Gong cha franchise: what it costs
Opening a bubble tea store with the Gong cha franchise runs $207,450 to $648,460, based on its 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
Gong cha franchise cost, item by item
- Everything it costs to open
- Between $207,450 and $648,460 Item 7, 2026 FDD
- Franchise fee you pay one time at the start
- $37,000 Item 5, 2026 FDD
- Royalty, your ongoing payments to the brand
- 6% of net sales each week Item 6, 2026 FDD
- Marketing fund, which covers shared advertising
- 1% taken from net sales Item 6, 2026 FDD
- Figures on sales or earnings
- $396,887 a year on average across the locations the brand counts, before costs Item 19, 2026 FDD
- Location count at the close of 2025
- Franchise owners ran 36, the company ran 2 Item 20, 2026 FDD
Each figure above comes from the 2026 Gong cha Franchise Disclosure Document, filed with the Minnesota Department of Commerce by Gong cha USA Franchising, LLC. Each small label points to the numbered part of the FDD where that figure sits.
Sales and earnings figures from the Gong cha FDD
In Item 19, Gong cha gives figures; that section of the FDD is where a brand may state how much its locations sell or earn. $396,887 is the main figure, the average yearly net sales for the 222 US Gong cha locations open all through 2025. It is money the store takes in, not profit, because rent, wages and every other cost get paid from it.
Before you rely on any figure in it, go through our guide to reading an Item 19.
Comparing Gong cha with other bubble tea franchises
Most bubble tea franchises on this site cost less to open than Gong cha; the middle one starts at $207K.
| Brand | Total cost to opentotal, lowest to highest | Upfront feeone-time fee | Royaltyongoing, usually a % of sales | Sales or earnings showndoes the brand show sales figures |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kung Fu Tea | $169K to $378K | $37,000 | 4% | No |
| Gong cha | $207K to $648K | $37,000 | 6% | Yes |
| Sharetea | $276K to $606K | $12,000 | 6% (at least $1,200 a month) | No |
Before you buy, a brand has to hand over its Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD); the brand's latest one is where every figure comes from. A royalty is the cut of sales, or the set amount, that you keep paying the brand after opening; "Sales or earnings shown" tells you whether the brand shares what its locations take in. A K stands for thousand, an M for million. The Minnesota Department of Commerce received every FDD here in 2026.
Compare all bubble tea franchises
The number of Gong cha locations
At the end of 2025, the United States had 38 Gong cha locations, with franchise owners running 95% of them (Item 20). In that same part of the FDD, you get phone numbers for owners still running stores and ones who left. Your best way to learn how these costs play out in real life is to call a few of them.
Get the Gong cha FDD read by a franchise attorney
Before you sign, one franchise attorney can go through the Gong cha FDD and franchise agreement with you.