How to Franchise Figaro Coffee in the Philippines

Figaro Coffee was one of the Philippines’ first homegrown cafe chains, predating many of today’s bigger names. It also happens to have one of the more flexible franchise structures in the category, with formats ranging from a small cart to a full store.

Behind the Brand

Figaro Coffee Company was founded in the Philippines in the 1990s as one of the earliest local specialty coffee chains, well before the current wave of Filipino cafe brands. It’s operated by Figaro Coffee Systems, Inc.

Seven college friends, including Pacita “Chit” Juan, opened the first outlet as a small kiosk called “the F store” in Quad Mall, now Glorietta, back in November 1993. They renamed it Figaro the following year, after the opera The Barber of Seville, once the concept had proven itself.

Why Figaro Coffee Can Be a Good Business

Figaro’s biggest edge is format flexibility, you can enter at a cart level and scale up, rather than committing to a full store from day one. That makes it more approachable for first-time franchisees than brands that only offer a single, large-format store.

What Franchisees and Customers Are Saying

Positive: “The barako is perfect… its still the original and they’re 100% local… in figaro u got coffee and pastas also so for me its the best.”, TripAdvisor review, Figaro Coffee, Malate, Manila.

Critical: “Figaro’s barako coffee does not taste authentic. Their service is not that good, either… they do not serve cream or milk but just powdered creamer.”, TripAdvisor review, Figaro Coffee, Malate, Manila.

Franchisee perspective: “I truly believe that their coffee is the best coffee in taste and value for money in the Philippines and that was the main reason I chose to franchise Figaro.”, James Michael Go, Figaro franchisee (Ayala Center Cebu branch), via Manila Bulletin, January 2022.

Customer sentiment on the coffee itself skews positive; service consistency is the more common complaint, and worth building into staff training if you franchise a branch.

Figaro Coffee Franchise Requirements

Figaro offers four franchise formats, each with its own fee and total investment:

• Cart: Franchise fee ₱600,000 + VAT, total investment around ₱3,000,000.
• Kiosk B (Indoor): Franchise fee ₱900,000 + VAT, total investment around ₱4,200,000.
• Kiosk A (Outdoor): Franchise fee ₱900,000 + VAT, total investment around ₱5,400,000.
• Full Store: Franchise fee ₱1,500,000 + VAT, total investment around ₱6,500,000.

Additional ongoing costs: a 5% monthly royalty fee, a 2% national marketing support fund, and a 1% local store marketing fund, all based on gross sales. There’s also a ₱1,000,000 security deposit and a renewal fee equal to 40% of the prevailing franchise fee. The franchise term is 8 years.

How to Franchise Figaro Coffee in the Philippines

Here’s how to take the first step toward opening one:

1. Decide which format fits your budget and site, Cart, Kiosk, or Full Store.
2. Contact Figaro Coffee Systems, Inc. at (02) 671-4232 for current packages and application forms.
3. Submit your Letter of Intent, business background, and proposed site details.
4. Go through evaluation and site validation.
5. Sign the franchise agreement, pay the security deposit and franchise fee, then proceed to training and store build-out.

Who Is a Figaro Coffee Franchise Best For?

Figaro leans into a European café feel with a full food menu, which points to a specific kind of operator.

• First-time franchisees who want to start small (Cart format at ~₱3M) with room to scale later.
• Entrepreneurs comfortable with an 8-year term and a security deposit requirement on top of the franchise fee.
• Those targeting a mix of indoor and outdoor foot-traffic locations, given the format flexibility.

Advantages and Disadvantages of a Figaro Coffee Franchise

Three decades in the market counts for something, but it’s not the full picture. Here’s the honest split.

What works in your favor:

• Four format tiers (Cart to Full Store) mean you can match your investment to your capital, unlike single-format brands.
• One of the longest-running homegrown cafe brands in the Philippines.
• Published, itemized fee structure makes budgeting easier than with brands that don’t disclose figures.

Now the part worth sitting with.

What you’re taking on:

• ₱1,000,000 security deposit is a significant amount on top of the franchise fee and build-out costs.
• Renewal fee (40% of the prevailing franchise fee) adds a real cost at the end of your 8-year term.
• Three separate ongoing fees (royalty, national marketing, local marketing) total 8% of gross sales, higher than some competitors.

Cheaper Alternatives to Figaro Coffee

If even the Cart format’s ₱3M total investment is more than you want to commit, compare:

• Farron Cafe, a smaller local cafe franchise option.
• Big Brew, another lower-profile local cafe brand.

See our Top 6 Cafe Franchises in the Philippines roundup for more comparisons.

Alternative Franchise Opportunities

Beyond the cheaper options above, here’s how Figaro Coffee compares to other coffee shop franchises in the Philippines:

• Bo’s Coffee, Cebu-founded, positions on single-origin Philippine beans and recently opened its first drive-thru.
• The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, international/California-origin brand, broader tea and ice-blended menu.
• UCC Coffee, Japanese heritage brand, multiple café-format tiers, higher franchise investment.
• Coffee Project, homegrown, known for Instagram-worthy interiors and rapid expansion.

See our full list of cafe franchises in the Philippines for more options.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s what people usually want to know before franchising Figaro.

What’s the cheapest way to franchise Figaro Coffee?

The Cart format, with a franchise fee of ₱600,000 + VAT and total investment around ₱3,000,000.

What are the ongoing fees?

5% royalty, 2% national marketing fund, and 1% local marketing fund, all based on gross sales.

How long is the franchise term?

8 years, with a renewal fee equal to 40% of the prevailing franchise fee.

Who do I contact to apply?

Figaro Coffee Systems, Inc. at (02) 671-4232.

Official Franchise Page

Figaro Coffee via Philippine Franchise Association