Fresh Coat Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Fresh Coat franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Fresh Coat discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
2024-2025 gross revenues and gross profit percentages by quartile for full-time franchises only. 62 of 182 franchises met criteria. Data unaudited.
What a Fresh Coat franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $54,900 | 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 | $86,150 – $125,250 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty 6%-4% tiered; $500-$1,000/mo minimum; 2% national branding; up to 3% local coop advertising; $499/mo technology.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Fresh Coat system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 182 |
| Ceased operations | 7 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 13 |
| Transferred to new owners | 8 |
| Closure rate | 3.8% of outlets |
2025: 5-outlet net decline, 13 terminations, 7 ceased operations in portfolio.
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 Fresh Coat worth it? — how it compares to 85 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 8% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $86,150 | cheaper than most (median $119,850) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 3.8% of outlets | worse than 61% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 5 | more litigious than 93% of peers |
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 Fresh Coat
The franchisor's framing: 2024-2025 gross revenues and gross profit percentages by quartile for full-time franchises… 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
Fresh Coat franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Fresh Coat franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $86,150–$125,250, including a $54,900 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Fresh Coat franchise owners make?
- 2024-2025 gross revenues and gross profit percentages by quartile for full-time franchises only. 62 of 182 franchises met criteria. Data unaudited. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Fresh Coat franchise fees?
- Fresh Coat's FDD discloses a $54,900 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%-4% tiered; $500-$1,000/mo minimum; 2% national branding; up to 3% local coop advertising; $499/mo technology.
- What is the Fresh Coat franchise profit margin?
- Fresh Coat does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 2024-2025 gross revenues and gross profit percentages by quartile for full-time franchises only. 62 of 182 franchises met criteria. Data unaudited. 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 Fresh Coat franchise failure rate?
- 2025: 5-outlet net decline, 13 terminations, 7 ceased operations in portfolio.
- How many Fresh Coat locations are there?
- Fresh Coat's FDD reports 182 total outlets, with 7 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 8 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Fresh Coat have complaints or lawsuits?
- Fresh Coat discloses 5 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 Fresh Coat franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Fresh Coat scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 8% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 5 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Fresh Coat to similar franchises
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Fresh Coat or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.