Chatime franchise
2026 filing · April 13, 2026Shares sales figures
Chatime at a glance
A bubble tea shop serving milk teas, fruit teas and specialty drinks. At the end of 2025 there were 18 Chatime locations in the US, 16 franchised and 2 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Chatime Franchise, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2014
- 12 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Dover, Delaware
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $291K–$500K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $54,900
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of gross sales, paid monthly
- Brand fund
- 2%
- 2% of gross sales, paid monthly
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- No more than 25% of the then- current New Outlet Fee
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 18
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 16
- Company-owned
- 2
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 10
- Most in Maryland, Guam and California
Support and records
From Chatime Franchise, LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Chatime among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Chatime | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $395,500 | Costs more than 54% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $54,900 | Higher than 82% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 18 | Fewer than 52% of franchises |
How much a Chatime franchise costs
Opening one Chatime costs an estimated $291,100 to $499,900. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($135,000 to $246,000) and initial franchise fee ($54,900). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $54,900 | ||
| Initial Training, Opening Support and Related Personnel Cost | $5,000 | ||
| Rent | $4,000 | $33,000 | |
| Lease Security Deposit | $4,000 | $22,000 | |
| Storage Space Deposit | $0 | $1,500 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $135,000 | $246,000 | |
| Equipment | $33,500 | $46,000 | |
| External Signage | $4,200 | $9,500 | |
| Opening Inventory and Supplies | $10,000 | $16,000 | |
| Grand opening marketing | $10,000 | ||
| Licenses, Permits, and Utility Deposits | $3,500 | $5,500 | |
| Technology Systems | $10,500 | $14,000 | |
| Uniforms | $500 | $1,500 | |
| Insurance | $3,000 | $6,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Additional Funds | $12,000 | $24,000 | |
| Total | $291,100 | $499,900 | |
Source: Chatime Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 18
Chatime franchise fee
The franchise fee is $54,900. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Chatime Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross sales, paid monthly. |
| Transfer Fee | $10,000 |
| Renewal Outlet Fee | No more than 25% of the then- current New Outlet Fee |
| Local Marketing Expenditure | At least 2.0% of Gross Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Chatime Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 14
Other fees as filed, from pages 14–15. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Chatime publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Chatime Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 52
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $490K–$860K
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Chatime franchisees
Lenders approved 12 SBA 7(a) loans for Chatime franchisees from 2018 to 2026, $3.77M in all. All 3 that have ended were paid in full; none was charged off. The other 9 haven’t ended 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, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Chatime | Typical bubble tea brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | 0% / 0% | +12% / +100% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 13% / 38% | 3.8% / 28% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical bubble tea brand is the median of the 11 brands in bubble tea franchises with three years of counts.
How Chatime compares
Of the 56 bubble tea franchises on this site, Chatime is the 36th cheapest to open and the 13th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Chatime | Typical bubble tea brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $291K | $264K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $500K | $502K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $55K | $40K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 1% | 2% |
| US locations | 18 | 8 | 21 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 16 (−1) | 0 | – | – |
| 2023 | 14 (−2) | 3 | +1 | −3 |
| 2024 | 16 (+2) | 3 | +3 | −1 |
| 2025 | 16 (0) | 2 | +2 | −2 |
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.
Over 4 years, from the start of 2022 to the end of 2025, franchised locations went from 17 to 16 (−1, −6%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2025 filing.
Source: Chatime Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 54
2022: Chatime Franchise, LLC, 2025 filing, page 54
Where Chatime locations are
At the end of 2025, Chatime had locations in 11 states and territories. The most are in Maryland, Guam and California.
- Maryland4
- Guam3
- California2
- Texas2
- Alabama1
- Florida1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Guam | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| California | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Texas | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Alabama | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Florida | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Kansas | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| New York | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| North Dakota | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Ohio | 1 | 0 | 1 |
All 11 states
| Tennessee | 1 |
|---|
Source: Chatime Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 54
Who owns Chatime?
Chatime franchises are sold by Chatime Franchise, LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From Chatime Franchise, LLC’s 2026 filing, page 7.
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 11. |
|---|---|
| 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: Chatime Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
Chatime filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Chatime Franchise, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued April 13, 2026; the earlier ones below are on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository and the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 13, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2025 filing | April 21, 2025 | Minnesota | Replaced by the 2026 filing |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other bubble tea franchises
All bubble tea franchises
Chatime is also on these lists: food franchises.