Laughing Man Coffee & Tea franchise
2024 filing · May 2, 2024Shares sales figures
Laughing Man Coffee & Tea at a glance
A café serving specialty coffee and tea drinks, and selling packaged coffee, tea and merchandise.
The business
- Franchisor
- LMC Franchising, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Typical size
- 740–2,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $397K–$542K
- A non-traditional kiosk of about 740 square feet
- Franchise fee
- $35,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross sales, paid monthly, plus 1% to the marketing fund
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross sales, paid monthly
- Agreement length
- 10 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 0
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
From LMC Franchising, LLC’s 2024 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Laughing Man Coffee & Tea among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Laughing Man Coffee & Tea | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $469,225 | Costs more than 61% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $35,000 | Lower than 61% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 0 | Fewer than 97% of franchises |
How much a Laughing Man Coffee & Tea franchise costs
Opening a non-traditional kiosk of about 740 square feet costs an estimated $396,950 to $541,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are construction, remodeling, leasehold improvements and decorating costs (whether purchased or leased) ($178,800 to $221,000) and equipment, fixtures, signage, other fixed assets (whether purchased or leased) ($135,000 to $207,300). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $35,000 | ||
| Construction, Remodeling, Leasehold Improvements and Decorating Costs (whether purchased or leased) | $178,800 | $221,000 | |
| Equipment, Fixtures, Signage, other Fixed Assets (whether purchased or leased) | $135,000 | $207,300 | |
| Initial Training Expenses | $4,000 | $8,000 | |
| Inventory to begin operating | $7,500 | $10,000 | |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $2,500 | |
| Initial Marketing | $8,500 | $9,500 | |
| Deposits, Business Licenses, and other Prepaid Expenses | $9,500 | $19,500 | |
| Average Monthly Rent | $2,150 | $3,700 | |
| Additional Funds for Initial 3-Month Period | $15,000 | $25,000 | |
| Total | $396,950 | $541,500 | |
Source: LMC Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 17
Laughing Man Coffee & Tea franchise fee
The franchise fee is $35,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: LMC Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 9
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales, paid monthly, plus 1% to the marketing fund. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross sales, paid monthly. |
| Additional/Replacement Management Training | Our then-current training fee, currently $300 per person per day |
| Local Marketing Expenditure | 2% of Gross Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: LMC Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, pages 10 and 11
Other fees as filed, from pages 11–14. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Laughing Man Coffee & Tea publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: LMC Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 53
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $500K–$870K
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How Laughing Man Coffee & Tea compares
Of the 117 coffee franchises on this site, Laughing Man Coffee & Tea is the 69th cheapest to open and the 109th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Laughing Man Coffee & Tea | Typical coffee brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $397K | $350K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $542K | $741K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $35K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 1.5% | 2% |
| US locations | 0 | 8 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 (0) | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | 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: LMC Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, page 55
Who owns Laughing Man Coffee & Tea?
Laughing Man Coffee & Tea franchises are sold by LMC Franchising, LLC.
From LMC Franchising, LLC’s 2024 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: LMC Franchising, LLC, 2024 filing, litigation on page 9, bankruptcy on page 9
Laughing Man Coffee & Tea filings
The figures on this page come from LMC Franchising, LLC’s 2024 filing, issued May 2, 2024, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | May 2, 2024 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other coffee franchises
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Laughing Man Coffee & Tea is also on these lists: food franchises.