BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
2025 revenue data for 10 franchisees operating 27 territories. Single-territory franchisees averaged $747,841; multi-territory averaged $1,641,060. Only 25-50% met/exceeded averages. Excludes 14 new openings, 2 non-reporters, 6 terminated units.
What a BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $59,900 | 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 | $52,848 – $345,648 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty: 6% capped at $1,500/month minimum. Brand fund: 2%. Technology: $399/month. Digital marketing: $299-$499/month additional.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 43 |
| Ceased operations | 6 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 14 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 14.0% of outlets |
6 ceased operations in 2025; 14 terminations/non-renewals 2024-2025; 33% failure rate.
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 BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain worth it? — how it compares to 85 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 8% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $52,848 | cheaper than most (median $119,850) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 14.0% of outlets | worse than 88% 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 BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain
The franchisor's framing: 2025 revenue data for 10 franchisees operating 27 territories. Single-territory franchisee… 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
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BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $52,848–$345,648, including a $59,900 initial franchise fee.
- How much do BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain franchise owners make?
- 2025 revenue data for 10 franchisees operating 27 territories. Single-territory franchisees averaged $747,841; multi-territory averaged $1,641,060. Only 25-50% met/exceeded averages. Excludes 14 new openings, 2 non-reporters, 6 terminated units. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain franchise fees?
- BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain's FDD discloses a $59,900 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. Royalty: 6% capped at $1,500/month minimum. Brand fund: 2%. Technology: $399/month. Digital marketing: $299-$499/month additional.
- What is the BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain franchise profit margin?
- BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 2025 revenue data for 10 franchisees operating 27 territories. Single-territory franchisees averaged $747,841; multi-territory averaged $1,641,060. Only 25-50% met/exceeded averages. Excludes 14 new openings, 2 non-reporters, 6 terminated 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 BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain franchise failure rate?
- 6 ceased operations in 2025; 14 terminations/non-renewals 2024-2025; 33% failure rate.
- How many BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain locations are there?
- BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain's FDD reports 43 total outlets, with 6 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 BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain have complaints or lawsuits?
- BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain 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 BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain 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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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with BlueFrog Plumbing+Drain or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.