Gloria Jean’s CoffeesFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Gloria Jean’s Coffees franchise requires a total initial investment of $210K – $564K, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $210K – $564K
- 35th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 59th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 44th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 37
- 58th 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
Franchising since 1986. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 47 to 37 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
The franchisor's auditor raised doubt about continued operations. This is a serious risk signal.
Bottom line
- Total investment $210K – $564K including a $30K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 71/100.
- Auditor 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
- Legal entity
- Gloria Jean’s Gourmet Coffees Franchising Corp.
- Parent company
- Retail Food Group USA, Inc. (RFG USA)
- Ultimate parent
- Retail Food Group Limited
- Predecessor
- but we have a number of affiliates that have offered franchises or that
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer of RFG Ltd
- Matthew Marshall
- Incorporated in
- IL
- HQ
- 2155 W Belmont Ave. #1028, Chicago, IL 60618
- Auditor
- Porte Brown LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.0M
- vs $2.8M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2025
- Auditor flagged doubt about continued operations. Verify against the latest FDD before deciding.
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Overview
About
Gloria Jean's franchisees operate specialty coffee retail locations, serving espresso-based beverages, pastries, and café items to walk-in customers. Daily operations include staff management, inventory ordering, POS system management, and maintaining brand standards across store presentation and customer service. Franchisees typically work 50-60 hour weeks managing staffing, pricing, local marketing, and cash flow in a competitive QSR environment.
- CEO
- Matthew Marshall
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 1986
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 13
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 44 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $30K | $30K | |
| Real Estate (Rent and Security Deposit) - Small Store | $7K | $12K | |
| Leasehold Improvements - Small Store | $140K | $174K | |
| Equipment, Furniture and Fixtures - Small Store | $82K | $105K | |
| Signage - Small Store | $8K | $10K | |
| Professional Design Fees - Small Store | $6K | $10K | |
| Point of Sale System - Small Store | $5K | $23K | |
| Initial Coffee Inventory - Small Store | $4K | $7K | |
| Other Initial Inventory and Supplies - Small Store | $5K | $6K | |
| Grand Opening Fee - Small Store | $10K | $10K | |
| Training Expenses - Small Store | $4K | $8K | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs - Small Store | $8K | $11K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months - Small Store | $20K | $26K | |
| Real Estate (Rent and Security Deposit) - Average Store | $8K | $15K | |
| Leasehold Improvements - Average Store | $166K | $182K | |
| Equipment, Furniture and Fixtures - Average Store | $100K | $119K | |
| Signage - Average Store | $8K | $19K | |
| Professional Design Fees - Average Store | $6K | $10K | |
| Point of Sale System - Average Store | $5K | $23K | |
| Initial Coffee Inventory - Average Store | $5K | $7K | |
| Total initial investment | $1.2M | $1.6M |
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
- $210K – $564K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $32K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $165 |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
| Inventory (initial) | $9K – $15K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Gloria Jean’s Coffees Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 37
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 4
- Turnover rate
- 10.8%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 25.0%
- Net growth (yr3)
- -7.5%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -21.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 5
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 4
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Termination rate
- 22.5%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 13 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 loan disclosures. This brand has only 6 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 6
- Loan volume
- $2.1M
- Median loan
- $350K
- 50th percentile
- 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)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 4
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Declining unit base, undisclosed financials, litigation history, and parent company going concern status create substantial uncertainty around franchisee profitability and franchisor viability.
Litigation (Item 3)
1 case reference(s): 0 pending, 2 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $8
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Porte Brown 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
Score breakdown · what drove the 71 / 100 rating
- 01MINORUnit count declining 7.5% YoY (37 units) indicates contracting franchise system with potential viability concerns
- 02MEDNo disclosed average revenue or net income prevents ROI validation; unable to assess if $209k-$563k investment generates acceptable returns
- 03HIGHTwo concluded litigation cases against parent RFG Ltd regarding unconscionable behavior and forced franchise model changes signal franchisor-franchisee relationship deterioration and potential systemic issues
- 04MED6% royalty on undisclosed gross sales creates opacity around true profitability and cash flow obligations
- 05HIGHGoing concern status suggests financial stress at corporate level, raising questions about franchisor support and system stability
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 |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| 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 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 5 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Illinois |
| Litigation count | 2 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
1 case reference(s): 0 pending, 2 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 50 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- franchisor
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- TASK POS System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: TASK POS System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
43 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Gloria Jean’s Coffees · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Gloria Jean’s Coffees franchise?
The total investment to open a Gloria Jean’s Coffees franchise ranges from $210K – $564K, 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 Gloria Jean’s Coffees franchise owners earn?
Gloria Jean’s Coffees 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 Gloria Jean’s Coffees's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Gloria Jean’s Coffees (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 Gloria Jean’s Coffees franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Gloria Jean’s Coffees has 37 total units in the United States, including 47 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Gloria Jean’s Coffees a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Gloria Jean’s Coffees as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 71 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.