Aroma Espresso Bar Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Aroma Espresso Bar is a coffee franchise serving specialty espresso drinks, sandwiches, and pastries in a cafe setting. Franchisees run the cafes, managing baristas, food prep, and counter service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Aroma Espresso Bar franchise requires a total initial investment of $538K – $1.5M, including a $55K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. The 2023 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: F (Weakest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $538K – $1.5M
- 80th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Incl. company outlets
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 86th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 4
- 19th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Quick-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $538K – $1.5M including a $55K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 21 audited financial statements (Exhibit A, for FY ending Dec 31 2019, 2021, 2022) are present in the FDD only as non-extractable scanned images; no balance sheet, income statement, or auditor name appears in the extracted text.
- RISKVerdict F (Weakest tier), verdict score 21/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports gross sales and cost rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Aroma Franchise Company, Inc.
- Parent company
- Aroma USA, Inc.
- Ultimate parent
- Shefa Zichyonot (Franchises), Ltd / Aroma Espresso Bar Ltd.
- Predecessor
- Aroma USA, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- CEO and Secretary
- Yoav Hecht
- Incorporated in
- NY
- HQ
- 20920 W Dixie Hwy, Aventura, FL 33180
- Auditor
- Barzily & Co.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $243K
- vs $232K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Yoav Hecht
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2010
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 2
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 55% above the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2023 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $55K | $55K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $10K | $30K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $473K | $1.4M |
| Total initial investment | $538K | $1.5M |
Source: Aroma Espresso Bar 2023 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $538K – $1.5M
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $55K – $55K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $80 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $10K – $15K |
| Total fee load | 8.5% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Aroma Espresso Bar did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Aroma Espresso Bar unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
10%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2023 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 21 audited financial statements (Exhibit A, for FY ending Dec 31 2019, 2021, 2022) are present in the FDD only as non-extractable scanned images; no balance sheet, income statement, or auditor name appears in the extracted text.
Includes company-owned outlets
- Item 19 type
- gross sales and cost
- Reported figure
- $834K
- Low and high are the same figure — no dispersion disclosed
- Reporting year
- 2022
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2023
- Disclosed in the 2023 filing, covering 2022
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 782 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.5% (near the Quick-Service Restaurants average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports gross sales and cost rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System shrank 25.0% over 3 years — 0 closures. Ask existing franchisees about local market conditions.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Aroma Espresso Bar Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 4
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 50.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -25.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +33.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 2
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 3 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 3 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 3
- Loan volume
- $1.6M
- Median loan
- $687K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (3 loans) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 2
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Severely undercapitalized franchise system with chronic litigation, minimal unit count, opaque financials, and unproven unit economics creates substantial investment risk.
Litigation (Item 3)
Pending: Aroma Canada arbitration (claims of wrongful MFA termination, award of $10M set aside by Ontario court). Past: ARGO Cafe Dadeland lawsuit (fraudulent inducement claims) dismissed and settled for $200,000 purchase of store.
Largest disclosed settlement: $10,000,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Barzily & Co.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 21 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOROnly 4 units in system with unknown growth trajectory suggests stagnant or declining franchise network
- 02MINORPending arbitration with former master franchisee (Aroma Canada) indicates serious relationship breakdown and potential systemic issues
- 03HIGHHistory of litigation including 2015 fraudulent inducement settlement suggests pattern of franchisor-franchisee disputes
- 04MINORHigh initial investment range ($537.5K–$1.5M) with only 4 operating units limits ability to validate ROI claims
- 05MED7% royalty on gross sales (not net) combined with undisclosed net income makes profit modeling impossible
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.5% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 0 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 7 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | New York, NY |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | NY |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Pending: Aroma Canada arbitration (claims of wrongful MFA termination, award of $10M set aside by Ontario court). Past: ARGO Cafe Dadeland lawsuit (fraudulent inducement claims) dismissed and settled for $200,000 purchase of store.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 0 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 1196 hrs
- Training location
- Training Store in Miami, FL or NY (geographic region where Espresso Bar will be located)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 15 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisor
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- POSitouch
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: POSitouch
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
4 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Aroma Espresso Bar · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Aroma Espresso Bar franchise?
The total investment to open a Aroma Espresso Bar franchise ranges from $538K – $1.5M, with an initial franchise fee of $55K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Aroma Espresso Bar franchise owners earn?
Aroma Espresso Bar does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the Aroma Espresso Bar FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Aroma Espresso Bar FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Aroma Espresso Bar's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Aroma Espresso Bar (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Aroma Espresso Bar franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Aroma Espresso Bar has 4 total units in the United States, including 4 franchised units and 0 company-owned units.
Is Aroma Espresso Bar a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Aroma Espresso Bar as a F-grade franchise with a verdict score of 21 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.