The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf franchise
A The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf franchisee operates a cafe serving coffee, tea and related food and beverages. At the end of 2025 there were 120 The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf locations in the US, 22 franchised and 98 company-owned, so most are run by the company itself.
- Cost to open
- $884K–$1.47M
- Franchise fee
- $25,000
- Royalty
- 5.5%
- Locations, 2025
- 120
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Company snapshot
- SBA loans
- Not on the SBA Franchise Directory
From Super Magnificent Coffee Company Ireland Limited’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
How much a The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf franchise costs
Opening one traditional full-service cafe costs an estimated $883,500 to $1,468,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Super Magnificent Coffee Company Ireland Limited, 2026 filing, page 29
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf franchise fee
The franchise fee is $25,000, single cafe outside an area development agreement; required development-agreement cafes have a $12,500 fee. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Super Magnificent Coffee Company Ireland Limited, 2026 filing, page 16
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5.5% of gross revenues, paid each accounting period. |
|---|
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Super Magnificent Coffee Company Ireland Limited, 2026 filing, page 20
Sales and earnings
Shares figures The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations: 2025 historical financial and operating data for specified US company-owned and franchised cafe cohorts. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Super Magnificent Coffee Company Ireland Limited, 2026 filing, page 73
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 25 (0) | 106 |
| 2024 | 24 (−1) | 104 |
| 2025 | 22 (−2) | 98 |
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.
Source: Super Magnificent Coffee Company Ireland Limited, 2026 filing, page 78
How The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf compares
Of the 25 coffee franchises on this site, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is the 21st cheapest to open and the 9th largest by number of locations.
| Measure | The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf | Typical coffee |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $884K | $459K |
| Royalty | 5.5% | 6% |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | −12% | +50.2% |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 18 of 25 |
Typical is the median across the 25 brands in coffee franchises.
