Baristas Coffee Company, Inc. (BCCI)

[BobSinCA]

There are currently no franchises open (not sure if AZ and TX were franchises or company owned, in any event all four stores are now closed).

Concept of a franchise fee, together with the 7% or so of revenues, is to create a 'brand' and common expectations of menu and quality.

There is no exclusive on hamburgers, either, but there are lots of hamburger chains.

The company did file franchise papers in 26 states over a year ago, per their PR at the time, but have done no franchises yet (caveat: Florida is a joint venture with a third party -- but the third party has actually purchased land and building for at least one of the open two stores, not leased it, a larger financial commitment than the typical franchisee will need to make).

The current advertising campaign is totally focused on attracting franchisees, as the company has so far not obtained capital to finance owned store openings. Hopefully Coral Gables has been successful, and the books can be opened so that prospective franchisees can do pro-formas.