WineStyles Tasting Station franchise
2024 filing · September 15, 2024
WineStyles Tasting Station at a glance
A wine shop and wine bar that also sells beer, coffee, tea, chocolate, cheese, gourmet foods and gift baskets.
The business
- Franchisor
- Tasting Station, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- West Des Moines, Iowa
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $298K–$610K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $25,000
- $20,000 for a second store and $15,000 for each one after
- Royalty
- 6%
- The greater of $240 or 6% of weekly gross sales, paid weekly, plus a marketing fund payment of $120 or 3% of weekly sales, whichever is more, and 2% on local advertising
- Brand fund
- Yes
- 3% of weekly gross sales or $120, whichever is more, paid weekly
- Renewal fee
- $5,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- None
- No exclusive territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- Franchised, 2023
- 9
- As printed in the filing
Support and records
From Tasting Station, Inc’s 2024 filing; revenue and net loss from its audited financial statements, page 102; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
WineStyles Tasting Station among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | WineStyles Tasting Station | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $453,750 | Costs more than 60% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $25,000 | Lower than 82% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
How much a WineStyles Tasting Station franchise costs
Opening one WineStyles Tasting Station costs an estimated $298,000 to $609,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Tasting Station, Inc, 2024 filing, page 14
WineStyles Tasting Station franchise fee
The franchise fee is $25,000, $20,000 for a second store and $15,000 for each one after. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Tasting Station, Inc, 2024 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | The greater of $240 or 6% of weekly gross sales, paid weekly, plus a marketing fund payment of $120 or 3% of weekly sales, whichever is more, and 2% on local advertising. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 3% of weekly gross sales or $120, whichever is more, paid weekly. |
| Technology Fees | $100 per month |
| Transfer Fee | $5,000 |
| Renewal Fee | $5,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Tasting Station, Inc, 2024 filing, page 11
Other fees as filed, from page 12. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures WineStyles Tasting Station 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: Tasting Station, Inc, 2024 filing, page 31
SBA loans to WineStyles Tasting Station franchisees
Lenders approved 29 SBA-backed loans for WineStyles Tasting Station franchisees from 2004 to 2017, $5.31M in all: 28 7(a) loans and 1 504 loan. All 29 have ended: 17 were paid in full and 12 were charged off (41.4%).
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 WineStyles Tasting Station compares
Of the 302 retail franchises on this site, WineStyles Tasting Station is the 207th cheapest to open.
| Figure | WineStyles Tasting Station | Typical retail brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $298K | $198K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $610K | $425K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $25K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 5.7% | 6% |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 187 of 302 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 302 brands in retail franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 8 (−1) | 3 |
| 2022 | 10 (+2) | 1 |
| 2023 | 9 (−1) | 1 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
These figures don't add up as printed: the 2021 counts come to 12, but the filing shows 11. Worth asking the franchisor.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Source: Tasting Station, Inc, 2024 filing, pages 31–32
Where WineStyles Tasting Station locations are
At the end of 2023, WineStyles Tasting Station had locations in 6 states. The most are in Iowa, Virginia and Illinois.
- Iowa5
- Virginia2
- Illinois1
- Nebraska1
- North Carolina1
- Wisconsin1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Virginia | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Illinois | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Nebraska | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| North Carolina | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: Tasting Station, Inc, 2024 filing, page 32
Who owns WineStyles Tasting Station?
WineStyles Tasting Station franchises are sold by Tasting Station, Inc. Its filing names no parent company.
From Tasting Station, Inc’s 2024 filing, page 7.
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 9–10. |
|---|---|
| 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: Tasting Station, Inc, 2024 filing, litigation on pages 9–10, bankruptcy on page 10
WineStyles Tasting Station filings
The figures on this page come from Tasting Station, Inc’s 2024 filing, issued September 15, 2024, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | September 15, 2024 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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