DapperTails Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
DapperTails is a pet grooming franchise offering mobile and in-shop grooming for dogs and cats. Franchisees run local operations, managing groomers, appointments, and pet care within a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A DapperTails franchise requires a total initial investment of $104K – $242K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $104K – $242K
- 31st pct Pet Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned only
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 45th pct Pet Services
- Units
- 33
- 63rd pct Pet Services
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Pet Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Pet 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 $104K – $242K including a $50K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAudited financial statements as of December 31, 2025 included in Exhibit D; DapperTails LLC formed January 14, 2025, so fewer than 3 years of audited statements. Exhibit D not text-extractable in source file (image-only); no financial figures available.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 50/100 (higher is better).
- DATAItem 19 reports gross revenue by location and quarter rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- DapperTails LLC
- Parent company
- None
- Predecessor
- ENC Grooming Corp d/b/a The Ruff Life and DapperTails
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and President
- Chris Elias
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 4575 Artesa Way S, Palm Beach Gardens, FL 33418
- Auditor
- Abid CPA, P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $417
- Most recent fiscal year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Affiliated brands
- Drops of Jupiter
- outlets
- ENC Grooming
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Chris Elias
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2025
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 5
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 75% below the typical pet services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $50K | $50K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $5K | $5K | |
| Traveling for Initial Training | $2K | $5K | |
| Grooming Van Finance/Purchase and Upfitting | $13K | $125K | |
| DapperTails Vehicle Wrap | $4K | $5K | |
| Transport and Delivery Fees | $2K | $4K | |
| Initial Inventory and Supplies | $5K | $10K | |
| Initial Technology Package | $2K | $4K | |
| Professional Fees | $1K | $4K | |
| Business Licenses and Permits | $500 | $1K | |
| Insurance | $2K | $3K | |
| Master Groomer Training | $3K | $8K | |
| Operating Expenses / Additional Funds - 3 months | $15K | $20K | |
| Development Fee (Multi-Unit Development Agreement, 2 to 5 units) | $70K | $130K | |
| Initial Investment for Your First Franchised Business (Multi-Unit) | $54K | $192K | |
| Total initial investment | $227K | $564K |
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
- $104K – $242K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 9.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 7.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $400 |
| Transfer fee | $30K |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $10K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
DapperTails 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 DapperTails unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
55%
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: 2026 FDD
Financial Performance
Audited financial statements as of December 31, 2025 included in Exhibit D; DapperTails LLC formed January 14, 2025, so fewer than 3 years of audited statements. Exhibit D not text-extractable in source file (image-only); no financial figures available.
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 Pet Services average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports gross revenue by location and quarter rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
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 Pet Services averages
How DapperTails Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 33
- Opened
- 7
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 27
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 18%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 7
- Closed (3yr)
- 0
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 1
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 38
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 3.0%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 5 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.
5
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 1 7(a) loan on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 1
- Loan volume
- $200K
- Median loan
- $200K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (1 loan) — rate not shown below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 1
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
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
DapperTails presents meaningful caution-level risk due to complete financial opacity, tiny system size with unknown growth, and royalty structure that penalizes unprofitable operators.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Abid CPA, P.C.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
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
- 01MINORNo Item 19 financial disclosure (average revenue and net income not provided) — impossible to validate ROI claims or unit economics
- 02MINOROnly 33 units system-wide with unknown growth trajectory — suggests early-stage or stalled expansion; insufficient data to assess brand momentum
- 03MINORWide investment range ($103.5K–$242K spread of 135%) indicates inconsistent startup costs or undefined territory/service tier model
- 04MINOR7% royalty on gross revenue (not net profit) — franchisees pay royalties even during unprofitable months, increasing break-even risk
- 05MEDNo disclosed litigation, but combined with zero financial transparency, raises questions about FDD completeness and franchisee communication
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 | No |
| Territory population | 150,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 15 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | West Palm Beach, Florida |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | FL |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 16 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 40 hrs
- Training location
- West Palm Beach, FL or Video Conference (management); Long Island, NY or West Palm Beach, FL (Master Groomer)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisor approves territory; franchisee selects location within territory
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
9 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
DapperTails · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a DapperTails franchise?
The total investment to open a DapperTails franchise ranges from $104K – $242K, 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 DapperTails franchise owners earn?
DapperTails 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 DapperTails 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 DapperTails FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is DapperTails's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for DapperTails (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 DapperTails franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, DapperTails has 33 total units in the United States, including 6 franchised units and 27 company-owned units. 7 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is DapperTails a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates DapperTails as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 50 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.