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    Franchise opportunities compared

    Gong Cha USA Franchising vs Smoothie King

    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.

    GCGong Cha USA Franchising2026 FDDSmoothie King2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Gong Cha USA Franchising

    $207,450 – $648,460

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 31

    Smoothie King

    $329,850 – $1,278,900

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Gong Cha USA Franchising

    $37,000

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 20

    Smoothie King

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    Gong Cha USA Franchising

    6%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 22

    Smoothie King

    Not available

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Smoothie King discloses more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
    • Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Gong Cha USA Franchising: 8, Smoothie King: 40). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Gong Cha USA Franchising

    $207,450 – $648,460
    Total initial investment: $207,450–$648,460
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 31

    Smoothie King

    $329,850 – $1,278,900
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Gong Cha USA Franchising

    $37,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 20

    Smoothie King

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified
    Royalty (Item 6)

    Gong Cha USA Franchising

    6%
    ITEM 6 OTHER FEES Type of Fee Amount Due Date Remarks Royalty Fee — 6%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 22

    Smoothie King

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Gong Cha USA Franchising

    1%
    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. — 1%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 22

    Smoothie King

    $5,000
    Development payment schedule; design/training/opening marketing fees — $5000
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 17

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Gong Cha USA Franchising

    Not available
    No reviewed outlet counts

    Smoothie King

    1,242
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 68
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Gong Cha USA Franchising

    Not available
    Only one year reported

    Smoothie King

    +90
    Calculated: 1,152 at end of 2023 → 1,242 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Gong Cha USA Franchising

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Smoothie King

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)

    Gong Cha USA Franchising

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Smoothie King

    1989
    From a verified franchisor listing
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    Gong Cha USA Franchising

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Smoothie King

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    GCGong Cha USA Franchising
    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
    Smoothie King
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Top 50percent cumulative net-sales segment
    $795,063
    other 2025 Top 50percent cumulative net-sales segment Median Net Sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 61
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — All 1087 units
    $662,015
    other 2025 All 1087 units Average Net Sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 61
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Comparable-period same-store franchised units
    51 percent
    other 2025vs2024 At/above average percent
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 66
    +37 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.

    Gong Cha USA Franchising vs Smoothie King: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Gong Cha USA Franchising or Smoothie King?
    Gong Cha USA Franchising: $207,450 – $648,460 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 31); Smoothie King: $329,850 – $1,278,900 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Gong Cha USA Franchising. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Do Gong Cha USA Franchising and Smoothie King disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Gong Cha USA Franchising has reviewed Item 19 figures for 8 location groups; Smoothie King has reviewed Item 19 figures for 40 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

    Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

    How Franopolis reviews FDD figures

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    Full Gong Cha USA Franchising report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

    Full Smoothie King report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

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    FDD glossary

    Plain-language meaning of each Item