Travelin’ Tom’s CoffeeFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee franchise requires a total initial investment of $202K – $259K, including a $15K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $202K – $259K
- 31st pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 59th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 261
- 84th 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
Franchised units fell from 258 to 50 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $202K – $259K including a $15K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 32/100.
- System growing at 416.0% CAGR over 3 years with 261 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Mobile Coffee Company, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Kona Ice TopCo, LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer, President, Secretary and Board Member
- Tony Lamb
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 5945 Centennial Circle, Florence, Kentucky 41042
- Auditor
- Barnes Dennig
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $19.3M
- vs $28.6M prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate mobile or fixed-location specialty coffee retail shops under the Travelin' Tom's brand, handling daily barista operations, customer service, inventory management, and local marketing. Revenue depends on foot traffic, product pricing, and operational efficiency, with franchisees bearing full responsibility for labor, rent/vehicle costs, and supplies.
- CEO
- Tony Lamb
- Headquarters
- KY
- Founded
- 2021
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 37
Item 2 · who runs the franchisor
Executive team
Tony Lamb
Chief Executive Officer, President, Secretary and Board Member
5 yrs in role
Has served as Chief Executive Officer, President, Secretary, and Board Member of Kona Ice Affiliate Franchisor in Florence, Kentucky since its inception in February 2008, and in the same roles for Cookie Affiliate Franchisor in Florence, Kentucky since August 2024.
Matthew Perelman
Board Member
5 yrs in role
Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Garnett Station Partners, an investment firm in New York focused on retail and consumer companies, since September 2013. Trustee of the Heckscher Foundation for Children since June 2016 and Trustee of Reading Partners, both in New York.
Alexander Sloane
Board Member
5 yrs in role
Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Garnett Station Partners, an investment firm in New York focused on retail and consumer companies, since September 2013. Trustee of the Heckscher Foundation for Children since June 2009 and Trustee of America Needs You since 2011, both in New York.
Robert A. Whitehouse II
Board Member
5 yrs in role
Serves on the Board of Directors of Kona Ice Affiliate Franchisor since July 2019 and Cookie Affiliate Franchisor since August 2024 in Florence, Kentucky. Chief Executive Officer of Eagle Financial Services, Inc. and affiliated entities in Florence, Kentucky (multi-state consumer lending, commercial real estate, furniture stores) since August 2014. Past president and board member of the Ohio Financial Services Association since August 2014, and board member of the Kentucky Consumer Finance Association since November 2014.
Henry Wei
Board Member
1 yr in role
Vice President of Seidler Equity Partners, an investment firm in Marina Del Ray, California, since August 2019.
Matt Seidler
Board Member
1 yr in role
Partner of Seidler Equity Partners, an investment firm in Marina del Ray, California, since January 2009.
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $15K | $15K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $1K | $14K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $186K | $230K |
| Total initial investment | $202K | $259K |
Source: Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $202K – $259K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $1K – $14K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $15K – $15K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- $3,000 for years one and two; $4,000 for years three thro…
- Ad fund
- $1,000 per year
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | $3,000 for years 1-2; $4,000 for years 3-6; $5,000 for years 7-10 |
| Technology fee | $600 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $8K |
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 Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 261
- Opened
- 124
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 5
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 1.9%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 99%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +85.6%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- Outlier (see FDD)
- Likely small-sample artifact
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 7
- Transfer rate
- 2.7%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 37 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
Travelin' Tom's Coffee presents significant caution due to missing financial disclosure, going concern flag, and extreme unit growth rate that may mask unit-level profitability problems.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Barnes Dennig
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 32 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo average revenue or net income disclosure (Item 19) — impossible to validate ROI claims or assess profitability
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — suggests potential financial instability at franchisor level despite unit growth
- 03MINORRapid unit growth of 85.6% YoY is unsustainable and may indicate aggressive recruitment masking underlying unit performance issues
- 04MINORRoyalty structure is extremely low ($3,000-$5,000 annually) — either units are unprofitable or franchisor is undercapitalized
- 05MINORHigh total investment range ($201,840-$259,325) relative to low ongoing royalties suggests weak unit economics
- 06MINOR10-year term with escalating royalties creates long-term lock-in with minimal franchisor financial transparency
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 | 2 |
| Territory type | Geographic area |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 100,000 |
| 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 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Kentucky |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 14 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 10 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- POS system
- Square
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Square
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
210 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee franchise?
The total investment to open a Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee franchise ranges from $202K – $259K, with an initial franchise fee of $15K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee franchise owners earn?
Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee 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 Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Travelin’ Tom’s 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 Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee has 261 total units in the United States, including 258 franchised units and 3 company-owned units. 124 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Travelin’ Tom’s Coffee a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Travelin’ Tom’s 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.