Scooter’s Coffee Express Franchise Cost & 2025 FDD Data
81/100
Strongest tier
81 this brand51 Quick-Service Restaurants medianlikely 66–96: narrower with more SBA loans (low confidence)
Higher is better · an editorial assessment, not investment advice
#157 of 3,068 graded brands
Why an A: Helped by financial health, unit growth, scale, legal record and transparency. See all six factors
- Total investment
- $692K – $1.1M
- excl. land
- Avg gross sales
- not extracted
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from the FDD filing. Analysis by FranchiseVerdict · Methodology · Website · Report an error · Franchisor? Claim this listing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2025 FDD
Per the 2025 FDD, a Scooter’s Coffee Express franchise requires a total initial investment of $692K – $1.1M, excluding land. Once open, the ongoing royalty is 6.0%. The 2025 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. Verdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice.
Sources: 2025 FDD · What one unit could make and lose →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium (issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file)
Evidence for the headline figures: thin✓ Investment (Item 7)✗ Item 19 status✗ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored3 of 3 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
Quick verdict · vs Quick-Service Restaurants median
Top edge: green = better than the Quick-Service Restaurants median by more than 10%, red = worse by more than 10%, gray = within 10% or no benchmark. Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a).
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Methodology
Bottom line
- RETURNSKiosk Store 2024 figures shown; End Cap Stores separately averaged $991,552 (2024). Gross Sales = Net Sales plus Discounts.
- TERMSNo protected territory and the franchisor reserves the right to compete in your area. Clarify territorial boundaries before signing.
AT STAKEOne unit at the Item 7 midpoint: $113K a year in payments on assumed SBA 7(a)-style terms.You put in about $175K of your own cash and personally guarantee a $698K loan. Assumptions are labeled in Sales; not investment advice.See what one unit could make and lose
Things to check before you sign (3)
- 1 pending matter names the franchisor in Item 3 (litigation). Pending claims are allegations, not findings; for a system this size the score counts the legal record in the brand's favour. Read the matter in Item 3.
- The franchisor keeps the right to compete inside your territory (Item 12, territory).
- The franchisor receives rebates or payments from suppliers you buy from (Item 8, required suppliers).
Checked and clear: no auditor doubt that the franchisor can keep operating, no rule that the owner must run it personally and the full filing on file. Not on file here, so ask: unit trend, SBA charge-off rate against the category median and jury-trial waiver.
What to do next
Step 1: Read the FDD itself.
Free: the franchisor must give it to you at least 14 days before you sign or pay. Or look it up in a state registry (Wisconsin, Minnesota, California). What to read first.
Step 2: Talk to current and former owners.
Free: Item 20 of the FDD lists every current owner and those who left last year, most with a phone number. Questions to ask.
Step 3: Talk to an SBA lender.
Free: the SBA's Lender Match. Ask what you would personally guarantee and what the monthly payment would be. If you plan to use retirement savings, ask a CPA about the rules for that first.
Step 4: Have a franchise attorney review the FDD and agreement.
Free: your state bar's lawyer referral service can name franchise lawyers, and many offer a short first consultation. Bring the checks listed above.
Research steps, not investment or legal advice.
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost (the Item 7 midpoint) is 79% above the Quick-Service Restaurants median ($487K).
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7 (fees and startup costs)
The filing does not state an initial franchise fee.
Do you qualify? The filing states no minimum net worth or liquid capital. Ask Scooter's Coffee, LLC (Item 1: 11808 Miracle Hills Drive, Suite #400, Omaha, Nebraska 68154) and your lender what they require, and keep living costs for the first year outside the deal.
Full Item 7 breakdown11 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $40K | $40K | |
| Initial Opening Support Fee | $20K | $20K | |
| Site and Building Improvements | $299.6K | $534.9K | |
| Architectural and Engineering Fees | $28.4K | $42.7K | |
| Equipment, fixtures and furniture | $186.5K | $194.8K | |
| Signs | $52K | $63.5K | |
| Point-of-sale system and software | $12K | $17.4K | |
| Deposits and licenses | $4.85K | $15.6K | |
| Initial training: travel and living expenses | $5K | $8K | |
| Opening inventory, supplies, and smallwares | $27.8K | $30.8K | |
| Additional funds — 3 months | $16K | $86K | |
| Total initial investment | $692K | $1.1M |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. The total row is the total as printed in Item 7. Actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 6 · what you pay once you are open
Ongoing fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of net sales |
Marketing / ad fundThe filing's detailBrand-wide marketing pool. Currently 2% of Net Sales for National Marketing and Advertising Contribution; may be increased up to 4% on 60 days' notice. Local marketing up to 2% and Regional Co-op up to 3% may also apply currently none required;... | 2.0% of net sales |
| Technology fee$350/month Technology Fee, subject to annual increase of up to 15%, compounded and cumulative | $350/month |
| Transfer fee | $10,000 |
| Renewal fee | $10,000 |
| Total fee loadabove the Quick-Service Restaurants median of 7.0% (heavy) | 8.0% of sales |
Items 6 (other fees), 7 (startup costs) and 19 (sales and earnings) · assumptions labeled
What you could make and lose: one unit
What one Scooter’s Coffee Express unit would ask of you, from the filing's Item 7 total and labeled assumptions.
How these figures are worked out
- Loan (assumption): 80% of the $873K Item 7 midpoint is a $698K loan, paid over 10 years at 10.5%: $113K a year. SBA 7(a)-style terms on a long-term rate; your lender sets yours.
What you put at risk
Your own cash in: about $175K Assumption (the part the loan does not cover of the $873K Item 7 midpoint), plus whatever anything Item 7 leaves out (its notes say what). The loan is $698K.
Personal guarantee. SBA 7(a) loans require a personal guarantee from anyone who owns 20% or more of the business. If the unit cannot pay, the lender can collect from you personally, which can include your savings and your home. The worst case is losing the cash you put in and still owing the rest of the loan.
Gross sales are not profit, and none of these figures is take-home pay until tax and every operating cost are paid. The assumptions are ours, not the filing's. Not investment advice.
Returns modelOne unit · several units · editable
No Item 19 gross sales figure for Scooter’s Coffee Express is on file. The return models need one gross sales figure to start from, plus the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions; nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · one unit
What would one Scooter’s Coffee Express unit leave you each year after the loan payment?
Not disclosed in Item 19. Enter your own gross sales assumption
Gross sales, not profit: the costs below decide what is left.
No Item 19 figures are on file for this brand. Enter your own costs from a lease quote, a payroll plan and calls with current owners.
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.
Item 7 midpoint of $692K to $1.1M
Item 7's $16K to $86K additional funds are already in the total
Left after the loan payment · per year
The unit's EBITDA minus the assumed loan payment. Before tax, depreciation and any cost your inputs leave out (insurance, accounting and legal, licenses, technology fees): not take-home pay.
Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies annual revenue, COGS, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
Loan of $698K at 10.5% over 10 years, an assumption, not a quote. Return and payback are before tax, depreciation and the costs above. The loan usually needs your personal guarantee.
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: 2025 FDD · filed by Scooter's Coffee, LLC
Financial performance
Kiosk Store 2024 figures shown; End Cap Stores separately averaged $991,552 (2024). Gross Sales = Net Sales plus Discounts.
Item 19 covers the parent format. The filing's Item 19 groups describe Scooter’s Coffee, not this format, so they are printed on the Scooter’s Coffee page.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants medians
How Scooter’s Coffee Express compares
Category median of published Quick-Service Restaurants brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
System figures: see Scooter’s Coffee
System figures: see Scooter’s Coffee
Government records
SBA loan data
Matched to this brand from SBA 7(a) and 504 FOIA loan records.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What are the risks?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Verdict grade + FDD Items 3 (litigation), 4 (bankruptcy), 8 (required suppliers), 16 (what you may sell), 21 (audited financials)
Risk and legal
Grade A: Strongest tier, 81/100 (category median 51); the full grade is at the top of the page.
How the grade is built
Why an A, factor by factor
- Financial health HelpsAudited financials; no going-concern doubt; franchisor net income positive; 43% of its assets are owed to it by related companies (Item 21; shown, not scored)
- Unit economics NeutralNo Item 19 sales figure to set against the investment, so neutral
- Unit growth HelpsNo Item 20 trend on file, so neutral
- Scale HelpsFranchising since 2002
- Legal Helps1 matter naming the franchisor among the Item 3 matters we list
- Transparency HelpsItem 19 status not confirmed (neither credit nor penalty); audited financials
From the six scored dimensions, an editorial assessment, not investment advice. How the score is built
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (plaintiff).
Scooter's Coffee, LLC and Harvest Roasting, LLC v. Johnson Java, LLC et al. (AAA Case No. 01-25-0003-8419, filed Aug 20, 2025): arbitration by franchisor against former franchisees for unpaid royalties, marketing contributions, technology fees, and supply chain amounts; hearing scheduled April 2026.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · KPMG LLP
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
Ask what the franchisor earns on the supplies it sells you or the rebates it takes (Item 8).
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Franchisor takes supplier rebates: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
System figures: see Scooter’s Coffee
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before your own operating costs.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12 (territory), 15 (owner participation) and 17 (renewal, termination and disputes)
Contract and territory detail
| Allowed renewals | 1 |
|---|---|
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territory | No |
| Online sales rights | Reserved by franchisor |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Who runs it (Item 15) | Owner-operator not required |
| Non-compete (years) | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles) | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusal | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 10 days |
| Curable defaults | 4 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Omaha, Nebraska |
| Governing law | Nebraska |
Items 5 (initial fees), 7 (startup costs), 12 (territory) and 20 (outlet counts) · development agreement
Area development (several units)
The filing offers a development agreement for several units. If you miss the schedule, the development agreement can be ended.
Every term, with its page
- If you miss the schedule
- The development agreement can be ended.
2025 FDD p.33
“If you fail to open any Store by the opening deadline date stated in the development schedule in the MSD Agreement, we have the right to terminate the Franchise Agreement.” - Signed, not yet open
- 242 franchises sold but not open at year end (Item 20, Table 5; see Growth). Ask how long they have been waiting and why.
Each unit still needs its own Item 7 investment on top of the development fee. Have a franchise attorney read the schedule and the default terms before you sign.
Items 10 (financing), 11 (training and support)
Training and operations
- On-the-job training
- 104 hrs
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- Franchisee, subject to franchisor consent within a designated Non-Exclusive Search Area
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- POS System (third-party, via Approved/Designated Supplier)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 (initial fees) & 11 (training and support)
Franchisor support
Franchisee contacts
We hold no owner list for this brand. Item 20 of the FDD lists the current and former owners; the free FDD is the source.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to open a Scooter’s Coffee Express franchise?
Per the 2025 FDD, the total investment to open a Scooter’s Coffee Express franchise ranges from $692K to $1.1M. This is the Item 7 total in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD): the startup costs the franchisor lists, such as build-out, equipment, inventory and working capital. The filing says these totals do not include land.
What do Scooter’s Coffee Express franchise owners earn?
No average owner earnings figure for Scooter’s Coffee Express is on file. Item 19, where a franchisor may disclose what its outlets earn, is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and we have not established what this brand's FDD says. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Scooter’s Coffee Express?
Scooter’s Coffee Express is franchised by Scooter's Coffee, LLC. Its parent company is Boundless Enterprises, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Scooter’s Coffee Express 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 Scooter’s Coffee Express FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Scooter’s Coffee Express' franchise failure rate?
There is no published franchise failure rate, and Scooter’s Coffee Express has too few resolved SBA 7(a) loans on file (fewer than 10) to show an SBA charge-off rate that would mean anything. The SBA charge-off rate is the share of a brand's resolved SBA 7(a) loans to its franchisees that the SBA wrote off, including purchased guarantees. Resolved means paid in full or charged off; active loans are excluded because their outcome is not yet known. It is a lending outcome, not a count of closed businesses. Review the turnover and closure figures in Item 20 of the FDD and speak with current and former franchisees.
Is Scooter’s Coffee Express a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict gives Scooter’s Coffee Express an A Verdict grade (Strongest tier) with a verdict score of 81 out of 100 (higher is better), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Helped by financial health (audited financials), unit growth, scale, legal record and transparency. The “Why an A” section on this page lists all six dimensions and any adjustment. Speak with current franchisees before making any investment decision.
Other Quick-Service Restaurants franchises
Similar investment first, then by grade
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.