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Chatime franchise — is it worth it?

Food & beverage · FDD-based assessment · registered 2026

Medium risk Significant turnover Item 19 disclosed

CHATIME FRANCHISE LLC offers a food and beverage franchise with an initial investment ranging from $291,100 to $499,900.

Everything below is free, read straight off Chatime's registered filing. The $99 report is the part a single FDD can't give you: the earnings figures themselves, and where every number lands against food & beverage peers.

Get the full report — $99what's inside ↓
Total initial investment
$291,100 – $499,900
Above the food & beverage median · median $385,713
Initial franchise fee
$54,900
FDD Item 5
Royalty
5%
FDD Item 6
Item 19 earnings
Disclosed
figures locked
Litigation (Item 3)
Not determined
Item 3 not machine-read
Outlet network
16 units
flat last year
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The numbers above tell you what Chatime discloses. The report tells you whether that's good:

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Figures above are as disclosed in Chatime's most recent FDD (registered 2026). Source: Wisconsin Dept. of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration · filing 641363 — check it yourself. The Item 19 figures, where each number ranks against peers, and the litigation & churn detail are in the full report.

How much does a Chatime franchise make?

Chatime is one of the franchisors that answers this on the record: its most recent FDD makes an Item 19 financial performance representation — actual unit earnings figures, disclosed by the franchisor itself. The average revenue Chatime reports, what that figure does and doesn't include, and where it ranks against food & beverage peers are in the full report. See every food & beverage brand that discloses earnings in the Food & beverage franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings ranking.

Chatime franchise profit vs. revenue

Revenue is not profit. An Item 19 almost always reports sales — what a location takes in — not what an owner keeps. Out of that number come Chatime's 5% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a Chatime franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "Chatime franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure. The full report sets Chatime's disclosed revenue against its total ongoing fee load, so you can see what that revenue has to cover before anything reaches you.

Chatime lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)

We do not publish a litigation answer for Chatime. Item 3 could not be read reliably from this particular filing, and a claim that a company has no legal history is not one to make on a failed parse — so we say we do not know instead. Item 3 of the FDD itself is the place to check; the methodology page explains what we do and do not machine-read.

Chatime closures & failure rate

Before you sign, Chatime will hand you a list of current owners to call as references — and they choose who's on that list. It won't include the owners who quit, got bought out, or were forced out last year. The FDD does report that number, even though the reference list leaves those people off. Below is what Chatime's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a food & beverage of this kind.

The closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate is Item 20 — outlet openings, closures, terminations and non-renewals, reported by the franchisor. Chatime's latest tables show significant franchisee turnover. The actual closure and termination counts, and how Chatime's churn ranks against food & beverage peers, are in the full report.

The full Chatime report — $99

The Item 19 earnings figures, every number ranked against food & beverage peers, and the litigation and churn detail — delivered instantly, yours to keep.

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Who owns Chatime?

Chatime's franchise is offered by CHATIME FRANCHISE LLC — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at WI DFI; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.

Food & beverage franchises at a similar investment level

Anyone weighing Chatime is really weighing it against the other brands their money could go into. These are the closest by total initial investment (FDD Item 7), each with its own FDD-based page.

Carousel's Franchise Group$75,750 – $99,750Chi Tea$230,542 – $478,667 · Item 19 disclosedHouse of Bread$198,000 – $584,000 · Item 19 disclosedRaceway$197,500 – $585,000MELTwich$263,750 – $523,400Teaspoon$244,500 – $548,000 · Item 19 disclosedGong cha USA Franchising, LLC (Unit Franchise Program)$174,500 – $619,500 · Item 19 disclosed16 Handles$242,500 – $553,000 · Item 19 disclosedGulf C-Store$147,650 – $651,550The Empanada Maker Franchise Group$246,274 – $554,467Cha Redefine Franchisesinvestment not disclosed · Item 19 disclosedCheong Kwan Janginvestment not disclosed

Chatime franchise — frequently asked

Who owns Chatime — who is the franchisor?

Chatime's most recently filed FDD (2026) names CHATIME FRANCHISE LLC as the franchisor — the entity you would actually sign the franchise agreement with, as stated on the disclosure document itself. A registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent company.

How much does a Chatime franchise cost?

Chatime's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $291,100 – $499,900, with an initial franchise fee of $54,900 and a 5% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. The full report breaks down every fee line and benchmarks it against food & beverage peers.

How much profit does a Chatime franchise make?

Chatime discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (5% of gross for Chatime), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any Chatime franchise profit number quoted elsewhere is an estimate. The full report shows the disclosed revenue against the full ongoing fee load it has to cover.

Does Chatime disclose financial performance (Item 19)?

Yes — Chatime reports unit-level earnings in Item 19. The full report shows the actual revenue figures and how they rank against food & beverage peers.

Are there lawsuits against Chatime?

We do not publish a litigation answer for Chatime: Item 3 could not be read reliably from this filing, and we would rather say so than assert a clean record we have not verified. Item 3 of the FDD itself is the place to check.

Is Chatime a good franchise to buy?

Nobody can answer that from Chatime's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against food & beverage peers, which is what the full report is for. Our read on this filing is medium risk, stated free above. For $99 you get the figures driving that read, the actual Item 19 earnings (disclosed in this FDD), where every figure ranks against peers, and the specific questions to ask the franchisor before you sign.

Decide with the numbers — $99

A Chatime franchise is a $291,100 – $499,900 decision you make once, on a ten-year agreement, usually with a personal guarantee behind it. For $99 you get an independent read of the document that decides it: the actual Item 19 earnings, every figure ranked against food & beverage peers, the litigation split into franchisee and corporate matters, the churn behind the outlet count — and the questions to put to the franchisor before you sign. If it tells you nothing new, reply within 14 days and we'll refund it.

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Get a free email when something changes on Chatime or food & beverage: a new FDD registration, a new lawsuit, an outlet count that shifts, or Item 19 earnings going from undisclosed to disclosed. Pulled straight from the same registries every report is built on.

This report compiles and structures publicly filed Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) data from state franchise registrations. It is not legal, financial, or investment advice, is not affiliated with or endorsed by any franchisor, and does not replace reading the full FDD or consulting a franchise attorney or accountant. All figures are as disclosed by the franchisor in its most recent registered FDD. Item 19 financial performance representations are made at the franchisor’s option and may be absent or limited.