Crushr Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Crushr is a B2B franchise that sends a mobile compaction truck to crush businesses' dumpster waste on site, cutting haul-away costs and pickups. Franchisees run a route-based service selling to commercial clients and operating the compactor truck.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Crushr franchise requires a total initial investment of $150K – $383K, including a $50K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 29 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $150K – $383K
- 59th pct Cleaning & Ma…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 98
- 63rd pct Cleaning & Ma…
- SBA charge-off
- 0.0%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Cleaning & Maintenance · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Cleaning & Maintenance 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 $150K – $383K including a $50K franchise fee.
- RETURNSTotal revenues for FY2024 = $5,946,823, comprised of Franchise related revenue $5,415,153 and Services revenue $531,670 (down from $8,001,692 in FY2023). Audited statements of income for Smash Brothers, LLC, years ended Dec 31, 2024 and 2023.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 99/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 29 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- GROWTHSystem growing at 58.3% CAGR over 3 years with 98 total units. Strong expansion trajectory.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Smash Brothers, LLC
- Predecessor
- Smash-It (used September 2017 - August 2019 before transition to Crushr marks)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- K. Scott Dennison
- Incorporated in
- KY
- HQ
- 13147 Middletown Industrial Blvd., Louisville, KY 40223
- Auditor
- Dean Dorton (deandorton.com)
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $5.9M
- vs $8.0M prior year
Affiliated brands
- Crushr IP
- SB Ops I
- FD Leasing
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- K. Scott Dennison
- Headquarters
- KY
- Founded
- 2016
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 33
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 15% below the typical cleaning & maintenance franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $50K | $50K | |
| Onboarding Training Fee | $5K | $5K | |
| Local Area Advertising Requirement (3 months) | $2K | $2K | |
| Rent (3 months) | $300 | $2K | |
| Utility Security Deposits | $0 | $500 | |
| Installed Vehicle | $58K | $260K | |
| Installed Vehicle Transportation | $3K | $6K | |
| Technology Fee (3 months) | $2K | $2K | |
| Computer and Office Equipment and Supplies | $100 | $1K | |
| Travel Expense for Initial Training | $2K | $4K | |
| Insurance (3 months) | $3K | $12K | |
| Professional Fees | $3K | $5K | |
| Permits and Licenses | $250 | $1K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $25K | $35K | |
| Total initial investment | $150K | $383K |
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
- $150K – $383K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $35K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- Greater of 8% of Gross Sales or a Minimum Continuing Fee …
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $10K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Crushr 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 Crushr unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
30%
Within 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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Total revenues for FY2024 = $5,946,823, comprised of Franchise related revenue $5,415,153 and Services revenue $531,670 (down from $8,001,692 in FY2023). Audited statements of income for Smash Brothers, LLC, years ended Dec 31, 2024 and 2023.
- Item 19 type
- gross sales and income statement
- Sample size
- 50
- vs category median 32
- Range (low → high)
- $11K→$1.0M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Transparency tier
- limited
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 192 Cleaning & Maintenance brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 9.0% (near the Cleaning & Maintenance average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports gross sales and income statement rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System expanding at 58.3% CAGR over 3 years across 98 units — operators are staying and new ones are joining.
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 Cleaning & Maintenance averages
How Crushr Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 98
- Opened
- 17
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 3
- Turnover rate
- 3.2%
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 97%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +58.3%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +58.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 17
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 3
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 6
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 1
- Franchisor bought back
- Ceased ops
- 1.7%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 25 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
- Hawaii
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
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.
- Total loans
- 29
- Loan volume
- $6.3M
- Median loan
- $283K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 10
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 9.9%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 12.0%
- brand beats franchise avg ↓
- Jobs supported
- 131
- 2.1 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 62%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 97% went to startups / new businesses, 3% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in other waste collection, franchised businesses charge off at 12.0% vs 12.3% for independents — franchising is associated with 2% lower SBA default risk in this category.
Top lenders financing Crushr franchisees
Showing 3 of 10 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.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Crushr's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 5-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 29 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 0.0% — 100% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Crushr presents moderate-to-caution risk due to unverified financial performance claims, opaque revenue data, slow unit growth, and franchisor stability concerns that undermine confidence in the $197,359 net income figure.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Dean Dorton (deandorton.com)
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 99 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNo average revenue disclosure despite Item 19 financial claims — cannot verify the $197,359 net income figure or validate ROI
- 02MEDHigh initial investment ($149,950–$383,050) with 8% royalty creates breakeven risk if actual revenues underperform disclosed averages
- 03MINORModest unit growth (15.9% YoY on 98 units = ~14 net adds) — slower than franchise industry standards; suggests saturation or recruitment difficulty
- 04MEDRoyalty structure ($0–$1,000/mo minimum) is vague and may hide variable costs or undisclosed fees that erode stated profitability
- 05MINORNo 'going concern' disclosure raises questions about franchisor financial stability and long-term support
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 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory sizeℹ | Minimum 2,500 businesses identified by NAICS codes |
| 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 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 2 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Jefferson County (Louisville), Kentucky |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | KY |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 12 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 56 hrs
- Training location
- Louisville, Kentucky (OJT); online/virtual (classroom); franchisee's market (field sales)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 4 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisor approves storage site for Installed Vehicle
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
53 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Crushr · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Crushr franchise?
The total investment to open a Crushr franchise ranges from $150K – $383K, with an initial franchise fee of $50K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Crushr franchise owners earn?
Crushr 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 Crushr 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 Crushr FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Crushr's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Crushr has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 29 loans, meaning 0.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many Crushr franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Crushr has 98 total units in the United States, including 95 franchised units and 3 company-owned units. 17 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Crushr a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Crushr as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 99 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Crushr, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.