Independent guide. Not affiliated with 7 Brew. Prices and menus vary by stand.
Short answer: 7 Brew is not accepting new franchise applications right now. When it does sell franchises, its 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) says a new franchisee must commit to at least 10 stands, and the investment to open the first one is $940,500 to $2,283,500. That includes a $125,000 development fee. 7 Brew does not sell single-stand franchises.
Every number on this page comes from 7 Brew's own franchise disclosure documents unless we say otherwise. The 2026 FDD was issued on May 11, 2026. We also use the 2025 FDD (issued May 28, 2025) where it has data the newer one does not.
This is general information, not financial or legal advice. Anyone thinking of buying a franchise should read the full FDD with a lawyer and an accountant.
Is 7 Brew Accepting Franchise Applications?
No. 7 Brew's support page says: "At this time, we are not accepting new franchise applications or expressions of interest." It also says:
- There is no waiting list or sign-up to be told when franchising reopens.
- There is no direct contact for franchise questions.
- All franchise information is in its Franchise Disclosure Document, which it publishes every year.
So the figures below tell you what 7 Brew franchising costs and how it works, not how to apply today.
7 Brew Franchise Cost at a Glance
| Item | 2026 FDD |
|---|---|
| Minimum commitment | 10 stands, under a Development Rights Rider |
| Initial franchise fee, first stand | $35,000 |
| Initial franchise fee, each later stand | $25,000 |
| Development fee | $35,000 plus $10,000 per extra stand ($125,000 minimum) |
| Total investment, first stand | $940,500 to $2,283,500 |
| Royalty | 4.5% to 7% of weekly sales |
| Brand fund | 2% of weekly sales |
| Technology fee | 0.25% of weekly sales |
| Franchise term | 15 years from opening |
| Time to open | About 200 to 540 days after signing |
| Average sales, 297 franchised stands (2025) | $2,646,063 |
The franchisor is Brew Culture Franchise, LLC, based in Springdale, Arkansas. Its parent company, Brew Culture, LLC, runs the 7 Brew brand. Our page on who owns 7 Brew explains how the company is owned.
Why You Cannot Buy Just One 7 Brew
7 Brew only sells franchises to groups that will build many stands. The 2026 FDD says: "We do not offer single-unit franchises." New franchisees must commit to at least 10 stands in a set territory, on a schedule agreed in advance.
That bar has gone up. The 2025 FDD required a 5-stand commitment. The 2026 FDD doubled it to 10.
Initial Fees
| Fee | Amount | When it is paid |
|---|---|---|
| Development fee | $35,000 for the first stand plus $10,000 for each extra stand | In full when you sign |
| Minimum development fee (10 stands) | $125,000 | In full when you sign |
| Initial franchise fee, stands 2 and up | $25,000 each | Within 5 days of each stand opening |
| Extra stands added later | $10,000 each | When added |
The $10,000 per-stand payments are not credited toward later franchise fees, and none of these fees are refundable. The FDD says that if you sign and then cannot find sites, 7 Brew can keep the whole development fee.
The Building and Equipment
7 Brew stands are small modular buildings, about 510 square feet, made by a 7 Brew affiliate. If you buy from that affiliate:
- The building costs $310,000 to $600,000, plus shipping, freight, insurance and installation. Actual 2025 charges were $310,000 to $400,000. The higher end is for hurricane-resistant buildings for coastal areas.
- Freight can add up to $30,000 and installation up to $30,000 per building. These are not in the investment range.
- The coffee equipment package costs about $60,000. The affiliate is the required supplier. Actual 2025 charges were about $43,000 to $61,000.
A stand needs a lot of about 8,000 to 50,000 square feet. 7 Brew estimates annual rent at $30,000 to $150,000.
Total Investment for the First Stand
This is the 2026 FDD's Item 7 estimate for opening your first stand under a 10-stand commitment.
| Expense | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Development fee and first franchise fee | $125,000 | $125,000 |
| Rent and security deposit | $5,000 | $20,000 |
| Building and build-out | $305,000 | $650,000 |
| Site development | $200,000 | $800,000 |
| Architecture and engineering | $10,000 | $60,000 |
| Equipment, fixtures and furniture | $185,000 | $250,000 |
| Signs | $10,000 | $40,000 |
| Point-of-sale system | $25,000 | $30,000 |
| Opening inventory, supplies and uniforms | $15,000 | $50,000 |
| Permits and licenses | $2,500 | $25,000 |
| Training travel and living costs | $10,000 | $75,000 |
| Utilities | $500 | $2,500 |
| Insurance | $2,500 | $6,000 |
| Grand-opening marketing | $20,000 | $75,000 |
| Additional funds for 3 months | $25,000 | $75,000 |
| Total | $940,500 | $2,283,500 |
The range does not include buying land, building freight and installation, local "impact fees," or unusual utility hookup costs. The FDD notes that the high end of site development costs is for Florida. 7 Brew does not offer financing.
What 10 Stands Could Cost
The FDD says an initial investment "will be incurred for each Store." It does not add up the total for 10 stands, so we did the rough math ourselves.
- First stand: $940,500 to $2,283,500 (includes the $125,000 development fee).
- Each of the next 9: the same line items without the development fee, plus the $25,000 franchise fee. That is about $840,500 to $2,183,500 each.
- All 10 stands: roughly $8.5 million to $21.9 million, before freight, installation, land purchases and impact fees.
This is our own estimate from the FDD's figures, not a number 7 Brew publishes. Stands are built over several years, and most groups use financing, so this is not cash needed up front.
Ongoing Fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 4.5% of weekly sales under $20,000, 5.5% from $20,000 to $25,000, 7% over $25,000 |
| Brand fund | 2% of weekly sales |
| Technology fee | 0.25% of weekly sales |
| Transfer fee | $10,000 (controlling interest); $1,000 (non-controlling interest) |
| Successor (renewal) fee | $10,000 |
| Relocation fee | $5,000 plus costs |
| Extra training at your stand | Up to $1,500 per trainer per day plus expenses |
The royalty is set week by week, based on the previous week's sales. At 7 Brew's 2025 average of about $2.65 million a year, a typical stand would be well over $25,000 a week, so it would usually pay the top 7% rate.
For a rough idea: 7% royalty, 2% brand fund and 0.25% technology fee on $2,646,063 in sales comes to about $245,000 a year. That is our own arithmetic, assuming every week is in the 7% tier.
How Much Do 7 Brew Franchises Make?
Sales (2026 FDD)
The 2026 FDD reports actual sales for every stand that was open for all of fiscal year 2025 (December 30, 2024 to December 28, 2025).
| Group | Stands | Average sales | Median sales | Highest | Lowest |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| All stands | 320 | $2,658,575 | $2,569,134 | $6,366,527 | $836,418 |
| Franchised stands | 297 | $2,646,063 | $2,550,624 | $6,366,527 | $836,418 |
| Company stands | 23 | $2,820,145 | $2,763,103 | $4,303,704 | $1,604,922 |
Read these numbers with care:
- They are sales, not profit. The 2026 FDD says they "do not reflect the costs of sales, operating expenses, or other costs."
- Fewer than half the stands beat the average. 134 of the 297 franchised stands (45.1%) were above the franchised average.
- The range is wide. The best franchised stand sold over seven times more than the weakest.
- New stands are left out. The 275 stands that opened during 2025 are not included.
Costs and Margins (2025 FDD)
The 2026 FDD only reports sales. The 2025 FDD went further and showed costs as a share of sales for fiscal year 2024. For the 162 franchised stands open all of 2024:
| Line item | Share of gross sales |
|---|---|
| Discounts | 2.95% |
| Cost of goods sold | 26.30% |
| Labor | 23.19% |
| Operating expenses | 8.60% |
| Loyalty and store marketing | 9.97% |
| Store-level EBITDAR | 28.99% |
| Royalty, brand fund and technology fee | 9.25% |
| EBITDAR after franchise fees | 19.74% |
EBITDAR means earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, amortization and rent. Rent was left out because it varies so much from site to site. 7 Brew says it generally advises that rent should be no more than 5% of a stand's sales.
The fee line uses the full rates. The FDD notes that in 2024 the brand fund actually charged 1% and no technology fee was charged.
For scale: those franchised stands averaged $1,989,229 in 2024 sales. At a 19.74% margin, that is about $393,000 a year before rent, interest, taxes and depreciation. That is our arithmetic from the FDD's averages. Individual stands vary widely, and the 2024 and 2025 figures use slightly different definitions of sales, so do not compare them directly.
How Fast Is 7 Brew Growing?
From Item 20 of the 2026 FDD (counts at December 31 each year):
| Year end | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 24 | 16 | 40 |
| 2023 | 161 | 19 | 180 |
| 2024 | 297 | 24 | 321 |
| 2025 | 578 | 24 | 602 |
The 2022 row is from the 2025 FDD. Two walk-thru stands without a drive-thru, opened in 2025, are not in these counts.
Other numbers from the 2026 FDD:
- No stands closed during 2025, and no franchisees were terminated.
- 28 franchised stands changed owners in 2025, up from 14 in 2024.
- 437 new franchised stands and 10 company stands were projected to open in the 12 months after December 31, 2025.
7 Brew's website said it had 900+ stands in 38 states as of October 2026. Its location directory listed 934, including 28 marked coming soon. See them all by state on our 7 Brew locations page.
Because franchisees run almost every stand, they also hire and pay the crews. See our 7 Brew jobs and pay guide for what Brewistas and managers earn.
Territory, Term and Training
- Territory: each stand gets an "Area of Protection" with a radius of 1.5 or 2 miles, depending on the size of the metro area. No other drive-thru 7 Brew can open inside it. But 7 Brew can put stands without a drive-thru there (such as walk-thru stands), so the FDD says you "will not receive an exclusive territory."
- Term: 15 years from the date the stand opens. If you are in good standing, you may get 2 successor terms of 5 years each, for a $10,000 fee each time.
- Training: 7 Brew provides its initial training program at no extra fee. You pay travel and living costs, estimated at $10,000 to $75,000 for 2 to 50 people.
- Site: 7 Brew must "accept" each site. The FDD stresses this is not the same as approving it as a good site.
Buying an Existing 7 Brew
With new applications closed, the other way in is buying stands that already exist. The FDD shows this happens:
- 28 franchised stands were sold to new owners in 2025. The buyer pays a transfer fee instead of a franchise fee.
- 7 Brew's affiliates sold 7 company-run stands to franchisees in 2025. Prices are negotiated, and 5 of the 7 sold for more than the top of the new-stand investment range. The largest was about $4.5 million above it.
Large franchise groups own most 7 Brew stands today. See who owns 7 Brew for the biggest ones.
FAQ
How much does a 7 Brew franchise cost?
According to 7 Brew's 2026 FDD, the cost to open a first 7 Brew stand is $940,500 to $2,283,500, including a $125,000 development fee. New franchisees must commit to at least 10 stands, so the full commitment is far higher.
What is the 7 Brew franchise fee?
$35,000 for the first stand and $25,000 for each additional stand. New franchisees also pay $10,000 for each extra stand they commit to, for a minimum development fee of $125,000.
Is 7 Brew a franchise?
Yes. At the end of 2025, 578 of its 602 drive-thru stands were franchised and 24 were company-owned, according to its 2026 FDD.
Can I open a 7 Brew franchise?
Not right now. 7 Brew says it is not accepting new franchise applications or expressions of interest, and it has no waiting list.
Can I buy a single 7 Brew stand?
Not as a new franchise. 7 Brew does not offer single-unit franchises and requires a commitment of at least 10 stands. Existing stands do change hands, though.
How much does a 7 Brew stand make in a year?
Franchised stands open all of 2025 averaged $2,646,063 in sales, with a median of $2,550,624. These are sales, not profit.
What is the 7 Brew royalty fee?
4.5% to 7% of weekly sales, depending on that week's sales, plus a 2% brand fund fee and a 0.25% technology fee.
How long does it take to open a 7 Brew?
7 Brew expects stands to open about 200 to 540 days after the franchise agreement is signed.
Sources
- Fees, investment, territory, term, opening time, 2025 sales, outlet counts, projected openings: 7 Brew Franchise Disclosure Document issued May 11, 2026 (Brew Culture Franchise, LLC), Items 1, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 17, 19 and 20
- 2024 costs and margins, 2022 outlet counts, 5-stand rule: 7 Brew Franchise Disclosure Document issued May 28, 2025, Items 1, 19 and 20
- Franchise applications, no waiting list, no direct contact: 7brew.com/support, checked October 6, 2026
- Current stand and state count: 7brew.com/about, checked October 6, 2026