Gloria Jean's Coffees franchise
2025 filing · June 5, 2025
Gloria Jean's Coffees at a glance
A coffee shop serving coffee, espresso drinks, teas and baked goods, from stores, drive-thrus and kiosks. At the end of 2024 there were 37 Gloria Jean's Coffees locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Franchisor
- Gloria Jean's Gourmet Coffees Franchising Corp
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Chicago, Illinois
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $378K–$468K
- An average-size store without a drive-thru
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- Plus a $10,000 grand opening fee
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 2% to the marketing fund
- Brand fund
- 2%
- 2% of gross sales, paid with the royalty; it can rise to 3%
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
Where it is
- US locations, 2024
- 37
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 37
- Company-owned
- 0
- States
- 14
- Most in Illinois, Wisconsin and New York
From Gloria Jean's Gourmet Coffees Franchising Corp’s 2025 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Gloria Jean's Coffees among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Gloria Jean's Coffees | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $423,007 | Costs more than 57% 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 | 37 | More than 59% of franchises |
How much a Gloria Jean's Coffees franchise costs
Opening an average-size store without a drive-thru costs an estimated $377,919 to $468,094. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($166,000 to $181,650) and equipment, furniture and fixtures ($100,000 to $119,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $30,000 | ||
| Real Estate (Rent and Security Deposit) | $8,000 | $15,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $166,000 | $181,650 | |
| Equipment, Furniture and Fixtures | $100,000 | $119,000 | |
| Signage | $8,000 | $19,000 | |
| Professional Design Fees | $6,000 | $10,000 | |
| Point of Sale System | $5,419 | $22,519 | |
| Initial Coffee Inventory | $5,000 | $7,350 | |
| Other Initial Inventory and Supplies | $5,500 | $6,825 | |
| Grand Opening Fee | $10,000 | ||
| Training Expenses | $3,500 | $8,000 | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs | $10,500 | $12,500 | |
| Additional Funds 3 months | $20,000 | $26,250 | |
| Total | $377,919 | $468,094 | |
Source: Gloria Jean's Gourmet Coffees Franchising Corp, 2025 filing, page 19
Gloria Jean's Coffees franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000, plus a $10,000 grand opening fee. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Gloria Jean's Gourmet Coffees Franchising Corp, 2025 filing, page 14
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 2% to the marketing fund. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross sales, paid with the royalty; it can rise to 3%. |
| Transfer Fee | $5,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Gloria Jean's Gourmet Coffees Franchising Corp, 2025 filing, page 15
Other fees as filed, from page 16. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Gloria Jean's Coffees 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: Gloria Jean's Gourmet Coffees Franchising Corp, 2025 filing, page 55
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $530K–$920K
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Gloria Jean's Coffees franchisees
Lenders approved 80 SBA 7(a) loans for Gloria Jean's Coffees franchisees from 1990 to 2026, $18.2M in all. Of the 75 that have ended, 63 were paid in full and 12 were charged off (16%). The other 5 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
How Gloria Jean's Coffees compares
Of the 117 coffee franchises on this site, Gloria Jean's Coffees is the 66th cheapest to open and the 32nd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Gloria Jean's Coffees | Typical coffee brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $378K | $350K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $468K | $741K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $30K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 1.5% | 2% |
| US locations | 37 | 8 | 21 |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | −22.9% | +32.8% | – |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 47 (−1) | 0 |
| 2023 | 40 (−7) | 0 |
| 2024 | 37 (−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: coffee franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Gloria Jean's Gourmet Coffees Franchising Corp, 2025 filing, page 56
Where Gloria Jean's Coffees locations are
At the end of 2024, Gloria Jean's Coffees had franchised locations in 14 states. The most are in Illinois, Wisconsin and New York.
- Illinois13
- Wisconsin4
- New York3
- Pennsylvania3
- Texas3
- New Jersey2
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Illinois | 13 |
| Wisconsin | 4 |
| New York | 3 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 |
| Texas | 3 |
| New Jersey | 2 |
| North Carolina | 2 |
| California | 1 |
| Florida | 1 |
| Maine | 1 |
All 14 states
| Missouri | 1 |
|---|---|
| New Hampshire | 1 |
| North Dakota | 1 |
| Ohio | 1 |
Source: Gloria Jean's Gourmet Coffees Franchising Corp, 2025 filing, page 57
Who owns Gloria Jean's Coffees?
Gloria Jean's Coffees franchises are sold by Gloria Jean's Gourmet Coffees Franchising Corp. It is a subsidiary of Retail Food Group USA, Inc.
From Gloria Jean's Gourmet Coffees Franchising Corp’s 2025 filing, page 8.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on pages 12–14. |
|---|---|
| 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: Gloria Jean's Gourmet Coffees Franchising Corp, 2025 filing, litigation on pages 12–14, bankruptcy on page 14
Gloria Jean's Coffees filings
The figures on this page come from Gloria Jean's Gourmet Coffees Franchising Corp’s 2025 filing, issued June 5, 2025, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | June 5, 2025 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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