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Great Clips vs Central Bark — which franchise is the better buy?

Side by side from the public FDDs — no franchisor spin.

	Great Clips	Central Bark
Disclosure honesty	B	B
Investment from	$187,800	$620,100
Total fees	11%	8%
Outlets	4,441	44
Lawsuits	0	0

Great Clips: what their numbers say

Discloses average/median sales ($410K avg, $391K median) and operating cash flow ($83.5K avg, $75.9K median) for 2,376 of 4,158 salons. Excludes 1,782 non-reporters skewed below median; omits owner salary, taxes, depreciation, capex reserves.

Central Bark: what their numbers say

36 franchisees full-year 2025 data: avg gross sales $902,805, operating profit avg $177,589 (19.7%). Tercile breakdown provided. Self-reported, unaudited. Cherry-picking: excluded 8 locations not operating full year; excludes new units.

Get the real owner take-home for either — $149

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