Appell Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Appell is a pavement services franchise providing parking lot striping, sealcoating, and repair for businesses. Franchisees run local operations, managing crews, equipment, and commercial accounts.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Appell franchise requires a total initial investment of $225K – $477K, including a $60K franchise fee and an ongoing 8.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $225K – $477K
- 56th pct Business Serv…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- 25th pct Business Serv…
- Units
- 12
- 19th pct Business Serv…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Business Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Business Services avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $225K – $477K including a $60K franchise fee, 8.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 discloses individual 2025 calendar-year Gross Sales for 5 reporting franchisees (2-4 territories each) ranging $96,702-$794,744, plus separate affiliate-owned Table B gross sales by service type (Pavement Maintenance $739,005; Snow Removal $1,477,198.33; National Pavement Maintenance/Paving $6,720,278.91). Data unaudited/self-reported by franchisees; no average, median, or per-unit-normalized figure is disclosed, so avg/median fields are left null.
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 33/100 (higher is better).
- FLAGAuditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Appell Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- APLS Franchising, LLC
- Predecessor
- APLS Franchising, LLC
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Founder/CEO
- Bryan M. Appell
- Incorporated in
- Utah
- HQ
- 1515 Mockingbird Lane, Suite 400, Charlotte, North Carolina 28209
- Franchisor revenue
- $736K
- Most recent fiscal year
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2026
- Auditor flagged doubt about continued operations. Verify against the latest FDD before deciding.
Affiliated brands
- has not offered franchises in any line of business
- is not involved in any other substantive business activity
- Appell Striping and Sealcoating
- APLS Franchising
- has not offered or sold licenses in any line of business and
- Cornerstone Franchise Partners
- Appell Striping
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Bryan M. Appell
- Headquarters
- North Carolina
- Founded
- 2023
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 6
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 26% above the typical business services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $60K | $60K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $20K | $35K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $145K | $382K |
| Total initial investment | $225K | $477K |
Source: Appell 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $225K – $477K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $35K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $60K – $60K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 8.0%
- formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 8.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $410 |
| Training fee | $5K |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $3K |
| Inventory (initial) | $750 – $3K |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Appell did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Appell unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
28%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
Item 19 discloses individual 2025 calendar-year Gross Sales for 5 reporting franchisees (2-4 territories each) ranging $96,702-$794,744, plus separate affiliate-owned Table B gross sales by service type (Pavement Maintenance $739,005; Snow Removal $1,477,198.33; National Pavement Maintenance/Paving $6,720,278.91). Data unaudited/self-reported by franchisees; no average, median, or per-unit-normalized figure is disclosed, so avg/median fields are left null.
- Item 19 type
- individual reporting-franchisee gross sales (not statistical average)
- Sample size
- 5
- vs category median 35 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $97K→$795K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- none
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 0 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · below
Compared against 296 Business Services brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
8.0% royalty + 1.0% ad fund.
Disclosure
Item 19 reports individual reporting-franchisee gross sales (not statistical average) rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
Net unit growth of +166.7% over 3 years (4 opened, 0 closed).
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Business Services averages
How Appell Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 12
- Opened
- 4
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 1
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 9.1%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 92%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +166.7%
- Net unit change over 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 4
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 1
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Ceased ops
- 0.1%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 6 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
6
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
Fast growth in a small system. Newer franchisors expanding quickly may not yet have the support infrastructure of larger systems.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
What could kill this investment?
The auditor flagged going-concern doubt (Item 21) — the single biggest risk here.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Early-stage franchise with financial transparency gaps, going concern flag, and rapid unproven growth raises material risk despite no litigation or zero franchise fee.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation must be disclosed in this Item.
Largest disclosed settlement: $5,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes⚠ Going-concern note flagged
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 33 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHGoing concern warning indicates potential financial distress or viability questions at corporate level
- 02MEDCritical financial metrics completely undisclosed: no average unit revenue, net income, or royalty rate published
- 03MINORExtremely rapid unit growth (166.7% YoY from ~3 to 9 units) suggests either aggressive expansion or turnover; insufficient track record at scale
- 04MINORZero franchise fee is unusual and may indicate difficulty attracting franchisees through traditional means or aggressive market penetration strategy
- 05MINORUnknown term length and royalty structure prevent proper financial modeling and long-term commitment assessment
- 06MEDOnly 9 total units provides minimal comparable performance data and limited corporate stability/resources
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 9.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 500,000 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 22 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 6 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Bay Shore, NY (Suffolk County) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | North Carolina |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation must be disclosed in this Item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 16 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 23 hrs
- Training location
- Charlotte, NC (or other designated location)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 2 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
1 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Appell · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Appell franchise?
The total investment to open a Appell franchise ranges from $225K – $477K, with an initial franchise fee of $60K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Appell franchise owners earn?
Appell does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Item 19 in the Appell FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Appell FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Appell's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Appell (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Appell franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Appell has 12 total units in the United States, including 11 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 4 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Appell a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Appell as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 33 out of 100 (higher is better), based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.