BambūFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Bambū franchise requires a total initial investment of $159K – $328K, including a $49K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: F. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $159K – $328K
- 21st pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 59th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 60
- 65th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Quick-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchised units fell from 61 to 60 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $159K – $328K including a $49K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict F (Bottom Quintile) with a risk score of 83/100.
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Bambu Franchising LLC
- Incorporated in
- CO
- HQ
- 6000 East Evans Ave., Bldg. 2, Suite 210, Denver, Colorado 80222
- Auditor
- Reese CPA LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.9M
- vs $2.7M prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Overview
About
Franchisees operate dessert and beverage retail shops (boba tea, smoothies, specialty drinks, and sweet treats), managing point-of-sale operations, inventory, staff scheduling, and customer service in a QSR or café-style format. Day-to-day work involves food/beverage preparation, customer transactions, marketing, and operational compliance within a protected territory.
- CEO
- Marc Geman
- Headquarters
- CO
- Founded
- 2014
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 22
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 11 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $49K | $49K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $35K | $145K | |
| Final Architectural Drawings, Permits, and Approvalsnot refundable | $4K | $10K | |
| IT and POS Systemsnot refundable | $3K | $3K | |
| Equipment, Fixtures and Furniturenot refundable | $28K | $70K | |
| Signage and Menu Boardnot refundable | $5K | $8K | |
| Opening Inventory and Suppliesnot refundable | $7K | $10K | |
| Security Deposits, Utility Deposits, Business Licenses, Insurance and Professional Fees | $7K | $12K | |
| Opening Training Expensesnot refundable | $2K | $2K | |
| Initial Marketing Campaignnot refundable | $5K | $5K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $15K | $15K | |
| Total initial investment | $159K | $328K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $159K – $328K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $15K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $49K – $49K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Royalty
- 3½% of your actual Net Revenues
- Ad fund
- $550 per month
- Total fee load
- 3.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
| Total fee load | 3.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Bambū Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 60
- Opened
- 3
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 12
- Turnover rate
- 20.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -13.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -1.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 6
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 2
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Transfer rate
- 3.2%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 83.3%
- Units that stayed open
- Ceased ops
- 19.3%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 19 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- South Dakota
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
A system losing more than 10% of its units year-over-year is a red flag. Check whether closures are concentrated in specific regions.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Bambū presents HIGH RISK due to 13% unit decline, absence of financial disclosure, multiple litigation incidents, and false going concern status—indicating a contracting system with unproven unit economics and regulatory/operational red flags.
Litigation (Item 3)
15 case reference(s): 0 pending, 4 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $80,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Reese CPA LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 83 / 100 rating
- 01MEDUnit count declined 13% YoY (60 units), indicating system contraction and potential franchisee struggles
- 02MINORNo Item 19 financial performance disclosure — inability to verify average unit economics or profitability claims
- 03HIGHMultiple litigation proceedings including territorial dispute leading to shoppe closure, plus historical unregistered franchise sales violations in Virginia and Maryland
- 04HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — suggests franchisor may have solvency or operational sustainability concerns
- 05MINORHigh initial investment ($159k-$328k) paired with declining unit count creates elevated risk of capital loss
- 06MINOR3.5% royalty on net revenues (not gross) indicates franchisor may struggle with cash flow; franchisee financial data obscured
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | geographic area |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Colorado |
| Litigation count | 3 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
15 case reference(s): 0 pending, 4 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 16 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 72 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- POS system
- Square bundled system
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Square bundled system
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
72 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Bambū · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Bambū franchise?
The total investment to open a Bambū franchise ranges from $159K – $328K, with an initial franchise fee of $49K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Bambū franchise owners earn?
Bambū 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 Bambū's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Bambū (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 Bambū franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Bambū has 60 total units in the United States, including 61 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 3 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Bambū a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Bambū as a F-grade franchise with a risk score of 83 out of 100, 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
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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.