Coffee shop franchises for sale So you are starting a coffee shop franchises for sale and working on your coffee shop business plan. You are thinking: 'maybe buying a coffee shop franchise would work better because I am not sure how to go about this coffee shop start up.' Or maybe you are thinking 'I can get operational support after I open that I would not have without the franchise.' Or, "if I buy a nationally known franchise, will that make potential customers more comfortable about coming into my store because they recognize my company name?" All are very good thoughts. Franchises can give you an edge because they have some name recognition and support but think it through before getting the sales pitch and going the franchise route. Of course, make your own decision but as a franchisee, you are pretty much land-locked into the franchisor's way of operating. You are looking for name recognition and branding. In the coffee shop franchises for sale industry, franchising is still in its infancy. I say this because there aren't many specialty coffee franchises even though there is plenty of interest in the concept. Well, at least not as many as there are food franchises but surely not many recognizable ones at that. Most coffee franchises are regional but you may recognize names like Seeker's, PJ's, Beaner's, It's A Grind Unwind, Arabica, Cuppy's and Scooter's. Contrary to popular belief, Starbucks is not a franchise. Name recognition will not tremendously help a franchisee succeed however, with such limited recognizable names, but that can be debated and best left for another day! What you most likely have here is the potential to succeed more so from an operational and experience standpoint. Hopefully your prospective franchisor's management has a lot of practical experience to assist you. You will usually get better pricing on supply products because of the franchisor's buying volume. You also will normally get better pricing on equipment because of the franchisor's volume and usage of such. Also, the franchise agreement is usually for a set period of time, like from 5-10 years. When it is over, it is usually renewable or you can go your own way but you normally have to drop the use of their name so now you would have to start marketing your name change. So if you can stomach the large outlay of cash and justify the ongoing fees for buying a coffee shop franchises for sale maybe that method will work for you. There is nothing wrong with that. However if you take the time to network, do great research on this industry, learn how to run a business and craft an awesome coffee shop business plan you will be on the road to success as an independent specialty coffee shop, on your own for a lot less money and may be better off for it. Whatever you choose to do, good luck to you!