Christian Brothers Automotive Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Christian Brothers Automotive franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Christian Brothers Automotive discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it B.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Provides net sales by ranges and total owner benefit data for 280-302 stores operating full years 2024-2025. Adjusted historical data to current 50% royalty and $60k salary terms. Notes significant variation exists.
What a Christian Brothers Automotive franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $85,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 50% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 3% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 53% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $515,250 – $650,400 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty: 50% split profits. Transfer fee: $30k. Transaction fee: 7% or $50k. Lease: $22-38k/mo plus NNN.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Christian Brothers Automotive system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 326 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 15 |
| Transferred to new owners | 13 |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets |
15 terminations in 2025; low closure rate but consistent termination activity across system.
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 Christian Brothers Automotive worth it? — how it compares to 18 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 53% of sales | steeper than 93% of automotive services franchises |
| Startup cost | from $515,250 | pricier than 71% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade B | more honest than 79% of automotive services franchises |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets | better than most (median 2.4%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 2 | more litigious than 74% of peers |
Benchmarked against every automotive services franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Christian Brothers Automotive
The franchisor's framing: Provides net sales by ranges and total owner benefit data for 280-302 stores operating ful… 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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Christian Brothers Automotive franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Christian Brothers Automotive franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $515,250–$650,400, including a $85,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Christian Brothers Automotive franchise owners make?
- Provides net sales by ranges and total owner benefit data for 280-302 stores operating full years 2024-2025. Adjusted historical data to current 50% royalty and $60k salary terms. Notes significant variation exists. We grade this disclosure B for honesty.
- What are the Christian Brothers Automotive franchise fees?
- Christian Brothers Automotive's FDD discloses a $85,000 initial franchise fee, a 50% royalty on gross sales, a 3% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 53% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty: 50% split profits. Transfer fee: $30k. Transaction fee: 7% or $50k. Lease: $22-38k/mo plus NNN.
- What is the Christian Brothers Automotive franchise profit margin?
- Christian Brothers Automotive does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Provides net sales by ranges and total owner benefit data for 280-302 stores operating full years 2024-2025. Adjusted historical data to current 50% royalty and $60k salary terms. Notes significant variation exists. Recurring fees alone take about 53% 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 Christian Brothers Automotive franchise failure rate?
- 15 terminations in 2025; low closure rate but consistent termination activity across system.
- How many Christian Brothers Automotive locations are there?
- Christian Brothers Automotive's FDD reports 326 total outlets, with 0 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 13 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Christian Brothers Automotive have complaints or lawsuits?
- Christian Brothers Automotive 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 Christian Brothers Automotive franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Christian Brothers Automotive scores B on disclosure honesty, carries about 53% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 2 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Source: MN CARDS 36072-202604-09 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Christian Brothers Automotive or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.