Chaiiwala franchise
2026 filing · March 11, 2026
Chaiiwala at a glance
A fast-casual restaurant serving Indian and South Asian street food and drinks, including chai.
The business
- Franchisor
- Rowda Group USA LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2024
- 2 years of selling franchises
- Typical size
- 1,200–2,500 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $297K–$957K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 7%
- 7% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 1% to the brand fund
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross sales, paid with the royalty
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 0
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
From Rowda Group USA LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Chaiiwala among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Chaiiwala | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $626,950 | Costs more than 72% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 7% | Higher than 70% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 0 | Fewer than 97% of franchises |
How much a Chaiiwala franchise costs
Opening one Chaiiwala costs an estimated $296,500 to $957,400. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($18,000 to $500,000) and equipment, furnishings, and fixtures ($90,000 to $150,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $40,000 | ||
| Location Assistance Fee | $0 | $10,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $18,000 | $500,000 | |
| Lease Payments – 3 Months | $16,500 | $22,500 | |
| Security Deposits | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| Equipment, Furnishings, and Fixtures | $90,000 | $150,000 | |
| Signage | $10,000 | $20,000 | |
| Initial Inventory | $40,000 | ||
| Blueprints and Plans | $7,500 | $10,000 | |
| Point of Sale System | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| Travel, Lodging, and Meals for Initial Training | $10,000 | $14,000 | |
| Training Expenses | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| Uniforms | $2,000 | $4,000 | |
| Licenses and Permits | $4,000 | $12,000 | |
| Insurance Premiums – 1 year | $1,500 | $4,400 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $2,000 | $7,500 | |
| Professional Fees | $0 | $3,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $30,000 | $80,000 | |
| Total | $296,500 | $957,400 | |
Source: Rowda Group USA LLC, 2026 filing, page 16
Chaiiwala franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Rowda Group USA LLC, 2026 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 7% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 1% to the brand fund. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross sales, paid with the royalty. |
| Technology Fee | $300 per month |
| Transfer Fee | $20,000 per Chaiiwala Restaurant |
| Local Advertising Expenditure | 1% of Gross Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Rowda Group USA LLC, 2026 filing, page 11
Other fees as filed, from pages 11–13. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Chaiiwala 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: Rowda Group USA LLC, 2026 filing, page 54
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $640K–$1.2M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How Chaiiwala compares
Of the 117 coffee franchises on this site, Chaiiwala is the 44th cheapest to open and the 107th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Chaiiwala | Typical coffee brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $297K | $350K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $957K | $741K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 7% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 1.5% | 2% |
| US locations | 0 | 8 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 (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: Rowda Group USA LLC, 2026 filing, page 55
Who owns Chaiiwala?
Chaiiwala franchises are sold by Rowda Group USA LLC.
From Rowda Group USA LLC’s 2026 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: Rowda Group USA LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 9
Chaiiwala filings
The figures on this page come from Rowda Group USA LLC’s 2026 filing, issued March 11, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | March 11, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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