1 Tom Plumber Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a 1 Tom Plumber franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
1 Tom Plumber discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
39 franchises open full year 2025. Average gross sales $1.51M (range $378K-$4.23M). Mature 4-territory corporate unit averaged $3.01M. Cherry-picks best performers; excludes 19 new units and 4 closed units.
What a 1 Tom Plumber franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $49,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 2% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 8% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $238,307 – $454,248 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
6% royalty + 2% brand fund + $295-$995 population fee monthly. $1K local ad spend required 12 months post-opening.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
1 Tom Plumber system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 56 |
| Ceased operations | 4 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 4 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 7.1% of outlets |
4 ceased 2025; 19 new units excluded from Item 19 performance data
From Item 20 of the FDD 2026. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is 1 Tom Plumber worth it? — how it compares to 85 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 8% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $238,307 | pricier than 98% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 7.1% of outlets | worse than 79% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 1 | about average |
Benchmarked against every home & trade services franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a 1 Tom Plumber
The franchisor's framing: 39 franchises open full year 2025. Average gross sales $1.51M (range $378K-$4.23M). Mature… We reconstruct what an owner actually keeps, from their own FDD.
- Reconstructed owner P&L — net take-home after royalty, ad fund, rent, labor & debt
- Break-even timeline + cash-on-cash ROI
- Full fee stack + required-purchase markups
- Decoded real failure / closure rate
- How it ranks vs comparable franchises
- Validation-call playbook — the exact questions to ask
See a full sample report → · 30-day guarantee
1 Tom Plumber franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a 1 Tom Plumber franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $238,307–$454,248, including a $49,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do 1 Tom Plumber franchise owners make?
- 39 franchises open full year 2025. Average gross sales $1.51M (range $378K-$4.23M). Mature 4-territory corporate unit averaged $3.01M. Cherry-picks best performers; excludes 19 new units and 4 closed units. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the 1 Tom Plumber franchise fees?
- 1 Tom Plumber's FDD discloses a $49,000 initial franchise fee, a 6% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 8% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 6% royalty + 2% brand fund + $295-$995 population fee monthly. $1K local ad spend required 12 months post-opening.
- What is the 1 Tom Plumber franchise profit margin?
- 1 Tom Plumber does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 39 franchises open full year 2025. Average gross sales $1.51M (range $378K-$4.23M). Mature 4-territory corporate unit averaged $3.01M. Cherry-picks best performers; excludes 19 new units and 4 closed units. Recurring fees alone take about 8% of gross sales, before rent, labor, food or debt service. Margin has to be reconstructed from the disclosure, not read off it.
- What is the 1 Tom Plumber franchise failure rate?
- 4 ceased 2025; 19 new units excluded from Item 19 performance data
- How many 1 Tom Plumber locations are there?
- 1 Tom Plumber's FDD reports 56 total outlets, with 4 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 0 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does 1 Tom Plumber have complaints or lawsuits?
- 1 Tom Plumber discloses 1 legal matter in Item 3 of its FDD. Item 3 covers the franchisor's litigation history, which is the closest thing to a public record of how it treats franchisees — read the case descriptions, not just the count.
- Is a 1 Tom Plumber franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. 1 Tom Plumber scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 8% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 1 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare 1 Tom Plumber to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 36291-202604-13 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with 1 Tom Plumber or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.