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    Franchise opportunities compared

    Gong cha 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 cha2026 FDDSmoothie King2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Gong cha

    $207,450 – $648,460

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 31

    Smoothie King

    Not available

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Gong cha

    $18,500

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 35

    Smoothie King

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    Gong cha

    6%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 22

    Smoothie King

    Not available

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Gong cha: 7, Smoothie King: 40). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Gong cha

    $207,450 – $648,460
    Total initial investment ($207,450 low end)
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 31

    Smoothie King

    Not available
    No reviewed Item 7 total
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Gong cha

    $18,500
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 35

    Smoothie King

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

    Gong cha

    6%
    Royalty fee
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 22

    Smoothie King

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

    Gong cha

    1%
    Brand Marketing Fee current — 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

    36
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 81

    Smoothie King

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

    Gong cha

    +34
    Calculated: 2 at end of 2023 → 36 at end of 2025

    Smoothie King

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

    Gong cha

    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

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Smoothie King

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

    Gong cha

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Smoothie King

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    GCGong cha
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Second Quartile of 2025 Established Gong Cha Stores in the United States
    $364,163
    other Lowest Net Sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 80
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Top Two Quartiles of 2025 Established Gong Cha Stores in the United States
    $534,690
    other Net Sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 80
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Third Quartile of 2025 Established Gong Cha Stores in the United States
    31 stores
    other Stores at or above average
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 80
    +4 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 vs Smoothie King: common questions

    Which has more locations, Gong cha or Smoothie King?
    Gong cha: 36 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 81); Smoothie King: 1,242 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 68). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Gong cha and Smoothie King disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Gong cha has reviewed Item 19 figures for 7 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

    Keep researching

    GC

    Full Gong cha 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