DapperTailsFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
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]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $215K[2]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $104K – $242K
- 30th pct Pet Services
- Avg gross sales
- $215K
- 7th pct Pet Services
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 38th pct Pet Services
- Units
- 33
- 55th pct Pet Services
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Pet Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Pet Services avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Started franchising in 2025. Newer systems carry more uncertainty but may offer better territories.
The franchisor's auditor raised doubt about continued operations. This is a serious risk signal.
Bottom line
- Total investment $104K – $242K including a $50K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $215K/year.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 24/100.
- Auditor 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
- Legal entity
- DapperTails LLC
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer and President
- Chris Elias
- Incorporated in
- FL
- HQ
- 4575 Artesa Way South, 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
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2026
- Auditor flagged doubt about continued operations. Verify against the latest FDD before deciding.
Affiliated brands
- Drops of Jupiter
- outlets
- ENC Grooming
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
DapperTails franchisees operate mobile or brick-and-mortar pet grooming services, performing bathing, nail trimming, coat conditioning, and styling for dogs and cats. Day-to-day work involves client scheduling, animal handling, grooming execution, inventory management, and potentially employing/managing groomers depending on location model. Revenue depends on service volume, pricing, and customer retention in protected territories.
- CEO
- Chris Elias
- Headquarters
- FL
- Founded
- 2025
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 5
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing · 15 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.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$30K
14.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
16%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
6.3 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $104K – $242K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $20K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $50K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- Gross Revenue · 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 |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $215K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- Company-owned outlets
- Sample size
- 27 units
- vs category median 12 · large
- Transparency tier
- revenue_only
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Transparency
- 1 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · below
Compared against 75 Pet Services brands
vs Pet Services averages
How DapperTails Compares
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
- 3.0%
- Company-owned
- 27
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 18%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- 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 20 · 20 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
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New York
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
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
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
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into DapperTails's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 1 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 1 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 1-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
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)
ITEM 3 (Litigation) section not provided in document
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Abid CPA, P.C.⚠ Going-concern note flagged
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 24 / 100 rating
- 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
- 05HIGHNo 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
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Population-based |
| 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 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | West Palm Beach, Florida |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Florida |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
ITEM 3 (Litigation) section not provided in document
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 29 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 40 hrs
- Training location
- Franchisor location and on-site
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 3 mo
- From signing to launch
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
24 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?
According to Item 19 of the DapperTails FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $215K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
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 A-grade franchise with a risk score of 24 out of 100, 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.
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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.