Franchise opportunities compared
Chatime vs Gong Cha USA Franchising
Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.
Before you compare
- Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
- Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Chatime: 1, Gong Cha USA Franchising: 8). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure |  Chatime | GCGong Cha USA Franchising |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $291,100 14 Three Months(11) arranged Total Estimated Initial Investment — 291100 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 19 | $207,450 – $648,460 Total initial investment: $207,450–$648,460 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 31 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $289,900 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 13 | $37,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 20 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | Not available No reviewed royalty record | $6.00 ITEM 6 OTHER FEES Type of Fee Amount Due Date Remarks Royalty Fee — 6% 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 22 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $250 mount so that our net yield is unchanged. Additional Marketing Assistance Fee Current rates are — 250 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16 | $1.00 Brand Marketing Fee: 1% of weekly Net Sales, payable the third business day of each week; may increase to 2% upon 90 days’ prior written notice. 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 22 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 36 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 54 | Not available No reviewed outlet counts |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | +2 Calculated: 34 at end of 2023 → 36 at end of 2025 | Not available Only one year reported |
| Outlet exits (Item 20) | Not available No complete exit records for a year | Not available No complete exit records for a year |
| Franchising since (Item 1) | 2006 From a verified franchisor listing | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record $419,389 other 2025 Net Sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 53 | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Top Quartile (56 Stores) $992,695 other Top Quartile · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 80 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Bottom Two Quartiles (111 Stores) $259,084 other Bottom Two Quartiles · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 80 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 2nd Quartile (55 Stores) $491,141 other 2nd Quartile · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 80 +5 more groups in the full report |
Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.