Glass Doctor Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Glass Doctor franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Glass Doctor discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it D.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Discloses gross sales only (avg HB $969K, avg Auto $678K) by quartile and per-job averages. No costs, expenses, or owner income disclosed. Excludes 22 partial reporters and 7 closures, inflating results.
What a Glass Doctor franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $59,900 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 7% 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 | 9% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $154,650 – $326,850 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty 4-7% tiered by sales volume; MAP 2%; local marketing up to 3% additional; minimum local spend $30K-$40K first two years.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Glass Doctor system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 172 |
| Ceased operations | 2 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 2 |
| Transferred to new owners | 7 |
| Closure rate | 1.2% of outlets |
Combination outlets shrank from 144 to 127 over 3 years; 5 terminations and 3 ceased operations across all service types 2024-2025.
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 Glass Doctor worth it? — how it compares to 18 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 9% of sales | about average |
| Startup cost | from $154,650 | cheaper than most (median $267,500) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade D | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 1.2% of outlets | better than most (median 2.4%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 1 | about average |
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 Glass Doctor
The franchisor's framing: Discloses gross sales only (avg HB $969K, avg Auto $678K) by quartile and per-job averages… 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
Glass Doctor franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Glass Doctor franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $154,650–$326,850, including a $59,900 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Glass Doctor franchise owners make?
- Discloses gross sales only (avg HB $969K, avg Auto $678K) by quartile and per-job averages. No costs, expenses, or owner income disclosed. Excludes 22 partial reporters and 7 closures, inflating results. We grade this disclosure D for honesty.
- What are the Glass Doctor franchise fees?
- Glass Doctor's FDD discloses a $59,900 initial franchise fee, a 7% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 9% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty 4-7% tiered by sales volume; MAP 2%; local marketing up to 3% additional; minimum local spend $30K-$40K first two years.
- What is the Glass Doctor franchise profit margin?
- Glass Doctor does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Discloses gross sales only (avg HB $969K, avg Auto $678K) by quartile and per-job averages. No costs, expenses, or owner income disclosed. Excludes 22 partial reporters and 7 closures, inflating results. Recurring fees alone take about 9% 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 Glass Doctor franchise failure rate?
- Combination outlets shrank from 144 to 127 over 3 years; 5 terminations and 3 ceased operations across all service types 2024-2025.
- How many Glass Doctor locations are there?
- Glass Doctor's FDD reports 172 total outlets, with 2 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 7 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Glass Doctor have complaints or lawsuits?
- Glass Doctor discloses 1 legal matter 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 Glass Doctor franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Glass Doctor scores D on disclosure honesty, carries about 9% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 1 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
Own a Glass Doctor? Add your real numbers (anonymous)
We publish only aggregated benchmarks — never your name. Contribute and we'll show you how your numbers compare.
Compare Glass Doctor to similar franchises
See all franchises ranked by disclosure honesty →
Source: MN CARDS 36182-202604-02 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Glass Doctor or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.