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Café 86®

Food & Beverage • Year: 2025
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What Is Café 86?

Café 86 is a casual café concept focused on specialty coffee, drinks, pastries, and sandwiches. Franchise revenue is derived primarily from the sale of specialty coffee beverages, other drinks, pastries, and sandwiches.

Café 86 Franchise: Pros and Cons

With a training and support score of 100, this franchise delivers top-quartile onboarding and ongoing assistance that shortens the startup learning curve, but it also requires a high initial franchise fee of $40,500 (well above typical for Food & Beverage), which raises the upfront cash you must commit.

Pros

Training and Support Score: 100 - A top-quartile score (well above typical across franchises) means unusually strong initial training and ongoing support, which shortens the startup learning curve and helps you reach steady operations faster.
Territory Protection Score: 70 - At 70 (well above typical for Food & Beverage, top 10%), you get meaningful territory protection that reduces the risk of nearby franchisor openings and helps defend your customer base.
Item 7 Total Max: $0 - The disclosed upper-end total investment is effectively zero compared with peers (well below typical), which signals a modest maximum startup cost and limits your financial exposure at launch.

Cons

Initial Franchise Fee Low Range: $40,500 - At $40,500 (well above typical for Food & Beverage, top 5%), the upfront entry cost raises the cash you must commit before opening.
Franchisee Right To Relocate: No - You do not have a contractual right to relocate the unit (an unusual absence versus most peers), which reduces your flexibility to address a poor site or personal relocation needs.
Franchisor Can Operate In Alternative Venues: No / Franchisor Can Sell In Retail: No - Both channels are unusually absent (most F&B systems allow one or both), limiting the franchisor’s and your ability to diversify revenue through alternate formats or retail product sales.

Lawsuits & Legal Risk

100
Excellent

Café 86 reported no material legal proceedings,

Territory Protection

70/100
Good

Café 86 grants an exclusive, site-specific protected territory (typically a 50,000–100,000 population radius) whose exclusivity for a single-unit franchise does not depend on sales-volume or performance; the franchisor retains e-commerce/alternative-channel sales within the area, may develop surrounding markets (no FOFR), and MUDA exclusivity is contingent on meeting the development schedule.

Training & Support

100
Excellent

Café 86 provides a comprehensive 146-hour training curriculum designed to prepare three managerial staff members for launch. The program includes on-site launch support focused on operational readiness; on-site support carries additional fees and franchisees are responsible for travel and lodging expenses.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Café 86 a good franchise to own?

Whether Café 86 is a good franchise depends on your goals, experience, and local market. Key factors from the 2025 FDD: Café 86 operates 17 locations, received a legal risk score of 100/100, a training and support score of 100/100. The franchisor does not disclose financial performance data. Prospective franchisees should review the full Franchise Disclosure Document and consult with a franchise attorney before making any investment decision.

Is a Café 86 franchise worth the investment?

The value of a Café 86 franchise investment depends on factors such as location, operator experience, and market demand. The initial investment ranges from $229,500 to $0. Franchise investments carry inherent risk, and prospective buyers should conduct thorough due diligence before committing capital.

How long does it take to break even with a Café 86 franchise?

Break-even timelines for Café 86 franchises are not disclosed in the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. Break-even periods vary significantly based on initial investment level, local market conditions, operating costs, and revenue ramp-up speed. Prospective franchisees should build a pro forma financial model using Item 7 cost estimates and, where available, Item 19 financial performance data from the FDD.

Is Café 86 a franchise or a corporate-owned business?

As of the 2025 FDD, Café 86 operates 10 franchised locations and 7 company-owned locations. Franchise opportunities are available through the franchisor's disclosure process.

Does Café 86 disclose franchise revenue data?

Café 86 did not disclose financial performance data (Item 19) in their 2025 FDD. Not all franchisors choose to publish this information.

Report generated on June 16, 2026 at 08:38 AM

ZeeReport does not audit the information it receives and does not independently verify the information in every instance.

Prospective franchisees should consult the original Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.

Data is extracted via automated AI tools. Inaccuracies or omissions are possible due to the nature of the technology.

This report is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, tax, financial, investment, or other professional advice.

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