Honest Abe Roofing Franchise
Cost, fees, owner earnings, closure rate and litigation for a Honest Abe Roofing franchise — pulled from the franchisor's own public FDD (2026), not its sales material.
Disclosure honesty
Honest Abe Roofing discloses earnings (Item 19) — but the grade is how honestly. We graded it C.
What their own earnings claim actually says
5 franchisees open full year 2025. Avg per-territory gross sales: $2,074,684 (range $364,708–$4,105,634). 60% exceeded average. Unaudited, no CPA audit.
What a Honest Abe Roofing franchise actually costs to run
| Fee | Disclosed | Where it comes from |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $59,500 | Item 5 — paid up front, before you open |
| Royalty | 5% 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 | 7% of gross sales | Before rent, labor, food or debt service |
| Total initial investment | $197,600 – $277,749 | Item 7 — franchisor's own low/high estimate |
5% royalty (capped minimum $4K–$7K/month); 2% brand fund; 7%–10% local ad spend required post-opening.
Royalty and ad-fund percentages are charged on gross sales — an owner pays them whether or not the location is profitable.
Honest Abe Roofing system size and owner turnover
| Total outlets | 16 |
| Ceased operations | 7 |
| Terminated by franchisor | 7 |
| Transferred to new owners | 2 |
| Closure rate | 43.8% of outlets |
2025: 5 franchised outlets closed/terminated of 13 start-year (38% attrition 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 Honest Abe Roofing worth it? — how it compares to 85 similar franchises
| Ongoing fees | 7% of sales | lower than most (median 8%) |
| Startup cost | from $197,600 | pricier than 88% of peers |
| Disclosure honesty | Grade C | less honest than most of the category |
| Closure rate | 43.8% of outlets | worse than 99% of peers |
| Disclosed lawsuits | 1 | about average |
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 Honest Abe Roofing
The franchisor's framing: 5 franchisees open full year 2025. Avg per-territory gross sales: $2,074,684 (range $364,7… 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
Honest Abe Roofing franchise — frequently asked
- How much does a Honest Abe Roofing franchise cost?
- The FDD lists a total initial investment of about $197,600–$277,749, including a $59,500 initial franchise fee.
- How much do Honest Abe Roofing franchise owners make?
- 5 franchisees open full year 2025. Avg per-territory gross sales: $2,074,684 (range $364,708–$4,105,634). 60% exceeded average. Unaudited, no CPA audit. We grade this disclosure C for honesty.
- What are the Honest Abe Roofing franchise fees?
- Honest Abe Roofing's FDD discloses a $59,500 initial franchise fee, a 5% royalty on gross sales, a 2% advertising-fund contribution, for roughly 7% of gross sales in recurring fees before rent, labor, or debt service. 5% royalty (capped minimum $4K–$7K/month); 2% brand fund; 7%–10% local ad spend required post-opening.
- What is the Honest Abe Roofing franchise profit margin?
- Honest Abe Roofing does not publish a franchisee net-profit margin — almost no franchisor does. What Item 19 actually shows: 5 franchisees open full year 2025. Avg per-territory gross sales: $2,074,684 (range $364,708–$4,105,634). 60% exceeded average. Unaudited, no CPA audit. Recurring fees alone take about 7% 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 Honest Abe Roofing franchise failure rate?
- 2025: 5 franchised outlets closed/terminated of 13 start-year (38% attrition rate).
- How many Honest Abe Roofing locations are there?
- Honest Abe Roofing's FDD reports 16 total outlets, with 7 that ceased operations in the most recent reporting year and 2 transferred to new owners. Item 20 is where system health shows up before the marketing does.
- Does Honest Abe Roofing have complaints or lawsuits?
- Honest Abe Roofing 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 Honest Abe Roofing franchise worth it?
- It depends on the numbers, not the pitch. Honest Abe Roofing scores C on disclosure honesty, carries about 7% of sales in ongoing fees, and discloses 1 legal matters. Get the real owner take-home before you sign.
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Source: WI DFI Franchise Registration (2026). FranchiseValidate is independent and not affiliated with Honest Abe Roofing or its franchisor. Figures are extracted from the franchisor's own public disclosure document; verify against the current FDD before any decision.