How Dutch Bros is run
At the end of 2025 Dutch Bros had 1,136 drive-thru shops in 25 states: 811 company-operated and 325 franchised. (Dutch Bros annual report, 2025)
Since 2017 the company has grown with company-operated shops, with every operator recruited from within. Its existing franchise partners still open shops in their own markets, but Dutch Bros expects most new shops to be its own. (Dutch Bros annual report, 2025)
Franchises like Dutch Bros
If you want to own a drive-thru coffee business, these franchise brands sell the closest thing to Dutch Bros, largest first.
| Brand | Cost to open | Fee | Royalty | Locations | Sales a location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scooter's CoffeeFee $40K · Royalty 6% · Sales $1M a location | $659K–$1.35M | $40K | 6% | 906+351 in 3 yrs | $1M |
| 7 BrewFee $35K · Royalty 4.5–5.5% · Sales $2.65M a location | $941K–$2.28M | $35K | 4.5–5.5% | 602+562 in 3 yrs | $2.65M |
| Biggby CoffeeFee $20K · Royalty 6% · Sales $662K a location | $276K–$439K | $20K | 6% | 281+50 in 3 yrs | $662K |
| The Human BeanFee $35K · Royalty None · Sales $814K a location | $672K–$1.53M | $35K | None | 188+43 in 3 yrs | $814K |
| Ziggi’s CoffeeFee $40K · Royalty 6% · Sales $837K a location | $587K–$1.76M | $40K | 6% | 115+50 in 3 yrs | $837K |
| SwigFee $40K · Royalty 7% | $608K–$1.72M | $40K | 7% | 89+52 in 3 yrs | – |
| Aroma Joe'sFee $25K · Royalty 8% · Sales $891K a location | $296K–$1.05M | $25K | 8% | 82+20 in 3 yrs | $891K |
Locations are US locations, franchised and company-owned, at the end of the latest year filed. Sales are yearly, before costs, where the brand publishes them.
Scooter's Coffee is the largest, with 906 US locations, and Biggby Coffee costs least to open, from $276,000. 7 Brew added the most locations, +562 over 3 years. Of the brands that publish sales, 7 Brew reports the most per location, $2.65M a year. The typical coffee franchise starts at $350K to open; see where the money goes.
Sources
Questions
Which of these drive-thru coffee franchises loses the fewest owners?
7 Brew. None of its franchised locations closed, were terminated or weren't renewed over the years its latest filing covers, against 3.3% a year at Ziggi’s Coffee. Buy-backs by the franchisor and sales to new owners don't count as exits. Failure rates by brand