Griswold Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Griswold franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Griswold discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it B.
What their own earnings claim actually says
Reports gross receipts for 59 franchised locations (112 territories) and 5 affiliate-owned locations. Average receipts $2,048,633; median $1,492,691. Excludes 22 new territories opened in 2025 and 1 ceased location.
What a Griswold franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $49,500 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 5% 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 | 6% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $99,600 – $185,600 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Royalty 5% gross receipts or $100/week minimum; marketing 1% or $75/week; $12k annual local marketing required; transfer fee $15k or $5k to existing franchisee.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Griswold system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 146 |
| Ceased operations | 1 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 1 |
| Closure rate | 0.7% of outlets |
1 agency outlet ceased operations 2025; 5 registry outlets ceased. Minimal terminations/transfers indicate stability.
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 Griswold worth it? — how it compares to 50 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 6% of sales | lower than most (median 7%) |
| Startup cost | from $99,600 | about average (median $101,125) |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade B | more honest than 78% of senior & home care franchises |
| Closure rate | 0.7% of outlets | about average |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 6 | more litigious than 86% of peers |
Benchmarked against every senior & home care franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Griswold
The franchisor's framing: Reports gross receipts for 59 franchised locations (112 territories) and 5 affiliate-owned… 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
Griswold franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Griswold franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $99,600–$185,600, including a $49,500 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Griswold franchise owners make?
- Reports gross receipts for 59 franchised locations (112 territories) and 5 affiliate-owned locations. Average receipts $2,048,633; median $1,492,691. Excludes 22 new territories opened in 2025 and 1 ceased location. We grade this disclosure B for honesty.
- What are the Griswold franchise fees?
- Griswold's FDD discloses a $49,500 initial franchise fee, a 5% royalty on gross sales, a 1% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 6% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Royalty 5% gross receipts or $100/week minimum; marketing 1% or $75/week; $12k annual local marketing required; transfer fee $15k or $5k to existing franchisee.
- What is the Griswold franchise profit margin?
- Griswold does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: Reports gross receipts for 59 franchised locations (112 territories) and 5 affiliate-owned locations. Average receipts $2,048,633; median $1,492,691. Excludes 22 new territories opened in 2025 and 1 ceased location. Recurring fees alone take about 6% 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 Griswold franchise failure rate?
- 1 agency outlet ceased operations 2025; 5 registry outlets ceased. Minimal terminations/transfers indicate stability.
- How many Griswold locations are there?
- Griswold's FDD reports 146 total outlets, with 1 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 1 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Griswold have complaints or lawsuits?
- Griswold discloses 6 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 Griswold franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Griswold scores B on disclosure honesty, carries about 6% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 6 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Griswold to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 36061-202604-04 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Griswold or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.