Bubble Bus Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Bubble Bus is a mobile bubble tea franchise serving boba drinks from buses and fixed locations. Franchisees run the operations, managing drink prep, inventory, events, and counter service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Bubble Bus franchise requires a total initial investment of $121K – $147K, including a $18K franchise fee. 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
- $121K – $147K
- 8th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 9
- 35th 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 $121K – $147K including a $18K franchise fee.
- RETURNSFY2022 (year ended December 31, 2022) revenue consists entirely of franchise fee revenue of $29,225 (100% of revenue); prior year (2021) was $61,700. Audited by SFW Partners, LLC. Financial statements note substantial doubt / going concern; company has a member's deficiency of $(196,035).
- RISKVerdict F (Weakest tier), verdict score 25/100 (higher is better).
- FLAGAuditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Bubble Bus Franchise LLC
- Parent company
- JVR Enterprises, LLC (affiliate, owns Marks)
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer
- John V. Reider
- CEO experience
- 2014 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- Missouri
- HQ
- 810 Meramec Station Road, St. Louis, MO 63088
- Auditor
- SFW Partners, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $29K
- vs $62K prior year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2023
- Status as of 2023; may have been resolved in a later filing we don't yet have.
Overview
About
- CEO
- John V. Reider
- Headquarters
- MO
- Founded
- 2014
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 3
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 80% below 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 | $18K | $18K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $2K | $2K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $102K | $127K |
| Total initial investment | $121K | $147K |
Source: Bubble Bus 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
- $121K – $147K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $2K – $2K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $18K – $18K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- $750/quarter (last 2 quarters of year 1), $825/quarter (y…
- Ad fund
- $150 per month if National Advertising Fund is establishe…
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | Flat quarterly fee: $750/quarter (Q3-Q4 of year 1 for first franchise, first 6 months waived), $825/quarter year 2, $900/quarter years 3-5; renewal: $900 years 1-2, $1,000 years 3-5 |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Training fee | $1K |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Inventory (initial) | $46K – $50K |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Bubble Bus 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 Bubble Bus unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
72%
Above the 30–60% band. Verify revenue is per-unit average
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
FY2022 (year ended December 31, 2022) revenue consists entirely of franchise fee revenue of $29,225 (100% of revenue); prior year (2021) was $61,700. Audited by SFW Partners, LLC. Financial statements note substantial doubt / going concern; company has a member's deficiency of $(196,035).
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
Net unit growth roughly flat at 0.0%.
Multi-unit rate
Only 4% of franchisees own multiple units. Could indicate challenging economics or a young system where operators haven't had time to expand.
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 Bubble Bus Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 9
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 2
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 40.0%
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 56%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 3.6%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 0
- Closed (3yr)
- 2
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 4
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Continuity rate
- 71.4%
- Units that stayed open
- Ceased ops
- 22.2%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 5 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 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
The auditor flagged going-concern doubt (Item 21) — the single biggest risk here.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Bubble Bus presents HIGH RISK due to rapid unit contraction, complete financial opacity, unclear going concern status, and mismatched investment-to-disclosure ratios.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · SFW Partners, LLC⚠ Going-concern note flagged
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 25 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDSystem experiencing severe contraction: 28.6% unit decline YoY (from ~15 to 11 units) indicates fundamental business model or support issues
- 02MINORNo financial disclosure (Item 19): Franchisor refuses to provide average unit volumes or net income, making ROI impossible to validate
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE: Franchisor may be financially distressed or unwilling to commit long-term viability assurances
- 04MINORVery low royalty floor ($750/quarter = $3,000 annually suggests units generating minimal revenue or franchisor unable to sustain support at higher fees
- 05MEDHigh initial investment ($121k-$147k) paired with undisclosed earnings creates unjustifiable risk-reward asymmetry
- 06MINORSmall system size (11 units) with ongoing attrition limits operational leverage, support resources, and brand recognition
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 100,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | St. Louis County, MO (mediation) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Missouri |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 18 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 8 hrs
- Training location
- St. Louis, MO
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 1 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- QuickBooks and Google Scheduling
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: QuickBooks and Google Scheduling
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
6 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Bubble Bus · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Bubble Bus franchise?
The total investment to open a Bubble Bus franchise ranges from $121K – $147K, with an initial franchise fee of $18K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Bubble Bus franchise owners earn?
Bubble Bus 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 Bubble Bus 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 Bubble Bus FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Bubble Bus's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Bubble Bus (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 Bubble Bus franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Bubble Bus has 9 total units in the United States, including 5 franchised units and 4 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Bubble Bus a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Bubble Bus as a F-grade franchise with a verdict score of 25 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
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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.