Thirstea franchise
2023 filing · July 21, 2023Shares sales figures
Thirstea at a glance
A boba tea shop serving milk tea and coffee drinks. At the end of 2022 there were 2 Thirstea locations in the US, all company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Brain Tune Cafe, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $178K–$256K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $35,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of gross revenue, paid monthly, plus currently 1% to the national brand fund (up to 3%)
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross revenue, paid monthly; it can rise to 3%
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
Where it is
- US locations, 2022
- 2
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 2
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2020–2022
- States
- 1
- Most in Wyoming
From Brain Tune Cafe, LLC’s 2023 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Thirstea among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Thirstea | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $216,900 | Costs less than 67% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $35,000 | Lower than 61% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 2 | Fewer than 82% of franchises |
How much a Thirstea franchise costs
Opening one Thirstea costs an estimated $177,600 to $256,200. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($35,000 to $55,000) and equipment ($35,000 to $45,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $35,000 | ||
| Travel/Living Expenses While Training | $2,500 | $4,000 | |
| Furniture and Fixtures | $10,000 | $20,000 | |
| Signage | $3,000 | $6,000 | |
| Equipment | $35,000 | $45,000 | |
| Business Management and Technology System. | $3,700 | ||
| Three Month’s Rent | $2,500 | $13,500 | |
| Opening Inventory and Supplies | $15,000 | $20,000 | |
| Utility Deposits | $1,500 | $2,500 | |
| Business Licenses | $1,000 | $1,500 | |
| Professional Fees | $3,500 | $7,500 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $35,000 | $55,000 | |
| Insurance | $400 | $3,000 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $5,000 | ||
| Additional Funds (3 Months) | $25,000 | $35,000 | |
| Total | $177,600 | $256,200 | |
Source: Brain Tune Cafe, LLC, 2023 filing, page 15
Thirstea franchise fee
The franchise fee is $35,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Brain Tune Cafe, LLC, 2023 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross revenue, paid monthly, plus currently 1% to the national brand fund (up to 3%). |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross revenue, paid monthly; it can rise to 3%. |
| Technology Fee | Currently $250 per month. |
| Transfer fee | The greater of $10,000 or ten percent (10%) of the franchise fee |
| Additional training fee | Then-current fee, which will not exceed $500 per person per day |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Brain Tune Cafe, LLC, 2023 filing, page 11
Other fees as filed, from pages 12–13. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Thirstea publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Brain Tune Cafe, LLC, 2023 filing, page 55
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $350K–$610K
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How Thirstea compares
Of the 56 bubble tea franchises on this site, Thirstea is the 15th cheapest to open and the 46th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Thirstea | Typical bubble tea brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $178K | $264K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $256K | $502K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $35K | $40K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 1% | 2% |
| US locations | 2 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 0 (0) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 (0) | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 (0) | 2 | 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: Brain Tune Cafe, LLC, 2023 filing, page 61
Where Thirstea locations are
At the end of 2022, Thirstea had locations in 1 state. The most are in Wyoming.
- Wyoming2
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wyoming | 0 | 2 | 2 |
Source: Brain Tune Cafe, LLC, 2023 filing, page 61
Who owns Thirstea?
Thirstea franchises are sold by Brain Tune Cafe, LLC. Its filing names no parent company.
From Brain Tune Cafe, LLC’s 2023 filing, page 7.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | No bankruptcy of the franchisor. Its two co-owners each filed for personal Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2017; the discharges were entered in May 2019 and September 2020. |
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: Brain Tune Cafe, LLC, 2023 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
Thirstea filings
The figures on this page come from Brain Tune Cafe, LLC’s 2023 filing, issued July 21, 2023, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 filing | July 21, 2023 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2020–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other bubble tea franchises
All bubble tea franchises
Thirstea is also on these lists: coffee franchises, food franchises.