Franchise Facts Report → brands → Chatime
Chatime franchise — is it worth it?
Risk level — in the report
Chatime is a food & beverage franchise with an initial investment ranging from $208,600 to $475,400.
Unlock what the free page above only hints at:
- Risk & red-flag breakdown — what the missing earnings, fees and churn imply.
- How it compares — every number ranked against food & beverage peers (median & quartile).
- Litigation detail — beyond the case count above: each case, franchisee vs. corporate, with summaries.
- Outlet churn & the questions to ask — behind the net change above: closures, terminations, transfers, and what to put to the franchisor.
Figures above are as disclosed in Chatime's most recent FDD (registered 2024). Source: California Dept. of Financial Protection and Innovation — Franchise Registration · filing app-28692. The risk level, the Item 19 figures, how it compares to peers, and the litigation & churn detail are in the full report.
Chatime franchise profit — what the FDD discloses
Plainly: Chatime does not disclose franchise profit or revenue. Its most recent FDD makes no Item 19 financial performance representation, so there is no franchisor-backed earnings figure for Chatime — any number quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure. The absence is itself worth weighing (many food & beverage franchisors do disclose), and the full report reads the risk signals Chatime's FDD does contain — fees, litigation, and outlet churn — against peers. For brands that put earnings on paper, see Food & beverage franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings.
Chatime lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)
Chatime's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2024) does disclose 2 legal proceedings in Item 3 . Item 3 is the item where a franchisor must put its material legal history on the record. Two things it is not: it covers the franchisor and its predecessors, parents and affiliates, so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Chatime itself; and a disclosure is a fact, not a finding of wrongdoing — most entries are contract disputes with former franchisees, which every large system accumulates. The full Chatime report lists each case with what it was about and how it ended, separates franchisee disputes from corporate and securities matters, and flags the ones a franchisee started — the split that actually matters, because franchisees suing their franchisor is the signal a buyer is looking for.
Chatime closures & failure rate
Before you sign, Chatime will hand you a list of current owners to call as references — and they choose who's on that list. It won't include the owners who quit, got bought out, or were forced out last year. The FDD does report that number, even though the reference list leaves those people off. Below is what Chatime's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a food & beverage of this kind.
The closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate is Item 20 — outlet openings, closures, terminations and non-renewals, reported by the franchisor. Chatime's latest tables show a growing franchised network. The actual closure and termination counts, and how Chatime's churn ranks against food & beverage peers, are in the full report.
The risk & red-flag breakdown, every figure ranked against food & beverage peers, litigation and churn detail — emailed as a PDF.
Who owns Chatime?
Chatime's franchise is offered by Chatime Franchise LLC — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2024), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at CA DFPI; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.
Food & beverage franchises at a similar investment level
Anyone weighing Chatime is really weighing it against the other brands their money could go into. These are the closest by total initial investment (FDD Item 7), each with its own FDD-based page.
Chatime franchise — frequently asked
Who owns Chatime — who is the franchisor?
Chatime's most recently filed FDD (2024) names Chatime Franchise LLC as the franchisor — the entity you would actually sign the franchise agreement with, as stated on the disclosure document itself. A registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent company.
How much does a Chatime franchise cost?
Chatime's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $208,600 – $475,400, with an initial franchise fee of $49,900 and a 5% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. The full report breaks down every fee line and benchmarks it against food & beverage peers.
How much profit does a Chatime franchise make?
Chatime makes no Item 19 financial performance representation, so there is no franchisor-disclosed revenue or profit figure for Chatime at all — and profit would never be disclosed even where earnings are, because it depends on your rent, labour and how you operate. Any profit figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
Does Chatime disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
No — Chatime's most recent FDD makes no Item 19 financial performance representation. Its absence is worth weighing; the report focuses on the verifiable risk signals instead.
Are there lawsuits against Chatime?
Chatime's most recently filed FDD (2024) discloses 2 legal proceedings in Item 3. Item 3 covers the franchisor, its predecessors, parents and affiliates — so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Chatime itself, and a disclosure is not a finding of wrongdoing. The full report lists each case, separates franchisee disputes from corporate and securities matters, and flags the franchisee-initiated ones.
Is Chatime a good franchise to buy?
That comes down to how Chatime's investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against food & beverage peers — which is exactly what the full report answers. For $99 you get the risk level and what's driving it, the actual Item 19 earnings (absent from this FDD), where every figure ranks against peers, and the specific questions to ask the franchisor before you sign.
Everything the sections above point to, in one place: Chatime's risk level and what's driving it, what the missing Item 19 earnings imply, every figure ranked against food & beverage peers, and the litigation & churn detail — with the questions to put to the franchisor before you sign.
Get a free email when something changes on Chatime or food & beverage: a new FDD registration, a new lawsuit, an outlet count that shifts, or Item 19 earnings going from undisclosed to disclosed. Pulled straight from the same registries every report is built on.