employee Wages During Training | $111,000 | $130,000 | |
| Initial Inventory | $35,000 | $60,000 | |
| Lease Security Deposit and Utility Deposits | $25,000 | $50,000 | |
| Rent (Initial 3 months) | $48,000 | $60,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $200,000 | $600,000 | |
| POS/Back Office Systems | $15,000 | $20,000 | |
| Kitchen/Prep Equipment | $150,000 | $600,000 | |
| Furniture & Fixtures | $250,000 | $400,000 | |
| Signage (Interior and Exterior) | $40,000 | $80,000 | |
| Business Licenses & Permits | $10,000 | $30,000 | |
| Design, Architect, & Engineering Fees | $55,000 | $85,000 | |
| Professional Fees (Attorneys, Accountant, etc.) | $7,000 | $15,000 | |
| Business Insurance | $10,000 | $25,000 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $15,000 | $30,000 | |
| Additional Funds for First 3 Months | $25,000 | $75,000 | |
| Total | $1,081,000 | $2,345,000 | |
Source: Buttermilk Franchise Group, Inc, 2026 filing, page 18
Buttermilk Cafe franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Buttermilk Franchise Group, Inc, 2026 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 1% to the brand fund (up to 3%), 2% on local advertising and a $30 weekly technology fee. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
| Technology Fee | $30. |
| Ongoing Training | $500 per day plus cost of travel, lodging, meals, and other expenses. |
| Local Advertising and Promotions | 2% of Gross Sales. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Buttermilk Franchise Group, Inc, 2026 filing, page 11
Other fees as filed, from page 11. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Buttermilk Cafe publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Buttermilk Franchise Group, Inc, 2026 filing, page 38
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1.3M–$2.4M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How Buttermilk Cafe compares
Of the 58 breakfast franchises on this site, Buttermilk Cafe is the 49th cheapest to open and the 43rd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Buttermilk Cafe | Typical breakfast brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.08M | $640K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $2.35M | $1.2M | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $40K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 1.4% | 2% |
| US locations | 5 | 13 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 46 of 58 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 58 brands in breakfast franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 0 (0) | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 (0) | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 (0) | 5 | 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: Buttermilk Franchise Group, Inc, 2026 filing, page 40
Where Buttermilk Cafe locations are
At the end of 2025, Buttermilk Cafe had locations in 1 state. The most are in Illinois.
- Illinois5
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 0 | 5 | 5 |
Source: Buttermilk Franchise Group, Inc, 2026 filing, page 41
Who owns Buttermilk Cafe?
Buttermilk Cafe franchises are sold by Buttermilk Franchise Group, Inc.
From Buttermilk Franchise Group, Inc’s 2026 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 page 10. |
|---|---|
| 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: Buttermilk Franchise Group, Inc, 2026 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
Buttermilk Cafe filings
The figures on this page come from Buttermilk Franchise Group, Inc’s 2026 filing, issued April 28, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 28, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other breakfast franchises
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Buttermilk Cafe is also on these lists: coffee franchises, restaurant franchises, food franchises.