Aerus Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Aerus franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2025), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Aerus discloses little or no owner-earnings data (Item 19) — the franchisor won't put real profit in writing.
What their own earnings claim actually says
No financial performance representations made. Franchisor explicitly disclaims any representations about franchisee future or past outlet financial performance.
What a Aerus franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $3,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 8% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 0% 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 | $30,500 – $417,890 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Standard program: $3K initial fee, 8% royalty, $500/mo admin fee. Associate: $1K fee, $250/mo admin. 2% min local ad spend.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Aerus system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 166 |
| Ceased operations | 1 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 5 |
| Closure rate | 0.6% of outlets |
Franchised outlets declined 33 (17%) in 2024. System contracted 34 outlets (17% decline) 2022-2024.
From Item 20 of the FDD 2025. Terminations and ceased operations are the franchisor's own count of owners who stopped — the number the sales pitch leaves out.
Is Aerus worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 8% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $30,500 | cheaper than most (median $138,750) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade F | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 0.6% of outlets | about average |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 2 | more litigious than 68% of peers |
Benchmarked against every other franchises franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Aerus
The franchisor's framing: No financial performance representations made. Franchisor explicitly disclaims any represe… 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
Aerus franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Aerus franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $30,500–$417,890, including a $3,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Aerus franchise owners make?
- Aerus discloses little or no earnings data (Item 19) — meaning the franchisor won't put real owner profit in writing. That's a red flag worth questioning.
- What are the Aerus franchise fees?
- Aerus' FDD discloses a $3,000 initial franchise fee, a 8% royalty on gross sales, a 0% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 8% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Standard program: $3K initial fee, 8% royalty, $500/mo admin fee. Associate: $1K fee, $250/mo admin. 2% min local ad spend.
- What is the Aerus franchise profit margin?
- Aerus discloses no Item 19 earnings representation, so no profit margin can be derived from the FDD at all. Any margin figure quoted elsewhere is an estimate, not a disclosure.
- What is the Aerus franchise failure rate?
- Franchised outlets declined 33 (17%) in 2024. System contracted 34 outlets (17% decline) 2022-2024.
- How many Aerus locations are there?
- Aerus' FDD reports 166 total outlets, with 1 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 5 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Aerus have complaints or lawsuits?
- Aerus discloses 2 legal matters 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 Aerus franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Aerus scores F on disclosure honesty, carries about 8% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 2 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Aerus to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 34347-202506-12 (Clean FDD 2025). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Aerus or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.