When does the Marketing and Technology Fee commence for a new Bambu franchise?
Bambu Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
our specifications (Sections 2.1 and 15.1 of the Franchise Agreement).
Advertising and Promotion
You must pay us a Marketing and Technology Fee, which is $550 per month as of the date of this Disclosure Document, but will increase to $575 per month on January 1, 2026. The Marketing and Technology Fee commences on the first day of the first full month following the opening of your Bambū shoppe, and then is due on the first day of each month thereafter during the term of your Franchise Agreement. This amount is subject to increase each year on 90 days' written notice. We maintain a separate account designation in our accounting software for the Marketing and Technology Fee and expenses associated with marketing and technology efforts ("Marketing and Technology Fund" or "Fund"). All
company and affiliate-owned shoppes, if any, pay into the Marketing and Technology Fund on an equal percentage basis with all newly franchised shoppes. If you request it in writing to us, 60 days after the end of each year we will send you an annual unaudited financial statement for the Marketing and Technology Fund which indicates how the Marketing and Technology Fund has been spent during the previous year.
Source: Item 11 — Franchisor's Assistance, Advertising, Computer Systems, and Training (FDD pages 28–38)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Bambu's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the Marketing and Technology Fee commences on the first day of the first full month following the opening of your Bambu shoppe. This fee is then due on the first day of each month thereafter during the term of the Franchise Agreement. As of the date of the 2025 Disclosure Document, the Marketing and Technology Fee is $550 per month, but it will increase to $575 per month on January 1, 2026. Bambu may increase this amount each year with 90 days' written notice.
Bambu maintains a separate account in its accounting software for the Marketing and Technology Fee and expenses associated with marketing and technology efforts, called the "Marketing and Technology Fund." All company and affiliate-owned shoppes, if any, pay into this fund on an equal percentage basis with all newly franchised shoppes. Franchisees can request an annual unaudited financial statement for the Marketing and Technology Fund 60 days after the end of each year, which indicates how the fund has been spent during the previous year.
Prospective franchisees should note that the Marketing and Technology Fund is not audited, so audited financial statements are not available. Additionally, Bambu does not guarantee that advertising expenditures from the fund will directly benefit any franchisee or on a pro rata basis. The FDD states that the Marketing and Technology Fund is not a trust fund, and Bambu does not owe a fiduciary duty to franchisees with respect to the maintenance, direction, or administration of the Fund.