Ellianos CoffeeFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Ellianos Coffee franchise requires a total initial investment of $187K – $1.4M, including a $30K franchise fee. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.3M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 36 loans[1]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $187K – $1.4M
- 27th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.3M
- 41st pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 73
- 69th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
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
Only 0.0% of 36 SBA loans charged off, well below the 16% franchise average.
Franchised units fell from 73 to 47 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
42% cash-on-cash return. Above the 20% threshold most investors target.
Bottom line
- Total investment $187K – $1.4M including a $30K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $1.3M/year (median $1.3M), with an estimated 42% cash-on-cash return.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 32/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 36 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- Bankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Ellianos, LLC
- Parent company
- Ellianos Holding Company
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 426 SW Commerce Drive, Suite 130, Lake City, Florida 32025
- Auditor
- Dame, Walker, Hardeman & Co., LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $7.0M
- vs $5.2M prior year
Overview
About
Ellianos Coffee franchisees operate specialty coffee retail locations, selling espresso drinks, cold brew, pastries, and coffee products. Day-to-day operations involve managing staff, maintaining equipment, executing customer service, inventory management, and local marketing within their protected territory.
- CEO
- Robert Lawton Unrau
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2003
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 4
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing · 50 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee (Traditional Store) | $30K | $30K | |
| Initial Training Program - Travel Expense (Traditional Store) | $1K | $3K | |
| Real Estate (Traditional Store) | — | — | |
| Building/Improvements (Traditional Store) | $385K | $680K | |
| Payment and Performance Bonds (Traditional Store) | $11K | $29K | |
| Site Work (Traditional Store) | $150K | $300K | |
| Civil Engineering & Permitting (Traditional Store) | $15K | $45K | |
| Architectural, MEP & Engineering (Traditional Store) | $14K | $18K | |
| Impact & Tap Fees (Traditional Store) | $2K | $45K | |
| Landscaping (Traditional Store) | $10K | $25K | |
| Equipment and Supplies (Traditional Store) | $129K | $140K | |
| Signs (Traditional Store) | $14K | $25K | |
| Security Deposits (Traditional Store) | $5K | $10K | |
| Opening Inventory (Traditional Store) | $10K | $16K | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs (Traditional Store) | $2K | $6K | |
| Opening Advertising & Spending (Traditional Store) | $10K | $10K | |
| Additional Funds (3 Months) (Traditional Store) | $10K | $15K | |
| Initial Franchise Fee (End Cap Cafe Store) | $30K | $30K | |
| Initial Training Program - Travel Expense (End Cap Cafe Store) | $1K | $3K | |
| Real Estate (End Cap Cafe Store) | — | — | |
| Total initial investment | $1.7M | $2.8M |
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.
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
$185K
14.8% margin
Unlevered ROIC
23%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
4.3 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $187K – $1.4M
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $15K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $15K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- the greater of 6% of Net Sales or $350
- Ad fund
- 1.3%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.3%
- vs 9–13% typical
- Payback period
- 2.4 yrs
- From FDD / Item 19
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | greater of 6% of Net Sales or $350 |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.3% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Total fee load | 7.3% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $1.3M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.3M
- Avg net income
- $332K
- Cash-on-cash
- 41.9%
- Based on Net Income / investment midpoint
- Item 19 type
- net_sales
- Sample size
- 46 units
- vs category median 28
- Range (low → high)
- $498K→$1.9M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $847K→$1.7M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 10 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · above
Compared against 453 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Ellianos Coffee Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 73
- Opened
- 10
- 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
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
- Net growth (yr3)
- +15.9%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +55.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 10
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 34
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
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.
- Total loans
- 36
- Loan volume
- $26.8M
- Median loan
- $744K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
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
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 6
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 36 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Moderate risk profile with solid unit growth and profitability, but wide investment variance and limited financial disclosure warrant careful validation of unit-level economics.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3
Largest disclosed settlement: $110,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
President Robert Lawton Unrau filed a personal Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition on February 18, 2012 (In re Unrau, No. 3:12-bk-00972-PMG, M.D. Fla 2012). Bankruptcy court entered discharge on June 15, 2018. This occurred before any association with Ellianos.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Dame, Walker, Hardeman & Co., 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 32 / 100 rating
- 01MINORWide investment range ($186.5K-$1.4M) suggests inconsistent unit economics or high variance in startup costs
- 02MINORRoyalty structure floor of $350/month ($4,200 annually) creates burden on lower-revenue locations
- 03MINOR15.9% YoY unit growth is modest for a coffee franchise in growth phase; typical high performers see 20%+ expansion
- 04MINORNo Item 19 financial performance data provided limits ability to validate average revenue/income claims
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 |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 2 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 4 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in Item 3
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 54 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 56 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and off-site
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- Toast
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
40 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Ellianos Coffee · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Ellianos Coffee franchise?
The total investment to open a Ellianos Coffee franchise ranges from $187K – $1.4M, 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 Ellianos Coffee franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Ellianos Coffee FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.3M. The median is $1.3M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Ellianos Coffee's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Ellianos Coffee has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 36 loans, meaning 0.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Ellianos Coffee franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Ellianos Coffee has 73 total units in the United States, including 73 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 10 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Ellianos Coffee a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Ellianos Coffee as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 32 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.