Crs Franchise Cost & 2026 FDD Data
49/100
Second tier
49 this brand56 Cleaning & Maintenance medianlikely 43–55: narrower with more SBA loans (high confidence)
Higher is better · an editorial assessment, not investment advice
#1,770 of 3,069 graded brands
Why a B: Helped by legal record and transparency. Held back by financial health. See all six factors
- Total investment
- $201K – $423K
- Avg gross sales
- $538K
- 29 outlets reporting; not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (9)
Data from the FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records. Analysis by FranchiseVerdict · Methodology · Website · Report an error · Franchisor? Claim this listing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026 FDD
Per the 2026 FDD, a Crs franchise requires a total initial investment of $201K – $423K, including a $55K franchise fee. Once open, the ongoing royalty is 7.0%. Per the 2026 FDD, average gross sales were $538K (29 outlets reporting; gross sales, not profit). Verdict grade: B (Second tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice.
Sources: 2026 FDD · What one unit could make and lose →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low (issued within the last 12 months)
Evidence for the headline figures: 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 scored7 of 7 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
Quick verdict · vs Cleaning & Maintenance median
Top edge: green = better than the Cleaning & Maintenance median by more than 10%, red = worse by more than 10%, gray = within 10% or no benchmark. Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a).
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Methodology
Bottom line
- RETURNSAverage gross sales of $538K/year (outlet median $494K; reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system; 29 outlets reporting; gross sales, not profit).
- GROWTHIn the latest Item 20 year, the number of franchised outlets grew by 39 (41 opened, 2 left the franchised system, 1 of them bought back by the franchisor).
AT STAKEOne unit at the Item 7 midpoint: $40K a year in payments on assumed SBA 7(a)-style terms.You put in about $62K of your own cash and personally guarantee a $250K loan. Assumptions are labeled in Sales; not investment advice.See what one unit could make and lose
Things to check before you sign (1)
- The franchisor keeps the right to compete inside your territory (Item 12, territory).
Checked and clear: no auditor doubt that the franchisor can keep operating, no net loss of franchised outlets in the latest Item 20 years, no lawsuit naming the franchisor in Item 3, no supplier rebates to the franchisor, no rule that the owner must run it personally and the full filing on file, and an Item 19 average from 29 units. Not on file here, so ask: SBA charge-off rate against the category median and jury-trial waiver.
What to do next
Step 1: Read the FDD itself.
Free: the franchisor must give it to you at least 14 days before you sign or pay. Or look it up in a state registry (Wisconsin, Minnesota, California). What to read first.
Step 2: Talk to current and former owners.
Free: Item 20 of the FDD lists every current owner and those who left last year, most with a phone number. Questions to ask.
Step 3: Talk to an SBA lender.
Free: the SBA's Lender Match. Ask what you would personally guarantee and what the monthly payment would be. If you plan to use retirement savings, ask a CPA about the rules for that first.
Step 4: Have a franchise attorney review the FDD and agreement.
Free: your state bar's lawyer referral service can name franchise lawyers, and many offer a short first consultation. Bring the checks listed above.
Research steps, not investment or legal advice.
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost (the Item 7 midpoint) is 92% above the Cleaning & Maintenance median ($162K).
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7 (fees and startup costs)
Do you qualify? The filing states no minimum net worth or liquid capital. Ask CRS Franchising, LLC d/b/a CRS (Item 1: 195 Montour Run Road, Suite 105, Coraopolis, PA 15108) and your lender what they require, and keep living costs for the first year outside the deal.
Full Item 7 breakdown16 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $55K | $55K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing | $2K | $4K | |
| Rent (1 month rent, plus security deposit) | $8K | $41.7K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $5K | $80K | |
| Office Supplies | $1K | $3K | |
| Signage | $400 | $3K | |
| Utility Security Deposits | $200 | $2K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment | $2.8K | $60K | |
| Business Management and Technology System and Technology Fee (3 months) | $3.7K | $5K | |
| Travel Expense for Initial Training | $2K | $4K | |
| Vehicle | $7.5K | $20K | |
| Inventory and Supplies | $2K | $6K | |
| Insurance | $10K | $15K | |
| Professional fees | $1.5K | $5K | |
| Permits and Licenses | $200 | $4K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $100K | $115K | |
| Total initial investment | $201K | $423K |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. The total row is the total as printed in Item 7. Actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 6 · what you pay once you are open
Ongoing fees
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| RoyaltyPercentage of sales; timing as set out in Item 6. Minimum: Minimum Royalty Fee of $1,000/month per territory (increases proportionally with additional territories; may increase annually by CPI) | 7.0% of gross revenues |
| Marketing / ad fundBrand-wide marketing pool. Currently 1% of Gross Revenue (Brand Fund Contribution); may be increased up to 3% of Gross Revenue upon notice | 1.0% of gross revenues |
| Technology feeTechnology Fee currently $400/month per territory for required Business Management and Technology System software; no cap, may increase with 60 days' notice | $400/month |
| Transfer fee | $10,000 |
| Total fee loadnear the Cleaning & Maintenance median of 8.0% | 8.0% of sales |
What do units actually make?
Average gross sales are near the Cleaning & Maintenance median ($519K).
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19 (sales and earnings)
Items 6 (other fees), 7 (startup costs) and 19 (sales and earnings) · assumptions labeled
What you could make and lose: one unit
What one Crs unit would ask of you, from the filing's Item 7 total and labeled assumptions.
Average gross sales are $538K (FDD p.48), and the royalty and ad fund take about $43K of that a year (Item 6). This brand's Item 19 does not print cost lines. Enter your own from a lease quote, a payroll plan and calls with current owners. So this box does not estimate a profit. To cover the loan payment alone, one unit has to clear $40K a year after its food, labor, rent and other costs and the franchisor's fees.
How these figures are worked out
- Loan (assumption): 80% of the $312K Item 7 midpoint is a $250K loan, paid over 10 years at 10.5%: $40K a year. SBA 7(a)-style terms on a long-term rate; your lender sets yours.
What you put at risk
Your own cash in: about $62K Assumption (the part the loan does not cover of the $312K Item 7 midpoint), plus whatever anything Item 7 leaves out (its notes say what). The loan is $250K.
Personal guarantee. SBA 7(a) loans require a personal guarantee from anyone who owns 20% or more of the business. If the unit cannot pay, the lender can collect from you personally, which can include your savings and your home. The worst case is losing the cash you put in and still owing the rest of the loan.
Gross sales are not profit, and none of these figures is take-home pay until tax and every operating cost are paid. The assumptions are ours, not the filing's. Not investment advice.
Returns modelOne unit · several units · editable
One unit
One unit: what is left after the loan payment
Gross sales, minus the franchisor's fees and the operating costs, is the unit's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization). Minus an assumed loan payment, that is what is left for you, before tax. Gross sales are not profit.
This brand's Item 19 does not print cost lines. Enter your own from a lease quote, a payroll plan and calls with current owners. Invested capital is the Item 7 total, which already includes its working-capital (additional funds) line.
Returns model · one unit
What would one Crs unit leave you each year after the loan payment?
Item 19 reports $537,713 per unit. Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system.
Gross sales, not profit: the costs below decide what is left.
The filing also sets a minimum or cap on these fees: “Minimum Royalty Fee of $1,000/month per territory (increases proportionally with additional territories; may increase annually by CPI)”; “Greater of 7% of Gross Revenue or Minimum Royalty Fee of $1,000/month per territory” (Item 6). This model applies the percentages, so at low sales the real fee can be higher than shown here.
Item 6, as stored, a year. A fixed fee, so it comes off EBITDA as dollars, not a share of sales.
This brand's Item 19 does not print cost lines. Enter your own from a lease quote, a payroll plan and calls with current owners.
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.
Item 7 midpoint of $201K to $423K
Item 7's $100K to $115K additional funds are already in the total
Left after the loan payment · per year
The unit's EBITDA minus the assumed loan payment. Before tax, depreciation and any cost your inputs leave out (insurance, accounting and legal, licenses, technology fees): not take-home pay.
Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies direct costs, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
Loan of $250K at 10.5% over 10 years, an assumption, not a quote. Return and payback are before tax, depreciation and the costs above. The loan usually needs your personal guarantee.
Buying several existing units? The acquisition scenario
Buying several units
What buying a few existing units could return
Prices an existing operator of a few units off the single-unit EBITDA above, after shared services, and finances it with an SBA 7(a) loan, a conventional loan and a seller note. It shows the yearly return on your cash (IRR), whether year-1 earnings cover the loan payments (DSCR) and how the price is paid for. It starts at 5 units; every deal term is an assumption you can change, and none is from the FDD.
Not modelled yet
Gross sales are not profit. Neither the filing nor a stated assumption on this page supplies direct costs, labor, rent / occupancy and other operating costs. Enter your own (a lease quote, owner calls) and the model runs on it.
This scenario starts from a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in the one-unit model above and it runs on that figure, or take it to the full ROI workbench, where the multi-unit and acquisition models accept your own per-unit economics.
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 · filed by CRS Franchising, LLC d/b/a CRS
Financial performance
Percentile ranks within Cleaning & Maintenance
Each rank is among the Cleaning & Maintenance brands that report that figure (the count is under each bar).
vs Cleaning & Maintenance medians
How Crs compares
Category median of published Cleaning & Maintenance 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.
Who are you contracting with?
CRS Franchising, LLC d/b/a CRS.
Item 1 (the franchisor) · who you're contracting with
The franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- CRS Franchising, LLC d/b/a CRS
- Predecessor
- Duckstein Contracting Inc. ("Contents" division became Content Recovery Specialists, LLC in 2020)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- CEO
- Henry D. Duckstein
- Incorporated in
- Pennsylvania
- HQ
- 195 Montour Run Road, Suite 105, Coraopolis, PA 15108
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.2M
- latest fiscal year in the 2026 FDD; $719K the year before
Overview
About
Franchised professional restoration/"packout" businesses specializing in restoration of personal property and goods damaged by flood, fire, or other tragedy (contents restoration/pack-out, cleaning, storage) working closely with insurance carriers, plus structure cleaning services.
- CEO
- Henry D. Duckstein
- Franchised outlets in
- 21 states and territories
- Item 20 Table 3, at year end
Is the system healthy?
+70 franchised outlets over the two years to 2025 (6 to 76).
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20 (outlets opened, closed and transferred)
Item 20 (outlet counts) · unit dynamics
The growth chart
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 97%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 rates and pipeline
- Reacquired
- 1
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 7
- 1 for every 11 open outlets · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 10
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Item 20 · franchised units at year end
Franchised units rose from 6 in 2023 to 76 in 2025
Axis does not start at zero.
Source and method
Item 20 (outlet counts) Table 3 · franchised outlets at year end
Where current outlets are
Franchised outlets at year end by state, as the filing's Item 20 Table 3 counts them. Not a list of where the franchisor may sell new units.
Current outlets (count on the tile) · 21 statesNo current outlet
76 franchised outlets at year end in 21 states (Item 20 Table 3).
Government records
SBA loan data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 9 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Loans on file
- 9
- SBA 7(a) loans matched to this brand, incl. those still being repaid
- Loan volume
- $3.0M
- Average loan
- $328K
- loan volume divided by loans
- Charge-off rate
- Under 10 loans (9)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 9 loans, rate hidden below 10
- Paid in full
- Under 10 loans (9)
- Recent-loan charge-off
- Under 10 loans (9)
- Lenders
- 4
Cumulative: every 7(a) loan matched to this brand in the SBA’s FOIA files, approved FY1991 onward. Historical lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What are the risks?
Main risk in the grade: financial health. The reasons are below.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Verdict grade + FDD Items 3 (litigation), 4 (bankruptcy), 8 (required suppliers), 16 (what you may sell), 21 (audited financials)
Risk and legal
Grade B: Second tier, 49/100 (category median 56); the full grade is at the top of the page.
How the grade is built
Why a B, factor by factor
- Financial health Weighs on it, weakest dimensionAudited financials; no going-concern doubt; franchisor reported a net loss; negative net worth
- Unit economics NeutralAvg gross sales $538K on a $312K investment midpoint, 1.7x (gross sales, not profit)
- Unit growth Neutral+70 franchised outlets over the two years to 2025 (6 to 76); growth is not graded below a 10-outlet starting base; turnover 2.6%
- Scale Neutral76 franchised units, +2 company-owned (78 in all); franchising since 2022
- Legal HelpsNo litigation naming the franchisor in Item 3
- Transparency HelpsItem 19 discloses financial performance; audited financials
- Adjustments after the six dimensions (+1 point)Rounding: the score is kept as a whole number, which moved it by 1 point.
From the six scored dimensions, an editorial assessment, not investment advice. How the score is built
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation disclosed.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Franchisor takes supplier rebates: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before your own operating costs.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12 (territory), 15 (owner participation) and 17 (renewal, termination and disputes)
Contract and territory detail
| Allowed renewals | 2 |
|---|---|
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territory | No |
| Territory population | 700,000 |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Who runs it (Item 15) | A manager may run it |
| Non-compete (years) | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles) | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusal | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Curable defaults | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania |
| Governing law | Pennsylvania |
Items 10 (financing), 11 (training and support)
Training and operations
- Classroom training
- 32 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 24 hrs
- Training location
- Online, and/or Franchisor's offices in Coraopolis, PA, and/or franchisee's Location (for Technical Operations OJT)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 7 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee proposes, franchisor approves
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- QuickBooks (Franchise version), Assured Restoration Job Software (or other Brand Standards Manual-designated estimating software)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 (initial fees) & 11 (training and support)
Franchisor support
Item 20 (outlet counts) · call current owners
Franchisee contacts
Who can you call before you sign?
6 current outlets listed
Each record has a phone number and state. No franchisee names or cities. 6 records. From the filing's Item 20 (the outlet list); the FDD itself is the free source. Our list covers 6 of the 76 franchised outlets Item 20 counts at year end; the owner exhibit prints the rest without a usable phone number, or omits them.
For your own due-diligence calls only. Not for telemarketing, marketing lists, or automated or prerecorded calls or texts.
The list is not offered for this brand yet. The FDD's Item 20 exhibit lists the owners.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to open a Crs franchise?
Per the 2026 FDD, the total investment to open a Crs franchise ranges from $201K to $423K, with an initial franchise fee of $55K. This is the Item 7 total in the Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD): the startup costs the franchisor lists, such as build-out, equipment, inventory and working capital. It usually leaves out buying land or a building; Item 7's notes say what is excluded.
What do Crs franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Crs FDD, average gross sales were $538K (29 outlets reporting; gross sales, not profit). The median is $494K. What an owner keeps depends on location, operating costs and management.
Who owns Crs?
Crs is franchised by CRS Franchising, LLC d/b/a CRS. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Crs 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 Crs FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Crs' franchise failure rate?
There is no published franchise failure rate, and Crs has too few resolved SBA 7(a) loans on file (fewer than 10) to show an SBA charge-off rate that would mean anything. The SBA charge-off rate is the share of a brand's resolved SBA 7(a) loans to its franchisees that the SBA wrote off, including purchased guarantees. Resolved means paid in full or charged off; active loans are excluded because their outcome is not yet known. It is a lending outcome, not a count of closed businesses. Review the turnover and closure figures in Item 20 of the FDD and speak with current and former franchisees.
How many Crs franchise locations are there?
Per the 2026 FDD, Crs has 76 franchised units and 2 company-owned (78 in all). In the latest year, the number of franchised outlets grew by 39 (41 opened, 2 left the franchised system, 1 of them bought back by the franchisor).
Is Crs a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict gives Crs a B Verdict grade (Second tier) with a verdict score of 49 out of 100 (higher is better), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Helped by legal record (no litigation naming the franchisor in Item 3) and transparency. Held back by financial health (audited financials). The “Why a B” section on this page lists all six dimensions and any adjustment. Speak with current franchisees before making any investment decision.
Other Cleaning & Maintenance franchises
Similar investment first, then by grade
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.