Garage Experts Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Garage Experts franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Garage Experts discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it B.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Discloses 2025 gross sales for 46 single-unit and 21 multi-unit operators. Single-unit average $686,909 (39% achieved); median $624,466 (50% achieved). Multi-unit average $1,234,654. Includes top/bottom performers and profit data.
What a Garage Experts 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 | 1.5% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 7.5% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $109,900 – $246,400 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty 6% (reducible to 4-5% at higher sales thresholds); Ad fee 1.5%. Multiple additional fees (technology $450/mo, brand reputation $40/mo, local advertising 6% quarterly minimum).
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Garage Experts system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 110 |
| Ceased operations | 4 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 5 |
| Closure rate | 3.6% of outlets |
4 ceased operations in 2025; 10 terminations in 2023. Low closure 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 Garage Experts worth it? — how it compares to 85 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 7.5% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $109,900 | about average (median $119,850) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade B | more honest than 79% of home & trade services franchises |
| Closure rate | 3.6% of outlets | about average |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
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 Garage Experts
The franchisor's framing: Discloses 2025 gross sales for 46 single-unit and 21 multi-unit operators. Single-unit ave… 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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Garage Experts franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Garage Experts franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $109,900–$246,400, including a $54,900 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Garage Experts franchise owners make?
- Discloses 2025 gross sales for 46 single-unit and 21 multi-unit operators. Single-unit average $686,909 (39% achieved); median $624,466 (50% achieved). Multi-unit average $1,234,654. Includes top/bottom performers and profit data. We grade this disclosure B for honesty.
- What are the Garage Experts franchise fees?
- Garage Experts' FDD discloses a $54,900 initial franchise fee, a 6% royalty on gross sales, a 1.5% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 7.5% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty 6% (reducible to 4-5% at higher sales thresholds); Ad fee 1.5%. Multiple additional fees (technology $450/mo, brand reputation $40/mo, local advertising 6% quarterly minimum).
- What is the Garage Experts franchise profit margin?
- Garage Experts does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Discloses 2025 gross sales for 46 single-unit and 21 multi-unit operators. Single-unit average $686,909 (39% achieved); median $624,466 (50% achieved). Multi-unit average $1,234,654. Includes top/bottom performers and profit data. Recurring fees alone take about 7.5% 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 Garage Experts franchise failure rate?
- 4 ceased operations in 2025; 10 terminations in 2023. Low closure rate.
- How many Garage Experts locations are there?
- Garage Experts' FDD reports 110 total outlets, with 4 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 5 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Garage Experts have complaints or lawsuits?
- Garage Experts 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 Garage Experts franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Garage Experts scores B on disclosure honesty, carries about 7.5% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Source: MN CARDS 36439-202604-09 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Garage Experts or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.