Start a Taste Buds Kitchen Franchise in 2025

Franchise 500 Rank: N/R Not ranked last year

Initial investment: $396K - $517K

Units as of 2025: 14 27.3% over 3 years

Under the leadership of Jessi Brelsford, Taste Buds Kitchen was founded in 2007 to teach both children and adults simple cooking classes.

Since Taste Buds Kitchen’s opening, hundreds of thousands of clients have been taught the art of cooking. Participants range from ages 2 to 99, allowing Taste Buds Kitchen to be a family entertainment and education center.

Already with several locations since beginning to franchise in 2013, Taste Buds Kitchen is eagerly looking to cook up new locations with new franchisees.

Why You May Want To Start a Taste Buds Kitchen Franchise

Specializing in fresh cooking events, Taste Buds Kitchen may allow all to have access to cooking lessons. In addition to cooking lessons, Taste Buds Kitchen can host birthday parties, holiday camps, after-school programs, corporate events, and more. With such a vast audience, each Taste Buds Kitchen franchise may have the opportunity to succeed in many different ways.

The ideal Taste Buds Kitchen franchisee should be willing to follow a proven business model and work hard to meet company and personal goals. When joining the Taste Buds Kitchen franchise family, franchisees should be willing to work as team players.

What Might Make a Taste Buds Kitchen Franchise a Good Choice?

Franchisees will have the opportunity to meet other Taste Buds Kitchen franchisees at the annual franchise summit. This may allow franchisees to work together for the betterment of the brand.

To be part of the Taste Buds Kitchen team, you should make sure you’re financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include advertising, royalty, and potential renewal fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company’s set net worth and liquid capital requirements.

How To Open a Taste Buds Kitchen Franchise

As you decide if opening a Taste Buds Kitchen franchise is the right move for you, make sure you take time to explore the opportunity. Research the brand and your local area to see if a Taste Buds Kitchen franchise would do well in your community. While competition is healthy, too much of it may not allow for the most possible growth.

Before making any financial commitment or signing an agreement, you must perform your due diligence and establish if this is the right opportunity for you. As part of your due diligence, you may want to speak to existing franchisees and ask the Taste Buds Kitchen franchising team questions.

Franchise support given to Taste Buds Kitchen franchisees may include a personalized website with online registration, a cloud-based management system, marketing, business analytics, and 24/7 online support. If awarded a Taste Buds Kitchen franchise, franchisees receive online and in-person training before opening day. They also may receive continual support from the Taste Buds Kitchen team even after opening their location.

It may be a good idea to speak with an attorney or financial advisor to ensure that you have the necessary financial resources to own and operate a Taste Buds Kitchen franchise.

Company Overview

About Taste Buds Kitchen

Industry	Children's Businesses
Related Categories	Children's Enrichment Programs: Miscellaneous, Tutoring, Miscellaneous Children's Businesses, Miscellaneous Food/Beverage Businesses, Party/Event Services, Children's Education/Enrichment
Founded	2007
Parent Company	Taste Buds Kitchen Int'l. LLC
Leadership	Jessi Brelsford, Founder & CEO
Corporate Address	800-D Abruzzi Dr. Chester, MD 21619
Social	Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2013 (12 years)
# of employees at HQ	12
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises throughout the US. This company is offering new franchises worldwide.
# of Units	14 (as of 2025)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Taste Buds Kitchen franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$49,500
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$396,200 - $516,800
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$500,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$150,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	$5,000 off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	8%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	1.5%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Taste Buds Kitchen has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: startup costs, equipment, inventory

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	65 hours
Classroom Training	34.5 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	Yes
# of employees required to run	1-4
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes