Hear Again Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Hear Again franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Hear Again discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
16 affiliate-owned outlets FY 2025: avg net sales $468,617, median $409,526. 7 franchised outlets: avg $375,019, median $263,237. EBITDA range $11,989-$257,419. Cherry-picking: excludes 2 franchised outlets (incomplete year), 11 part-time affiliate locations.
What a Hear Again franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $50,000 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales | Item 6 — charged on revenue, not profit |
| Advertising fund | 12% of gross sales | Item 6 — brand marketing, spent at the franchisor's discretion |
| Total recurring fees | 17% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $190,600 – $333,950 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
Initial fee deferred in CA, IL, MD until pre-opening obligations complete. Technology fee $500/mo (uncapped increases). Royalty 5% net sales monthly with quarterly reconciliation.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Hear Again system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 41 |
| Ceased operations | 0 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 0 |
| Transferred to new owners | 0 |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets |
Zero franchise terminations/non-renewals 2024-2025; 10 franchised outlets operational; early-stage system.
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 Hear Again worth it? — how it compares to 59 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 17% of sales | steeper than 90% of retail & business services franchises |
| Startup cost | from $190,600 | pricier than 60% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | typical for the category |
| Closure rate | 0.0% of outlets | better than most (median 2.4%) |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 0 | fewer than most |
Benchmarked against every retail & business services franchise we've graded from public FDDs — the context the franchisor's pitch never gives you.
Owner take-home for a Hear Again
The franchisor's framing: 16 affiliate-owned outlets FY 2025: avg net sales $468,617, median $409,526. 7 franchised … 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
Hear Again franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Hear Again franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $190,600–$333,950, including a $50,000 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Hear Again franchise owners make?
- 16 affiliate-owned outlets FY 2025: avg net sales $468,617, median $409,526. 7 franchised outlets: avg $375,019, median $263,237. EBITDA range $11,989-$257,419. Cherry-picking: excludes 2 franchised outlets (incomplete year), 11 part-time affiliate locations. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Hear Again franchise fees?
- Hear Again's FDD discloses a $50,000 initial franchise fee, a 5% royalty on gross sales, a 12% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 17% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. Initial fee deferred in CA, IL, MD until pre-opening obligations complete. Technology fee $500/mo (uncapped increases). Royalty 5% net sales monthly with quarterly reconciliation.
- What is the Hear Again franchise profit margin?
- Hear Again does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 16 affiliate-owned outlets FY 2025: avg net sales $468,617, median $409,526. 7 franchised outlets: avg $375,019, median $263,237. EBITDA range $11,989-$257,419. Cherry-picking: excludes 2 franchised outlets (incomplete year), 11 part-time affiliate locations. Recurring fees alone take about 17% 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 Hear Again franchise failure rate?
- Zero franchise terminations/non-renewals 2024-2025; 10 franchised outlets operational; early-stage system.
- How many Hear Again locations are there?
- Hear Again's FDD reports 41 total outlets, with 0 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 0 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Hear Again have complaints or lawsuits?
- Hear Again 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 Hear Again franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Hear Again scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 17% of sales in ongoing fees. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Compare Hear Again to similar franchises
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Source: MN CARDS 36889-202606-03 (Clean FDD 2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Hear Again or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.