Can You Buy a Starbucks Franchise in Canada?

Starbucks Does Not Franchise in Canada

There is no Starbucks franchise for an individual to buy in Canada. Starbucks runs its Canadian stores in two ways:

• Company-operated stores, owned and run by Starbucks itself.
• Licensed stores, run by an existing business inside a venue it already operates, under a licence from Starbucks.

Neither is a franchise you can apply for. There is no franchise application, no franchise fee and no franchise disclosure document for individual buyers.

Starbucks has well over 1,000 locations in Canada, though it does not publish a Canada-only count in its annual report. In September 2026 it announced about 250 more store closures across North America, including Canadian locations, as part of its restructuring.

How Licensed Starbucks Stores Work

The Starbucks counter inside a grocery store, airport, hospital or university is usually a licensed store. The business that runs the venue signs a licence with Starbucks, uses Starbucks products, equipment, training and branding, and pays Starbucks for the licence. It is not a franchise.

Licences go to operators who already control the location and run food service or retail at scale, such as airport concession groups, university dining contractors and large retailers. An individual buyer without a venue cannot apply for one.

What a licensed store costs: Starbucks does not publish licensing fees or build-out costs. Figures you may see online for "Starbucks franchise cost Canada" are estimates from brokers and blogs, not from Starbucks, and they describe a licence you cannot buy as an individual. We do not publish them here, and you should not treat any of them as a franchise fee.

Canadian Coffee Franchises You Can Buy

If you want to own a coffee business in Canada, these brands sell franchises to individuals:

• [Tim Hortons](/guides/tim-hortons-franchise-cost). Canada's largest coffee chain. FundBizPro's guide covers a $50,000 CAD franchise fee, a $1.2M to $2.5M CAD total investment and a 3% royalty plus 4% advertising.
• Second Cup. A Canadian coffee chain franchised by Foodtastic, which bought the brand in 2021. Request Foodtastic's current disclosure document for the fee and investment range.

Other ways in:

• Multi-brand Canadian QSR franchises. See the most profitable franchises in Canada and franchises under $50K in Canada.
• Buy an existing independent café. You get real sales history to underwrite. See buying an existing business in Canada.

Financing a Coffee Franchise in Canada

Coffee franchises in Canada are financed through Canadian lenders:

• Chartered banks (RBC, TD, BMO, Scotiabank, CIBC) run franchise lending programs for established brands.
• BDC lends alongside banks and will often finance a larger share of a franchise purchase.
• CSBFP loans go up to $1,150,000 for equipment and leasehold improvements, but not goodwill.

Read how Canadian banks approach restaurant and café financing and compare Canadian lenders before you apply. In Ontario, the Arthur Wishart Act requires the franchisor's disclosure document at least 14 days before you sign or pay anything.

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