Is THE HUMAN BEAN or Ellianos Coffee cheaper to open?

THE HUMAN BEAN costs $672,000–$1,532,000 and Ellianos Coffee costs $797,450–$1,397,400 to open (FDD Item 7). THE HUMAN BEAN has the lower entry cost.

Which earns more, THE HUMAN BEAN or Ellianos Coffee?

THE HUMAN BEAN reports $813,586 average annual unit revenue vs $1,256,536 for Ellianos Coffee (FDD Item 19). Ellianos Coffee is higher. For Ellianos Coffee: Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system; Reported as net sales, not gross sales.

Which is the better franchise, THE HUMAN BEAN or Ellianos Coffee?

FranchiseVerdict grades THE HUMAN BEAN C and Ellianos Coffee B, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

THE HUMAN BEAN vs Ellianos Coffee

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both THE HUMAN BEAN and Ellianos Coffee are quick-service restaurants franchises. THE HUMAN BEAN requires an investment of $672K – $1.5M while Ellianos Coffee requires $797K – $1.4M. In terms of revenue, Ellianos Coffee reports higher average unit revenue at $1.3M. Note: Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system; Reported as net sales, not gross sales. THE HUMAN BEAN has SBA lending data on file with a 35.7% charge-off rate. FranchiseVerdict rates THE HUMAN BEAN C (Average) and Ellianos Coffee B (Above average).

Metric	THE HUMAN BEAN	Ellianos Coffee
Verdict Grade	CAverage	BAbove average
Investment Range	$672K – $1.5M	$797K – $1.4M
Franchise Fee	$35K	$30K
Royalty Rate	Franchisor charges no royalty fee; revenue is derived from required product/equipment purchases and supplier rebates (see Item 8).	6.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	$814K	$1.3MOutlet subset
SBA Charge-Off Rate	35.7% (51 loans)	Limited data
Total Units	188	73
Unit Growth (YoY)	+11 units	+10 units
Year Began Franchising	2002	2003
FDD Year	2026	2026