DISCOVERY MAP Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a DISCOVERY MAP franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
DISCOVERY MAP discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Gross sales only (avg $58,171, median $53,210). 37% achieved average. No profit/expense data provided. Historic data from 66 of 74 franchisees.
What a DISCOVERY MAP franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $25,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 10% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 1% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 11% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $29,250 – $36,300 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
10% royalty on printed ads; 25% of website ad sales. $2,200/year DPS fee. Transfer fee 20% of current franchise fee.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
DISCOVERY MAP system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 116 |
| Ceased operations | 10 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 6 |
| Transferred to new owners | 6 |
| Closure rate | 8.6% of outlets |
12 outlets ceased/terminated in fiscal 2025; net decline of 3 franchised units year-over-year.
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 DISCOVERY MAP worth it? — how it compares to 436 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 11% of sales | steeper than 86% of other franchises franchises |
| Startup cost | from $29,250 | cheaper than most (median $138,750) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 8.6% of outlets | worse than 88% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
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 DISCOVERY MAP
The franchisor's framing: Gross sales only (avg $58,171, median $53,210). 37% achieved average. No profit/expense da… 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
DISCOVERY MAP franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a DISCOVERY MAP franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $29,250–$36,300, including a $25,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do DISCOVERY MAP franchise owners make?
- Gross sales only (avg $58,171, median $53,210). 37% achieved average. No profit/expense data provided. Historic data from 66 of 74 franchisees. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the DISCOVERY MAP franchise fees?
- DISCOVERY MAP's FDD discloses a $25,000 initial franchise fee, a 10% royalty on gross sales, a 1% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 11% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 10% royalty on printed ads; 25% of website ad sales. $2,200/year DPS fee. Transfer fee 20% of current franchise fee.
- What is the DISCOVERY MAP franchise profit margin?
- DISCOVERY MAP does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Gross sales only (avg $58,171, median $53,210). 37% achieved average. No profit/expense data provided. Historic data from 66 of 74 franchisees. Recurring fees alone take about 11% 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 DISCOVERY MAP franchise failure rate?
- 12 outlets ceased/terminated in fiscal 2025; net decline of 3 franchised units year-over-year.
- How many DISCOVERY MAP locations are there?
- DISCOVERY MAP's FDD reports 116 total outlets, with 10 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 6 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does DISCOVERY MAP have complaints or lawsuits?
- DISCOVERY MAP 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 DISCOVERY MAP franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. DISCOVERY MAP scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 11% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare DISCOVERY MAP to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 35142-202512-07 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with DISCOVERY MAP or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.