Starbucks closed roughly 250 of its own North American coffeehouses in September 2026, which revived a question that never quite dies: if the company is pruning its own stores, can an outside investor finally buy one? No. Starbucks does not sell franchises in the United States at any price, and nothing announced for 2027 changes that. The closest legal route, a licensed store run inside a business you already operate, is estimated by third-party franchise analysts at about $315,000 to $2.9 million all in, and Starbucks publishes no fee schedule to confirm it.
That gap between what people assume and what the company actually allows is where most of the bad numbers online come from. Below we take the seven beliefs we see most often, test each one against Starbucks’s own SEC filings and earnings reports, and price the options that do exist, including the coffee franchises you can actually sign for.
Myth 1: Somewhere, someone will sell you a U.S. Starbucks franchise
Reality: Starbucks runs two kinds of stores, company-operated and licensed. Its fiscal 2025 annual report (10-K) says that “in a limited number of international markets, we also use traditional franchising.” It says nothing of the kind about the United States. Any listing, broker or website offering a U.S. Starbucks franchise for a fee is either confused or running a scam; walk away before any deposit changes hands.
The refusal is philosophical, and it is old. Howard Schultz wrote in his 1997 book Pour Your Heart Into It that franchisees are “middlemen who would stand between us and our customer,” and he later told an interviewer he never believed the company could keep its standards “where the people weren’t working for the company.” Three decades and several CEOs later, the policy has held.
Myth 2: A licensed store is just a franchise with a different label
Reality: The two models differ on who gets in and who picks the spot. A franchisor sells the right to open a stand-alone business to qualified individuals. Starbucks licenses its brand to operators who already control busy space: its 10-K says “most licensees are prominent retailers with in-depth market knowledge and access.” In practice that means grocery chains, airport concessionaires, big-box retailers, hotel groups and university foodservice contractors. A licensed counter lives inside their building, not on a corner lot of its own.
The rest of the arrangement looks familiar to anyone who has read a franchise agreement. Per the 10-K, licensees pay royalties and license fees, buy their coffee, tea, food and equipment from Starbucks at a margin, and their employees must follow Starbucks operating procedures and attend similar training. The difference that matters to an individual investor: there is no application form for “a Starbucks,” only a partnership conversation that starts with the location you already have.
Myth 3: The license costs a flat $315,000
Reality: Starbucks has never published a licensing fee, a royalty rate or an investment range for U.S. licensed stores, and its 10-K gives none. The figures that circulate come from franchise research sites, and they disagree with one another. One site calls $315,000 the licensing fee itself; another uses $315,000 as the low end of the total investment. Treat every number in the table below as an outside estimate, useful for scale and nothing more.
| Figure you will see quoted | Where it comes from | How much weight to give it |
|---|---|---|
| $315,000 to $2,888,700 total investment | VettedBiz, August 2026 | Rough scale only; not from Starbucks |
| $228,000 to $710,000 for an airport or grocery kiosk build-out | VettedBiz, August 2026 | Plausible for small in-store counters; unverified |
| About $760,000 to more than $2.27 million build-out | ThePricer, November 2025 | Mixes kiosks with full cafés |
| Royalty of 6% to 8% of sales, plus about 2% marketing | ThePricer and VettedBiz | Not confirmed in any Starbucks filing |
| $1M+ net worth and $500,000 to $700,000 liquid assets | VettedBiz | Reflects the corporate-sized partners Starbucks favors |
| Royalties, license fees and a margin on supplies | Starbucks FY2025 10-K | Confirmed structure, but no amounts |
The honest summary for 2027 planning: if you run a business large enough to host a Starbucks counter, Starbucks will quote you directly, and the price will depend on your square footage, traffic and the equipment package. If you are an individual with $500,000 in savings and no existing venue, there is no number to plan around.
Myth 4: Licensed counters are a small sideline
Reality: Licensing is now most of Starbucks by store count. The company ended fiscal 2026 on September 27 with this footprint, according to its October 29 earnings release:
41,607 coffeehouses worldwide: 32% company-operated, 68% licensed.
Starbucks Q4 and full fiscal year 2026 results
The jump came mostly from China. In April 2026 Starbucks completed the sale of control of its China retail business to funds managed by Boyu Capital, keeping a 40% stake while continuing to own and license the brand, which turned about 8,000 company stores into licensed ones overnight. In the United States the mix is steadier. At the end of fiscal 2025, the 10-K counted 6,813 licensed U.S. stores against 10,047 company-operated, so about four in ten American Starbucks locations are already licensed. Licensed stores brought in $1.196 billion of revenue in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2026 alone.
Myth 5: The 2026 closures will open the door to new owners
Reality: The stores Starbucks closed in September 2026 were company-operated units it chose to shut, not leases offered up to outside buyers. The U.S. count finished the year at 16,781 coffeehouses. For fiscal 2027, a 53-week year, the company guided to about 1,200 net new coffeehouses globally “led by International,” with no announcement of franchising in the U.S. or any new route for individual investors. If that changes, it will appear in an SEC filing first; until then, assume the rules stay the same.
Myth 6: A licensed Starbucks earns what a company Starbucks earns
Reality: The licensee takes on the cost side. The 10-K is blunt: “Licensees are responsible for operating costs and capital investments.” Starbucks earns twice from every licensed cup, once as a royalty on sales and again as a margin on the beans, milk, syrups, pastries and equipment it sells you. That is a very good business for Starbucks and a thinner one for the host, who is often happy to accept it because the counter pulls shoppers or travelers deeper into the main store.
Average sales figures for a U.S. Starbucks circulate widely and conflict, from about $902,000 to $1.35 million a year depending on which research site you read. None of them separates licensed counters, which tend to be smaller and tied to the host’s hours, from full company cafés. Any profit projection you see for a licensed store is built on assumptions, not disclosed data.
Myth 7: Every coffee franchise is as hard to get as Starbucks
Reality: Plenty of coffee brands do franchise, and their costs are on the record because U.S. franchisors must disclose them in a Franchise Disclosure Document. The comparison below uses figures published by Entrepreneur’s franchise directory and the brands’ own franchise materials; confirm current numbers in the latest FDD before you commit.
| Route | Upfront fee | Total investment | Ongoing fees | Money you need to qualify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Starbucks licensed store | Not published | Not published (third-party estimates $315,000 to $2.9M) | Royalty plus product margin, amounts not published | Usually an established company with a venue |
| Dunkin’ | $40,000 to $90,000 | From $443,000 (Entrepreneur) | 5.9% royalty, 5% advertising | $500,000 net worth, $250,000 liquid |
| Scooter’s Coffee | $40,000 | $794,000 to $1,264,500 | See current FDD | $500,000 net worth, $200,000 cash |
| 7 Brew | Varies | See our 7 Brew franchise cost guide | See current FDD | Multi-unit developers |
| Independent coffee shop | None | See our coffee shop startup budget | None | Whatever your lender requires |
The Scooter’s figures come from a comparison table on a franchisor’s website rather than a neutral directory, and Entrepreneur notes that Dunkin’s ranges differ by location type, so use both as starting points. The bigger lesson is in the right-hand column: even franchises that welcome individuals want a net worth around half a million dollars. Our breakdown of the franchise fee versus the 10-year bill shows how the ongoing royalties add up after opening day.
Questions people ask after learning they cannot buy one
Does Starbucks franchise anywhere in the world?
Yes, in a limited number of international markets, according to the company’s fiscal 2025 10-K. In the United States and most large markets it uses company-operated and licensed stores instead.
Can I open a licensed Starbucks in my hotel, hospital or office building?
Possibly, if you control a high-traffic space. Starbucks reviews licensing requests through its business and licensing inquiry channels and decides case by case. Expect it to evaluate your foot traffic, available space and operating experience before discussing costs.
Is there a cheaper way to serve Starbucks coffee without a licensed café?
Foodservice operators such as cafeterias, hotels and offices can serve Starbucks coffee through the We Proudly Serve Starbucks program, which supplies branded coffee and equipment without a full licensed store. Pricing is quoted per account.
Can I buy an existing Starbucks store from its owner?
Not in the usual sense. Company-operated stores are not for sale, and a licensed counter is tied to the host business and its agreement with Starbucks, so it cannot simply be resold to an outside individual.
Who pays the baristas at a licensed Starbucks?
The licensee does. Licensed-store workers are employees of the host business, though Starbucks requires them to follow its operating procedures and attend similar training.
If you are shopping for a franchise instead
- Small business startup costs in 2027: the complete guide
- 7 Brew franchise cost
- Cost to open a coffee shop
- Low-cost franchises, from $2,000 to $150,000
- McDonald’s franchise cost
- New vs resale UPS Store franchise cost
Three moves that actually lead somewhere
- If you already run a venue with heavy foot traffic, contact Starbucks through its licensing inquiry channel with your traffic counts, square footage and operating history. That is the only path to a licensed store, and the quote comes from Starbucks, not a broker.
- If you run a cafeteria, hotel or office kitchen, ask about the We Proudly Serve Starbucks program before spending on a full café build-out.
- If you are an individual investor, request the current FDDs from two or three coffee franchisors, compare their Item 7 investment ranges and Item 19 sales data, and have a franchise attorney review the one you like. Anyone selling a “Starbucks franchise” is not on that list.
Pricing method: prices were researched in November 2026 for 2027 planning and may change. Figures come from Starbucks’s fiscal 2025 Form 10-K and its fiscal 2026 quarterly and full-year earnings releases, Entrepreneur’s franchise directory, franchisor materials and third-party franchise research sites, which we identify where used. Starbucks does not publish licensed-store fees. This article is general information, not legal or financial advice; consult a franchise attorney or accountant before investing. GetCostPrice is not affiliated with Starbucks or any brand mentioned. See our disclaimer.
