Paik's Coffee Franchise Cost: Korea Startup Fees & US FDD (2026)
Paik's Coffee — rebranded Paik's Dabang in 2026 — is a value-priced Korean coffee chain founded in 2006 by chef-entrepreneur Paik Jong-won and operated by KOSPI-listed TheBorn Korea, a Seoul-based franchisor of about 25 food-service brands [3]. The chain runs roughly 1,500 stores in Korea plus outlets in the Philippines and Singapore, with a Tokyo debut slated for August 2026; across the wider TheBorn group there are about 149 overseas stores in 14 countries [3]. One point matters before you price a Paik's cafe: the brand publishes Korean startup costs through TheBorn's own startup center, but it does not yet franchise in the United States. The only US disclosure figures available come from a sibling K-food brand — Paik's Noodle — filed under a different regulatory system. This guide keeps the two strictly separate.
Paik's Coffee at a glance
- Founded 2006 by Paik Jong-won; operator TheBorn Korea is listed on the KOSPI [3]
- About 1,565 stores in total, with 149 overseas across 14 countries [3]
- Korea startup costs are published by TheBorn's official Startup Center [1]
- Paik's Coffee itself does not yet franchise in the US; the US figures below are for Paik's Noodle, TheBorn's US K-food brand [2]
- Overseas growth runs mainly through master-franchise agreements alongside TheBorn subsidiaries in Japan, China, and the US [3]
Korea franchise costs (Paik's Coffee)
In Korea, TheBorn publishes a model cost table for Paik's Dabang (Paik's Coffee) through its official Startup Center [1]. For a standard 10-pyeong store, the initial investment starts at ₩65,530,000 [1], quoted excluding VAT and excluding real estate.
That figure is built from six disclosed line items [1]:
- Equipment: ₩38,180,000 [1]
- Interior: ₩15,450,000 [1]
- Signage: ₩4,900,000 [1]
- Education: ₩3,000,000 [1]
- Initial goods (opening stock): ₩2,500,000 [1]
- Franchise bond (refundable deposit): ₩1,500,000 [1]
Because the table excludes VAT, rent, and the premises deposit or key money (권리금), the cash actually needed to open is higher than the headline number — and those property costs, left out of the table, are usually the largest and most location-dependent outlay in Korea.
United States franchise costs (Paik's Noodle)
Paik's Coffee does not yet operate a US franchise program, so there is no US coffee-shop disclosure to quote. The only US figures come from Paik's Noodle, a separate TheBorn Korea K-food brand that files a US Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) [2]. Read them as a reference for how TheBorn structures a US deal — not as Paik's Coffee costs.
Per the 2025 US FDD summarized by Vetted Biz, Paik's Noodle's total initial investment ranges from $349,000 [2] to $474,000 [2]. The initial franchise fee is $35,000 [2]. Ongoing fees are a royalty of 4% of monthly sales [2] and an advertising fee of 1% of monthly sales [2].
How to read these numbers
| Cost item | Korea — Paik's Coffee | United States — Paik's Noodle |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment | from ₩65,530,000 [1] (10-pyeong, ex-VAT, ex-real-estate) | $349,000 [2] to $474,000 [2] |
| Initial franchise fee | not a separate line in the table [1] | $35,000 [2] |
| Royalty | not disclosed in the KR table [1] | 4% of monthly sales [2] |
| Advertising fee | not disclosed in the KR table [1] | 1% of monthly sales [2] |
| Disclosure basis | 2026 TheBorn Startup Center table [1] | 2025 US FDD via Vetted Biz [2] |
Four things to hold in mind before reading across that table:
- Different brands. The Korean column is Paik's Coffee; the US column is Paik's Noodle. TheBorn has not filed a US FDD for the coffee chain, so no like-for-like US coffee figure exists [2].
- Different scopes. The Korean table excludes VAT, rent, and premises deposit or key money [1]; the US FDD range treats real estate variably. Neither figure is everything you will spend.
- Different currencies and formats. Convert at today's exchange rate yourself rather than trusting any published conversion, and remember a small 10-pyeong Korean cafe and a US noodle-restaurant build are structurally different footprints.
- Different vintages. The Korean table is a 2026 quote [1]; the US figures are from a 2025 filing [2]. Both change each time the documents are updated.
Before you commit
Confirm every figure in the franchisor's current disclosure before deciding. For Korea, pull Paik's Dabang's model cost table from TheBorn's Startup Center [1] and the brand's 정보공개서 from the KFTC franchise disclosure system. For any US or other overseas opportunity, request the relevant TheBorn or Paik's entity's latest FDD or master-franchise terms — overseas master and sub-franchise arrangements are negotiated case by case and are not published [3]. Third-party summaries, including this guide, can lag the latest filing; the only binding numbers are those in the disclosure document and franchise agreement you are actually offered.
Figures are historical, come from the named source, and are not a promise or projection of your results. Costs and outcomes vary by market, site and operator.
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This website is not an offer to sell a franchise. We are an independent consultancy, not a franchisor, and we do not offer or sell franchises. A franchise is offered only through the franchisor's own disclosure document in jurisdictions where such documents are required. Investment figures are compiled from the named public sources; costs and results vary.