Athletes HQ Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Athletes HQ franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Athletes HQ discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Provided gross revenues for 1 affiliate facility ($1.42M, 6 years old) and 2 franchised facilities ($606K, 2 years; $313K, 1 year old). No audit performed. Results vary.
What a Athletes HQ franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $25,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Total initial investment | $179,450 – $345,700 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Weekly royalty $300-$500; $7,500 opening marketing fee; multiple penalty fees up to $100/day for non-compliance.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Athletes HQ system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 3 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets |
Zero terminations, closures, transfers in 3-year period; minimal franchisee base.
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 Athletes HQ worth it? — how it compares to 71 similar franchises
| Startup cost | from $179,450 | cheaper than most (median $295,540) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets | better than most (median 0.1%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every fitness & gyms franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Athletes HQ
The franchisor's framing: Provided gross revenues for 1 affiliate facility ($1.42M, 6 years old) and 2 franchised fa… 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
Athletes HQ franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Athletes HQ franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $179,450–$345,700, including a $25,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Athletes HQ franchise owners make?
- Provided gross revenues for 1 affiliate facility ($1.42M, 6 years old) and 2 franchised facilities ($606K, 2 years; $313K, 1 year old). No audit performed. Results vary. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Athletes HQ franchise fees?
- Athletes HQ's FDD discloses a $25,000 initial franchise fee. Weekly royalty $300-$500; $7,500 opening marketing fee; multiple penalty fees up to $100/day for non-compliance.
- What is the Athletes HQ franchise profit margin?
- Athletes HQ does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Provided gross revenues for 1 affiliate facility ($1.42M, 6 years old) and 2 franchised facilities ($606K, 2 years; $313K, 1 year old). No audit performed. Results vary. Recurring fees alone take about a fixed cut 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 Athletes HQ franchise failure rate?
- Zero terminations, closures, transfers in 3-year period; minimal franchisee base.
- How many Athletes HQ locations are there?
- Athletes HQ's FDD reports 3 total outlets, with 0 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 Athletes HQ have complaints or lawsuits?
- Athletes HQ discloses no material litigation in Item 3 of the filing we reviewed. That's a positive signal, though it covers only what the franchisor is required to report.
- Is a Athletes HQ franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Athletes HQ scores C on disclosure honesty. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Athletes HQ to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 36187-202604-07 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Athletes HQ or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.