Black Rifle Coffee CompanyFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Black Rifle Coffee Company franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.6M – $3.3M, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.6M – $3.3M
- 99th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 59th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 44th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 37
- 58th 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 20 to 11 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $1.6M – $3.3M including a $35K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 77/100.
- System growing at 81.8% CAGR over 3 years with 37 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Black Rifle Coffee Company LLC
- Parent company
- Good Beans LLC
- Ultimate parent
- BRC Inc.
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer & Director
- Christopher Mondzelewski
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 1144 South 500 West, Salt Lake City, Utah 84101
- Auditor
- Ernst & Young LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $395.6M
- vs $391.5M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
Franchisees operate Black Rifle Coffee Company retail locations selling premium coffee products, branded merchandise, and lifestyle goods to a politically-aligned customer base. Day-to-day operations include inventory management, point-of-sale transactions, staff scheduling, local marketing, and community events in protected territories. The business model relies on brand loyalty and direct-to-consumer retail experience rather than wholesale or B2B revenue.
- CEO
- Christopher Mondzelewski
- Headquarters
- UT
- Founded
- 2017
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 10
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $35K | $35K | |
| Lease | $24K | $55K | |
| Utility Deposit | $750 | $2K | |
| Architect Fees | $50K | $130K | |
| Construction Costs | $650K | $1.7M | |
| Expenses for Initial Training | $40K | $60K | |
| Business Licenses and Permits | $5K | $10K | |
| Business Insurance | $10K | $15K | |
| Initial Inventory | $60K | $120K | |
| IT, Computer Hardware & Software, Drive-Thru Technologies | $120K | $125K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, & Equipment | $400K | $495K | |
| Signage | $80K | $165K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing Program | $15K | $20K | |
| Professional Fees | $10K | $20K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $100K | $350K | |
| Total initial investment | $1.6M | $3.3M |
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
- $1.6M – $3.3M
- Below avg, review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $100K – $350K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 4.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $200 |
| Transfer fee | $18K |
| Renewal fee | $18K |
| Total fee load | 10.0% 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 Black Rifle Coffee Company Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 37
- Opened
- 4
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 2.7%
- Company-owned
- 17
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 54%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +11.1%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +81.8%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 2.7%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Termination rate
- 2.7%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 5.4%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 7 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 2 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 2
- Loan volume
- $1.3M
- Median loan
- $649K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
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
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Black Rifle Coffee Company's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 2 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 2 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 1-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
High capital requirement, undisclosed unit economics, multiple active disputes, and modest unit growth create significant risk without access to proven franchisee performance data.
Litigation (Item 3)
Four litigation matters disclosed: (1) Tang Capital Partners, LP v. BRC Inc. - breach of warrant agreement, summary judgment partially granted, trial set July 2025; (2) 1791 Management LP v. BRC Inc., et al. - breach of contract and fraud claims, motion to dismiss granted without prejudice; (3) Strategy and Execution, Inc. v. Black Rifle Coffee Company LLC - breach of contract regarding royalties, settled January 28, 2025 for $400,000; (4) Clark et al. v. BRC Inc. - warrant agreement breach claim, currently stayed pending Tang Capital resolution.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Ernst & Young LLP
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 77 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo average unit volume (Item 19) disclosure prevents ROI validation against $1.6M-$3.3M investment
- 02HIGHMultiple active litigation cases including royalty disputes with Strategy and Execution, Inc. suggest operational/payment conflicts
- 03MINORSlow unit growth (11.1% YoY on 37 units = ~4 net new franchises annually) indicates market saturation or franchisee struggles
- 04MINORHigh initial investment ($1.6M-$3.3M) with 6% royalty creates aggressive break-even threshold requiring $27K-$55K monthly revenue
- 05HIGHLitigation involving warrant agreements and Tang Capital Partners suggests corporate governance instability and potential founder/investor conflicts
- 06HIGHGoing Concern designation is FALSE, but absence of financial transparency (no revenue/income disclosure) creates blind spot for profitability assessment
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 | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | 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 |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Utah |
| Litigation count | 4 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Four litigation matters disclosed: (1) Tang Capital Partners, LP v. BRC Inc. - breach of warrant agreement, summary judgment partially granted, trial set July 2025; (2) 1791 Management LP v. BRC Inc., et al. - breach of contract and fraud claims, motion to dismiss granted without prejudice; (3) Strategy and Execution, Inc. v. Black Rifle Coffee Company LLC - breach of contract regarding royalties, settled January 28, 2025 for $400,000; (4) Clark et al. v. BRC Inc. - warrant agreement breach claim, currently stayed pending Tang Capital resolution.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 74 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 168 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 12 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- NCR ALOHA
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: NCR ALOHA
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
15 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Black Rifle Coffee Company · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Black Rifle Coffee Company franchise?
The total investment to open a Black Rifle Coffee Company franchise ranges from $1.6M – $3.3M, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Black Rifle Coffee Company franchise owners earn?
Black Rifle Coffee Company 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 Black Rifle Coffee Company's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Black Rifle Coffee Company (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 Black Rifle Coffee Company franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Black Rifle Coffee Company has 37 total units in the United States, including 20 franchised units and 17 company-owned units. 4 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Black Rifle Coffee Company a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Black Rifle Coffee Company as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 77 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.
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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.