Franchise Facts Report → compare → Tropical Smoothie Cafe vs Scooter's Coffee
Tropical Smoothie Cafe vs Scooter's Coffee
Two food & beverage franchises, compared on the numbers their own Franchise Disclosure Documents put on record — investment, fees, Item 19 earnings, outlet churn, and litigation. Not marketing copy.
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe | Scooter's Coffee | |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment FDD Item 7 | $275,500 – $770,500 | $1,163,650 – $1,345,750 |
| Initial franchise fee FDD Item 5 | $35,000 | $40,000 |
| Royalty FDD Item 6 | 6% | 6% |
| Item 19 earnings disclosed FDD Item 19 | Yes | Yes |
| Avg unit revenue (headline) FDD Item 19 | $978,298 | in report |
| Franchised outlets FDD Item 20 | 1,650 | 882 |
| Net outlet change (latest yr) FDD Item 20 | +136 | +57 |
| Closure rate FDD Item 20 | — | 0.5% |
| Franchisee lawsuits FDD Item 3 | disclosed | 0 |
| Risk level our read | Medium | Low |
| FDD year registration | 2026 | 2026 |
Are Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Scooter's Coffee the same company?
No — Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Scooter's Coffee are franchised by separate companies. Tropical Smoothie Cafe's franchisor is TSC Franchisor, LLC; Scooter's Coffee's is Scooter's Coffee Franchisor, LLC. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
Cost to open
Tropical Smoothie Cafe is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $275,500 – $770,500, against $1,163,650 – $1,345,750 for Scooter's Coffee.
How much does each make? (Item 19)
Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation — the detailed figures are in each brand's FDD and in the full report.
Closures & failure rate
Tropical Smoothie Cafe reports 1,650 franchised outlets, net change +136 in the latest reported year (FDD Item 20). Scooter's Coffee reports 882 franchised outlets, net change +57 in the latest reported year, a 0.5% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Outlet churn — closures, terminations, non-renewals — is the closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate; the full report puts both brands' churn against food & beverage medians.
Litigation
Tropical Smoothie Cafe discloses litigation in FDD Item 3 (case detail in the full report). Scooter's Coffee discloses no franchisee-initiated proceedings in FDD Item 3.
This page is the headline numbers. The Deep report compares up to three brands on the complete FDD record — every fee line, the actual Item 19 figures and what they represent, each lawsuit, and churn benchmarked against food & beverage peers.
Only looking at one of them?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe vs Scooter's Coffee — frequently asked
Are Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Scooter's Coffee the same company?
No — Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Scooter's Coffee are franchised by separate companies. Tropical Smoothie Cafe's franchisor is TSC Franchisor, LLC; Scooter's Coffee's is Scooter's Coffee Franchisor, LLC. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
What is the difference between Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Scooter's Coffee?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Scooter's Coffee are food & beverage franchises from different franchisors (TSC Franchisor, LLC and Scooter's Coffee Franchisor, LLC). Tropical Smoothie Cafe is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $275,500 – $770,500, against $1,163,650 – $1,345,750 for Scooter's Coffee. Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation — the detailed figures are in each brand's FDD and in the full report.
Is Tropical Smoothie Cafe more profitable than Scooter's Coffee?
Both franchisors make an Item 19 financial performance representation — the detailed figures are in each brand's FDD and in the full report.
Which is cheaper to open — Tropical Smoothie Cafe or Scooter's Coffee?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $275,500 – $770,500, against $1,163,650 – $1,345,750 for Scooter's Coffee.
Is Tropical Smoothie Cafe or Scooter's Coffee growing faster?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe reports 1,650 franchised outlets, net change +136 in the latest reported year (FDD Item 20). Scooter's Coffee reports 882 franchised outlets, net change +57 in the latest reported year, a 0.5% closure rate (FDD Item 20).
Go deeper on each brand
Food & beverage rankings
Figures are as disclosed in each brand's most recent registered FDD (Tropical Smoothie Cafe 2026, Scooter's Coffee 2026). “—” means the FDD does not disclose it or the table did not parse cleanly — never an estimate.