Aroma Espresso Bar Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $538K – $1.5M
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (3)
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 on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: high - issued more than two years ago
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored6 of 6 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $538K – $1.5M
- 79th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Incl. company outlets
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 90th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 4
- 18th 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 median · 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 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 30/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHFlat: no net change in franchised outlets in the latest year (0 opened, 0 closed) (Item 20).
- DATAItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands. 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.
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2023 FDD
- 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 110% 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%
- 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% |
| 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
No Item 19 revenue figure for Aroma Espresso Bar is on file. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Aroma Espresso Bar unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
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
Includes company-owned outlets
- Item 19 type
- gross sales and cost
- Reported figure
- $834KCited, not corroborated — printed on page 49 of the 2023 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- 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 781 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
Item 19 · by group
What the filing does disclose
Item 19 of this FDD reports performance in more than one group. We publish no single average for this brand; the groups the filing does disclose are listed below, quoted from its own Item 19 table.
Each row below is quoted from the FDD's own Item 19 table. Gross sales are not profit.
Incl. company outletsItem 19 detail
individual unit
| Segment | Sample | Avg |
|---|---|---|
| New York Area Franchised Unit #1 | 1 | $834K |
| Miami Area Franchised Unit #1 | 1 | $2.0M |
| Miami Area Franchised Unit #2 | 1 | $2.3M |
| Miami Area Franchised Unit #3 (opened May 2021) | 1 | $998K |
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 median).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
Operator retention
System shrank 25.0% over 3 years. 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 medians
How Aroma Espresso Bar Compares
Category median of published Quick-Service Restaurants brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
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
- N/A
- 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
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 0
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
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.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
4 current owners across 3 states.
- FL 2
- NJ 1
- WA 1
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
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
- Under 10 loans (3)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 3 loans, rate hidden below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Under 10 loans (3)
- 5-yr charge-off
- Under 10 loans (3)
- 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)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
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.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Barzily & Co.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
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.
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 30 / 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 territory |
| 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
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?
Item 19 of the Aroma Espresso Bar FDD discloses outlet figures from $834K to $834K but no single average across all outlets. These are gross sales figures, not profit; the Revenue section shows what the filing reports and on what basis. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Aroma Espresso Bar?
Aroma Espresso Bar is franchised by Aroma Franchise Company, Inc.. Its parent company is Aroma USA, Inc.. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Shefa Zichyonot (Franchises), Ltd / Aroma Espresso Bar Ltd.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2023 filing.
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 D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 30 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.