Bluefrog Plumbing + Drain Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $144K – $346K
- Disclosed sales
- $1.2M
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Limited · 15 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
bluefrog Plumbing + Drain is a plumbing and drain services franchise for residential and commercial customers. Franchisees run local operations, dispatching technicians for repairs, drain cleaning, and emergency work and managing scheduling.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A BLUEFROG PLUMBING + DRAIN franchise requires a total initial investment of $144K – $346K, including a $60K – $67K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average revenue per franchisee was $1.2M. This franchisor reports Item 19 per franchisee rather than per outlet, so the figure is not comparable with per-outlet averages[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✓ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored6 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $144K – $346K
- 56th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $1.2M
- Per franchisee, not per outlet
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 21st pct Home Services
- Units
- 35
- 36th pct Home Services
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Home Services median · 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 $144K – $346K including a $60K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage revenue per franchisee of $1.2M/year (median $546K). Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 50/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHNegative: net -7 franchised outlets in the latest year (7 opened, 14 closed); 6 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- FLAG14 units terminated last reporting year (40.0% of the system). Ask existing franchisees why.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- BlueFrog Plumbing and Drain, LLC
- Parent company
- Stellar Brands, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2025 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- MPK Equity Partners, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2025 FDD
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Jessica Wescott
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 2929 Carlisle St., Suite 100, Dallas, Texas 75204
- Auditor
- HM&M Group, LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.6M
- vs $1.6M prior year
Same owner · FDD Item 1, page 8
2 other brands on this site name MPK Equity Partners, LLC as parent or ultimate parent in their own FDD.
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2025 FDD). Spelling variants of the same group may be listed apart; a brand is never grouped with an owner its filing does not name.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Jessica Wescott
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2014
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 11
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 46% above the typical home services franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown18 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Franchise Fee | $60K | $67K | |
| Technology Fee | $2K | $2K | |
| Real Estate/Rent | $2K | $9K | |
| Signage & Graphics | $500 | $2K | |
| Office Furniture, Fixtures, & Equipment | $15K | $63K | |
| Service Tools, Equipment, and Initial Inventory | $3K | $6K | |
| Point-of-Sale System | $0 | $2K | |
| Technology Systems Components | $505 | $2K | |
| Training Fee | $3K | $3K | |
| Training Expenses for 3 people | $2K | $5K | |
| Vehicle | $3K | $65K | |
| Marketing Materials & Grand Opening Advertising | $11K | $18K | |
| Digital Marketing Fee (3 months) | $897 | $897 | |
| Insurance | $2K | $6K | |
| Licenses & Permits | $2K | $4K | |
| Recruitment for Master Plumber | $0 | $8K | |
| Professional Fees | $2K | $9K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $38K | $75K | |
| Total initial investment | $144K | $346K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $144K – $346K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $38K – $75K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $60K – $67K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% |
| Technology fee | $399 |
| Training fee | $3K |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $3K – $6K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 99% above the home services norm.
Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for BLUEFROG PLUMBING + DRAIN until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$301K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one BLUEFROG PLUMBING + DRAIN unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures
- Avg gross sales
- $1.2M
- Per franchisee, per year — not per outlet
- Median gross sales
- $546K
- Per franchisee, not per outlet
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- gross sales
- Sample size
- 9 franchisees
- vs category median 32 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $391K→$1.7MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 48 of the 2025 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 3 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · below
Compared against 319 Home Services brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
The average franchisee generates $1.2M/year in gross sales. Median is $546K — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Home Services median).
Disclosure
Transparency score 3/10 — moderate disclosure depth. Average and range data are available but detailed cohort breakdowns may be limited.
Operator retention
System roughly stable (0.0% 3-year CAGR) with 35 units.
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 Home Services medians
How Bluefrog Plumbing + Drain Compares
Per franchisee, not per outlet - the category median is per-outlet only, so no comparison is shown
Category median of published Home Services brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 35
- Opened
- 7
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 14
- Terminated
- 14
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 40.0%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +0.0%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +0.0%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 14
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 2
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 6
- 0.17 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 15
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 5.7%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Termination rate
- 40.0%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 40.0%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 16 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Rhode Island
- Wisconsin
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
28 current owners across 16 states.
- TX 7
- CA 4
- FL 2
- IN 2
- WA 2
- CO 1
- CT 1
- GA 1
- IL 1
- KY 1
- LA 1
- MA 1
- +4 more states
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 15
- Loan volume
- $3.0M
- Median loan
- $222K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- Limited · 15 loans
- Limited SBA coverage: 15 loans, rate hidden until 10 have resolved and loans reach 2% of franchised units
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Limited · 15 loans
- 5-yr charge-off
- Limited · 15 loans
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 9
- Defaults
- 1
- Typical loan rate
- 9.2%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 20.0%
- n=454 loans
- Jobs supported
- 81
- 2.9 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 31%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 85% went to startups / new businesses, 15% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in plumbing, heating, and air-conditioning contract, franchised businesses charge off at 20.0% vs 14.5% for independents — franchising is associated with 38% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing Bluefrog Plumbing + Drain franchisees
Showing 3 of 9 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Bluefrog Plumbing + Drain from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 2.3%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 74%
- Avg interest rate
- 9.21%
- Avg chargeoff amount
- $63K
- Lender concentration
- 30.8%
- Job velocity
- 2.9 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 13.6%
- NAICS 238220
- Jobs supported
- 81
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 31% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Huntington National Bank | 4 | $559K | N/A |
| 2 | Stearns Bank National Association | 2 | $200K | 100.0% |
| 3 | Lendistry SBLC, LLC | 1 | $226K | 0.0% |
| 4 | Stone Bank | 1 | $233K | 0.0% |
| 5 | Union Bank and Trust Company | 1 | $300K | N/A |
| 6 | Midwest Regional Bank | 1 | $312K | N/A |
| 7 | Evolve Bank and Trust | 1 | $645K | N/A |
| 8 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 1 | $150K | N/A |
| 9 | BayFirst National Bank | 1 | $150K | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| TXTexas | 4 | 0 | -- |
| CACalifornia | 2 | 1 | 50.0% |
| CTConnecticut | 2 | 0 | -- |
| GAGeorgia | 2 | 0 | -- |
| AZArizona | 1 | 0 | -- |
| NCNorth Carolina | 1 | 0 | 0.0% |
| NENebraska | 1 | 0 | -- |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Declining franchise system with aggressive fee structure, unprotected territories, and undisclosed profitability metrics presents meaningful risk for franchisee capital recovery.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
One action: Commonwealth of Virginia ex rel. State Corporation Commission v. Restoration 1 Franchise Holding, LLC and Andor Kovacs (affiliate, not franchisor). Settlement in 2014 for offering franchise after VA registration lapsed; $1,000 paid to defray investigation costs.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · HM&M Group, LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Audited statement of operations for fiscal year ended December 31, 2024. Operating revenues comprise royalty fees ($838,124), franchise fees ($312,222), brand fund ($272,706), technology fees ($152,171), and other ($586). Franchisor is a subsidiary of Stellar Brands, LLC; audit report dated March 18, 2025 (Dallas, Texas).
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 50 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDUnit count declined 16.7% YoY (35 units) — indicates system contraction and potential franchisee struggles
- 02MINORUnprotected territory — franchisees face direct competition from other BlueFrog locations and brand cannibalization risk
- 03MINORTiered royalty structure with $500-$1,500 monthly minimum floor — aggressive fee collection even during slow revenue months
- 04HIGH2014 litigation by affiliate (Restoration 1) for selling unregistered franchises — indicates compliance and disclosure concerns within parent company operations
- 05MINORHigh initial investment ($144k-$345k) combined with declining unit performance — raises ROI and market saturation questions
- 06MINORVague Item 19 data — average revenue provided but no median, range, or franchisee profitability breakdown limits transparency
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · 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 territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 450,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 2 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Dallas, Texas |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | TX |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
One action: Commonwealth of Virginia ex rel. State Corporation Commission v. Restoration 1 Franchise Holding, LLC and Andor Kovacs (affiliate, not franchisor). Settlement in 2014 for offering franchise after VA registration lapsed; $1,000 paid to defray investigation costs.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 4 hrs
- Training location
- Dallas, Texas, or virtually
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 5 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
28 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a BLUEFROG PLUMBING + DRAIN franchise?
The total investment to open a BLUEFROG PLUMBING + DRAIN franchise ranges from $144K – $346K, 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 BLUEFROG PLUMBING + DRAIN franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the BLUEFROG PLUMBING + DRAIN FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.2M. The median is $546K. Important context: Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns BLUEFROG PLUMBING + DRAIN?
BLUEFROG PLUMBING + DRAIN is franchised by BlueFrog Plumbing and Drain, LLC. Its parent company is Stellar Brands, LLC. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is MPK Equity Partners, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the BLUEFROG PLUMBING + DRAIN 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 BLUEFROG PLUMBING + DRAIN FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is BLUEFROG PLUMBING + DRAIN's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for BLUEFROG PLUMBING + DRAIN (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 BLUEFROG PLUMBING + DRAIN franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, BLUEFROG PLUMBING + DRAIN has 35 total units in the United States, including 35 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 7 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is BLUEFROG PLUMBING + DRAIN a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates BLUEFROG PLUMBING + DRAIN as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 50 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.