The Human Bean franchise research

Investment by format

Format-specific estimates only. Do not combine one format's minimum with another format's maximum.

Investment sourceFDD p.15 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$35,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

0% · No royalty charged; franchisor earns revenue from supplies sold to franchisees; 1% monthly Brand Fee on Adjusted Gross Sales Revenues instead

Marketing contribution

1% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

POS (Toast) $325/month; Mobile app & loyalty (Incentivio) $80/month; gift cards $25/month; digital menu boards $15/screen/month

Other fees

Brand Fee 1% of Adjusted Gross Sales monthly (may increase up to 2%); additional on-site assistance $600/day; audit cost plus 18% interest if underreporting exceeds 2%

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

Additional funds - initial 90 day period: $20,000 - $75,000 (cash for payroll, inventory, POS system and other fees during first three months)

Fees sourceFDD p.12 ↗

Working capital is drawn from Item 7. The Investment source below locates the investment section, not an independently verified working-capital scalar.

Investment sourceFDD p.15 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Franchisee gross sales (average and median, 155 franchised stores); affiliate-owned store P&L including average and median EBITDA (12 stores); estimated franchisee-adjusted EBITDA

Reporting period

12 months ended December 31, 2025

Sample

155 franchised drive-through stores for sales (Table 2); 12 affiliate-owned stores for P&L/EBITDA (Table 1)

Reported average

$813,586.80

Reported median

$783,570.35

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Results depend on the disclosed metric, sample and period; consult the full filing.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.48 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

165

Year-end outlets

176

Net change

+11

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

14

Terminations

0

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

3

Reacquisitions

0

Transfers

4

Transfers are not closures. Net change is ending minus starting outlets for the stated scope and year, or complete openings less terminations, non-renewals, other closures and reacquisitions. Missing inputs stay unknown.

Unit growth sourceFDD p.50 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

28 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$901,000

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

16 loans

Historical charge-off share

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

2 / 9

Formula

CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100

This is a historical loan-level share, not a franchise failure probability or location survival rate. Loan size is not total investment. Other loan statuses are excluded from the seasoned denominator. Activity combines 7(a) and 504 approvals, excluding canceled and not-funded records; this is not a rolling five-year count. FY2024-25 franchise tags are sparse after directory suspension; fewer tagged loans do not establish brand decline. Recent charge-off cohorts are immature.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median loan amounts are financing context, not startup cost. The median window is separate from the seasoned charge-off cohort.

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Questions before you invest

How much does The Human Bean franchise cost?

Conversion/improvement of existing structure (only the build-out/equipment category is stated at $550,000; $672,000 is the low end of the total): Not captured (invalid or incomplete range); New construction (only the build-out/equipment category is stated, $710,000-$1,295,000; $1,532,000 is the high end of the total): Not captured (invalid or incomplete range) These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $35,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.15 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do The Human Bean owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: Franchisee gross sales (average and median, 155 franchised stores); affiliate-owned store P&L including average and median EBITDA (12 stores); estimated franchisee-adjusted EBITDA. Sample: 155 franchised drive-through stores for sales (Table 2); 12 affiliate-owned stores for P&L/EBITDA (Table 1). Period: 12 months ended December 31, 2025.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.48 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for The Human Bean?

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans; numerator / denominator: 2 / 9. Historical 7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals; CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100, snapshot 2026-06-30. This is not a franchise failure probability. Median SBA loan: $901,000; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 16 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗