Eye Level Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Eye Level franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Eye Level 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 disclosed. Franchisor explicitly states it makes no representations about franchisee financial performance or outlet performance.
What a Eye Level franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $1,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 2.4% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 0.2% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 2.6% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $49,968 – $133,200 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty: $15-42/subject-student/month; minimum $1,500 after year 1. Brand fund: $1/student. Multiple compliance and late fees apply.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Eye Level system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 121 |
| Ceased operations | 2 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 8 |
| Transferred to new owners | 4 |
| Closure rate | 1.7% of outlets |
2025: 8 terminations, 2 ceased operations, 4 transfers of 121 outlets (11.6% separation 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 Eye Level worth it? — how it compares to 60 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 2.6% of sales | lower than most (median 9%) |
| Startup cost | from $49,968 | cheaper than most (median $191,992) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade F | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 1.7% of outlets | about average |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 3 | more litigious than 87% of peers |
Benchmarked against every children's education & childcare franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Eye Level
The franchisor's framing: No financial performance representations disclosed. Franchisor explicitly states it makes … 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
Eye Level franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Eye Level franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $49,968–$133,200, including a $1,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Eye Level franchise owners make?
- Eye Level 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 Eye Level franchise fees?
- Eye Level's FDD discloses a $1,000 initial franchise fee, a 2.4% royalty on gross sales, a 0.2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 2.6% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty: $15-42/subject-student/month; minimum $1,500 after year 1. Brand fund: $1/student. Multiple compliance and late fees apply.
- What is the Eye Level franchise profit margin?
- Eye Level 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 Eye Level franchise failure rate?
- 2025: 8 terminations, 2 ceased operations, 4 transfers of 121 outlets (11.6% separation rate)
- How many Eye Level locations are there?
- Eye Level's FDD reports 121 total outlets, with 2 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 4 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Eye Level have complaints or lawsuits?
- Eye Level discloses 3 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 Eye Level franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Eye Level scores F on disclosure honesty, carries about 2.6% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 3 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Eye Level to similar franchises
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Eye Level or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.