Ellianos Coffee Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Ellianos Coffee is a drive-thru specialty-coffee franchise serving espresso drinks, smoothies, and pastries. Franchisees run drive-thru cafes managing baristas, beverage prep, and service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Ellianos Coffee franchise requires a total initial investment of $797K – $1.4M, including a $15K – $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.3M[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $797K – $1.4M
- 90th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.3M
- Outlet subsetNet sales24th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 48th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 73
- 72nd 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 $797K – $1.4M including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $1.3M/year (median $1.3M) (reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system).
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 65/100 (higher is better).
- FLAGBankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Ellianos, LLC
- Parent company
- Ellianos Holding Company
- CEO title
- President
- Robert Lawton Unrau
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 426 SW Commerce Drive, Suite 130, Lake City, Florida 32025
- Auditor
- Dame, Walker, Hardeman & Co., LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $7.2M
- vs $5.2M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Robert Lawton Unrau
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2003
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 4
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 65% above the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown50 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.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $797K – $1.4M
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $15K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $15K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.3%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.3%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of net sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.3% of net sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Inventory (initial) | $10K – $16K |
| Total fee load | 7.3% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 9% above the quick-service restaurants norm.
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
Reported as net sales, not gross sales
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for Ellianos Coffee until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$1.1M
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Ellianos Coffee unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system
Reported as net sales, not gross sales
- Avg gross sales
- $1.3M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.3M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- net sales
- Sample size
- 46 outlets
- vs category median 18 · large
- 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
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 10 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 782 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $1.3M/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.1x. Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 7.3% (near the Quick-Service Restaurants average).
Disclosure
Transparency score 10/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 55.3% CAGR over 3 years across 73 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
Multi-unit rate
Only 1% 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 Ellianos Coffee Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
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
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 1.0%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +55.3%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +55.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 17
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 34
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 4 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.
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
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
- N/A
- no resolved loans yet — rate needs a terminal outcome
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
- Typical loan rate
- 8.3%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- N/A
- Jobs supported
- N/A
- Lender concentration
- 69%
- top lender's share
Vintage analysis
Ellianos Coffee charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Ellianos Coffee franchisees
Showing 3 of 6 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Ellianos Coffee's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 6 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 3 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
Instant access. No subscription.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
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.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
President Robert Lawton Unrau filed personal Chapter 11 bankruptcy on February 18, 2012 (In re Unrau, No. 3:12-bk-00972-PMG); discharged June 15, 2018; predated his association with Ellianos.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Dame, Walker, Hardeman & Co., LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Franchisor total revenue of $7,157,910 for fiscal year 2025 is disclosed in Item 6 (required purchases were $1,108,847 = 15% of total revenues; supplier payments $676,952 = 9%). The audited financial statements in Exhibit G were blank pages in the extracted text, so balance-sheet figures (net worth, assets, liabilities, net income) and the auditor/CPA firm name could not be captured.
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 65 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORRoyalty structure floor of $350/month ($4,200 annually) creates burden on lower-revenue locations
- 02MINOR15.9% YoY unit growth is modest for a coffee franchise in growth phase; typical high performers see 20%+ expansion
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.3% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | 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 |
| Arbitration location | AAA office nearest to Ellianos' principal offices (Lake City, Florida) |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | FL |
| 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
- Lake City, Florida (headquarters/training facility); franchised Ellianos Store; online
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 11 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee (subject to franchisor approval)
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Toast
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
38 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 $797K – $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. Important context: Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system; Reported as net sales, not gross sales. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Ellianos Coffee 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 Ellianos Coffee FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Ellianos Coffee's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Ellianos Coffee (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 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 B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 65 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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
Are you the franchisor?
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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.