Franchises ranked by estimated annual owner profit, calculated from real Item 19 revenue data and industry cost benchmarks.
Which franchises actually make money for their owners? This is the question every prospective franchisee wants answered — and the hardest one to get reliable data on. Marketing materials and franchise sales teams paint rosy pictures, but the FDD is where the real numbers live.
We analyzed every franchise in our database that discloses Item 19 financial performance data. Using median revenue figures and category-specific cost benchmarks (labor, COGS, occupancy, and fees), we estimated annual owner profit for each brand. These are estimates — actual results vary by location, operator skill, and market conditions — but they're grounded in disclosed data rather than speculation.
20
Brands with Item 19
$1.59M
Highest Est. Profit
$5.76M
Highest Revenue
0.1x
Best ROI Ratio
Showing 20 franchises
| # | Brand | Category | Investment | Revenue | Est. Profit | ROI Ratio | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Culver's | Fast Casual | $2.40M – $5.40M | $3.04M | $1.59M (52%) | 1.3x | 84.0 |
| 2 | ProSource Wholesale | Home Services | $946K – $962K | $4.89M | $1.31M (27%) | 0.2x | 77.0 |
| 3 | Launch Trampoline Park | Entertainment | $3.73M – $7.02M | $3.38M | $1.20M (35%) | 1.6x | 60.0 |
| 4 | ACE HARDWARE PAINTING SERVICES | Home Services | $89K – $153K | $4.75M | $1.04M (22%) | -- | 68.0 |
| 5 | Paul Davis Restoration | Home Services | $299K – $805K | $3.98M | $1.03M (26%) | 0.1x | 81.0 |
| 6 | JAN-PRO | Business Services | -- | $2.95M | $1.03M (35%) | -- | 60.0 |
| 7 | JAN-PRO Cleaning & Disinfecting | Cleaning | $130K – $422K | $5.76M | $893K (16%) | -- | 81.0 |
| 8 | Dynamo Surfaces | Business Services | $725K – $1.08M | $2.53M | $751K (30%) | 0.4x | 69.0 |
| 9 | Launch Park | Entertainment | $3.73M – $7.02M | $2.88M | $750K (26%) | 1.9x | 55.0 |
| 10 | McDonald's | QSR | $1.47M – $2.64M | $2.90M | $728K (25%) | 0.7x | 81.0 |
| 11 | Escapology | Entertainment | $626K – $2.30M | $1.23M | $704K (57%) | 1.2x | 89.0 |
| 12 | Costa Vida Fresh Mexican Grill | Fast Casual | $674K – $1.34M | $2.06M | $690K (33%) | 0.5x | 57.0 |
| 13 | Petland | Pet Services | $250K – $906K | $3.34M | $668K (20%) | 0.2x | 60.0 |
| 14 | Primrose Schools | Childcare | $4.48M – $8.45M | $2.08M | $636K (30%) | 3.1x | 74.0 |
| 15 | Faces Franchise | Health & Beauty | -- | $2.53M | $631K (25%) | -- | 56.0 |
| 16 | Express Employment Professionals | Business Services | $132K – $213K | $2.41M | $602K (25%) | 0.1x | 85.0 |
| 17 | 7 BREW | Coffee & Tea | $894K – $2.18M | $2.06M | $597K (29%) | 0.7x | 74.0 |
| 18 | Celebree School | Childcare | $922K – $1.29M | $2.13M | $569K (27%) | 0.5x | 82.0 |
| 19 | Buildingstars | Cleaning | -- | $2.54M | $508K (20%) | -- | 76.0 |
| 20 | Buffalo Wild Wings | Casual Dining | $2.45M – $4.88M | $3.44M | $499K (14%) | 1.1x | 69.0 |
Our profitability estimates start with the median (or mean, when median isn't available) gross revenue disclosed in Item 19. We then apply category-specific cost assumptions for labor, cost of goods, occupancy, and other operating expenses, plus the brand's actual royalty and advertising fund rates from Item 6.
The ROI ratio divides the midpoint investment (Item 7) by annual revenue — a lower ratio means faster theoretical payback. Brands without Item 19 data are excluded from this ranking since we can't estimate profitability without disclosed revenue.
Top-rated affordable franchises.
View list →Closure rates by industry from FDD data.
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Every franchise report includes investment costs, fee breakdowns, revenue data, and closure rates from official FDD filings.