DapperTails Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $104K – $242K
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (1)
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 on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Limited operating history: franchising since 2025. A system this young has fewer than three years of Item 20 outlet history and rarely enough SBA loans for a charge-off rate, so its grade rests on less evidence than an established system's. Read its Item 20 tables and talk to its first franchisees before relying on the grade. Other new franchisors
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low - issued within the last 12 months
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 scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $104K – $242K
- 31st pct Pet Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned only
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 49th pct Pet Services
- Units
- 33
- 62nd pct Pet Services
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Pet Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Pet 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 $104K – $242K including a $50K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 50/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +6 franchised outlets in the latest year (7 opened, 1 closed); 2 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- DATAItem 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands. 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
- 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 47% below the typical pet services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown13 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 | |
| Total initial investment | $104K | $242K |
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%
- 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% |
| 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
No Item 19 revenue figure for DapperTails is on file. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one DapperTails 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 annual revenue, 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.
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
Item 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands. We omit it from rankings.
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 median).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports outlet revenue, but not in a form that yields a per-outlet average we can compare across brands.
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 medians
How DapperTails Compares
Category median of published Pet 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 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
- 3.0%
- Company-owned
- 27
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 18%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Reacquired
- 1
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 2
- 0.06 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- 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
- Under 10 loans (1)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 1 loan, rate hidden below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Under 10 loans (1)
- 5-yr charge-off
- Under 10 loans (1)
- 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)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
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)
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.
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
- 01MINOROnly 33 units system-wide with unknown growth trajectory — suggests early-stage or stalled expansion; insufficient data to assess brand momentum
- 02MINORWide investment range ($103.5K–$242K spread of 135%) indicates inconsistent startup costs or undefined territory/service tier model
- 03MINOR7% royalty on gross revenue (not net profit) — franchisees pay royalties even during unprofitable months, increasing break-even risk
- 04MEDNo 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 territory |
| 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
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?
Item 19 of the DapperTails FDD discloses figures for part of the system but no single average across all outlets. These are gross sales figures, not profit; the Revenue section shows what the filing reports and on what basis. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns DapperTails?
DapperTails is franchised by DapperTails LLC. The FDD names no parent company. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
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). 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent DapperTails, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Pet Services franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Pet Services category
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.