Starting a Starbucks Franchise

Actually, there are no true Starbucks franchises. I worked at a small Starbucks in Maryland back in 1998 just as the chain was gaining in popularity. As a barista, I would often be asked for information about starting a Starbucks franchise.

I would explain that basically all Starbucks are corporate owned. The Starbucks Corporation in Seattle, Washington does not license individual locations like McDonald's, Subway, or Curves.

Starbucks does license large agreements with other corporations, like Safeway or Barnes and Noble, where Starbucks products and systems are used, but the employees do not work for Starbucks (or receive the good Starbucks benefits).

If you are interested in starting a small coffee shop, then you might look at some of the new drive through only coffee shops. You might compete with a Starbucks that does not have a drive through because we all love staying in our cars. But owning a retail coffee shop is a risky venture. I dreamed about it for years, but after talking with several local small shop owners, I would think again before buying a coffee shop.

I prefer to visit coffee shops and let someone else worry about the building and employee overhead. However, you might think of starting a coffee shop publication like Coffee News. Coffee News is a small franchise publication that is distributed in coffee shops and restaurants. Check out my other Squidoo pages for more info.