Chocolate Fish Coffee RoastersFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters franchise requires a total initial investment of $244K – $436K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2024 FDD, average unit revenue was $691K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $244K – $436K
- 44th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $691K
- 20th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 44th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 3
- 14th 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
Started franchising in 2023. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
Bottom line
- Total investment $244K – $436K including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $691K/year.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 40/100.
- Emerging franchise: only 3 years of franchising with 3 units. Early-stage systems carry higher risk but may offer better territory availability.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Chocolate Fish Franchising, LLC
- CEO title
- Managing Member
- Ali Syed
- Incorporated in
- WY
- HQ
- 4749 Folsom Blvd., Sacramento, CA 95819
- Auditor
- Omar Alnuaimi, CPA
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $0
- vs $0 prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate specialty coffee roasting retail locations, managing daily customer service, espresso/beverage preparation, packaged coffee sales, and potentially light food service. Operations involve inventory management of roasted beans, equipment maintenance, and staff oversight in a café-style setting.
- CEO
- Ali Syed
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 1
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $30K | $30K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $30K | $60K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $184K | $346K |
| Total initial investment | $244K | $436K |
Source: Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters 2024 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$104K
15.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
27%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
3.7 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $244K – $436K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $30K – $60K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $350 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $691K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- Company-Owned
- Sample size
- 3 units
- vs category median 28 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $532K→$851K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency
- 3 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · below
Compared against 453 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 3
- 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
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 2
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 15 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
Early-stage micro-franchise with undisclosed profitability, franchisor going concern issues, and insufficient operating history to validate ROI.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Omar Alnuaimi, CPA
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 40 / 100 rating
- 01MINOROnly 3 units system-wide indicates minimal scale, unproven model, and high risk of franchisor viability
- 02MEDNo disclosed net income data prevents ROI validation; $737K average revenue doesn't confirm profitability at unit level
- 03HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — suggests potential franchisor financial distress or uncertainty about business continuation
- 04MINOR6% royalty on unproven revenue model combined with $244K-$436K investment creates unclear payback timeline
- 05MEDExtremely limited franchisee pool (3 units) means minimal validation data and survivor bias in references
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 | Population-based radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 40,000 |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| 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 | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Sheridan, Wyoming |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Wyoming |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 33 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 29 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- POS/CRM system for Restaurants
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: POS/CRM system for Restaurants
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
15 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters franchise?
The total investment to open a Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters franchise ranges from $244K – $436K, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $691K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters (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 Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters has 3 total units in the United States, including 0 franchised units and 3 company-owned units.
Is Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Chocolate Fish Coffee Roasters as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 40 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.