Bubble BusFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
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). Verdict grade: F. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $121K – $147K
- 12th pct Retail
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 21st pct Retail
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 11
- 8th pct Retail
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Retail · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Retail 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
The system contracted 29% year-over-year. Investigate why units are closing.
Bottom line
- Total investment $121K – $147K including a $18K 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 100/100.
- 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
- Bubble Bus Franchise LLC
- 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
- MO
- HQ
- 810 Meramec Station Road, St. Louis, MO 63088
- Auditor
- SFW Partners, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $62K
- vs $29K prior year
Overview
About
Bubble Bus franchisees operate mobile or fixed-location bubble tea service units, likely focused on beverage preparation, point-of-sale management, inventory control, and customer service. Day-to-day operations involve product preparation, staff scheduling, equipment maintenance, and local marketing to drive walk-in or delivery traffic.
- CEO
- John V. Reider
- Headquarters
- MO
- Founded
- 2014
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 3
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
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $2K – $2K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $18K – $18K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- $750 to $1,000 per quarter
- Ad fund
- $150
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | Tiered quarterly fees: first 6 months free, then $750-$1000 per quarter depending on year and renewal status |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Retail averages
How Bubble Bus Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 11
- Opened
- 0
- 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
- 18.2%
- Company-owned
- 4
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 64%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 3.6%
- Net growth (yr3)
- -28.6%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- 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 · 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 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
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
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 100 / 100 rating
- 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
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Zip codes/households |
| Protected territory | 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 |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| 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
- 17 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 8 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Time to open
- 2 mo
- From signing to launch
- 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
9 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 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 11 total units in the United States, including 5 franchised units and 4 company-owned units.
Is Bubble Bus a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Bubble Bus as a F-grade franchise with a risk score of 100 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.