FranchiseVerdict
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FV-00707·CAUTIONStandard76

Dash In

RetailFranchising since 2003Website
Investment
$120K – $680K
25th pct Retail
Avg revenue
53rd pct Retail
Royalty
30.0%
71st pct Retail
Units
55
48th pct Retail
SBA default
0.0%
vs <3% typical

Bottom line

  • Total investment $120K – $680K including a $25K franchise fee, 30.0% ongoing royalty.
  • No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed — the franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
  • Rated CAUTION with a risk score of 72/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 6 loans (below the industry average).
  • System contracting at -9.3% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).

Item 1 · who you're contracting with

The Franchisor

Legal entity
Dash In Food Stores, Inc.
Parent company
The Wills Group, Inc. (TWGI)
Incorporated in
Maryland
HQ
102 Centennial Street, La Plata, Maryland 20646
Auditor
Grant Thornton LLP
Audited financials
Franchisor revenue
$523.0M
vs $485.5M prior year

Yale framework · single-unit ROIC

Returns Analysis

Pulls Item 7 (investment) and Item 19 (revenue) from this brand's FDD into the Yale unlevered-ROIC formula. Override any input to stress-test it against your own assumptions.

The model · Yale framework

What would one DASH IN unit return on the cash you put in?

Revenue · per unit, per year
$
Item 19 not disclosed — typing your own estimate
Franchisor take · royalty + ad fund
Royaltytyp 68%
%
Ad fundtyp 35%
%
Operating costs · category default: retail
COGS
%
Labor
%
Rent / occupancy
%
Other operating
%
Total invested capital · what you actually put in
Initial investment
$
FDD Item 7: $120K–$680K
Working capital
$
FDD reports $10K–$50K

Unlevered ROIC · per unit

-31%

Negative

0%30–60% Yale band80%

Store EBITDA · annual
$-135K
EBITDA margin
-18.0%
Total invested
$430K
Payback
Unit-level only. A multi-unit portfolio gives up roughly 5–15% of this to shared services (corporate G&A) before reaching the ~10-unit break-even Yale describes.

Overview

About

DASH IN franchisees operate quick-service convenience or automotive service locations (exact format unclear from available data). Daily operations likely involve managing point-of-sale systems, inventory, staffing, customer service, and compliance with brand standards while remitting 30% of gross profit to corporate.

CEO
Julian B. Wills, III
Founded
1986
FDD year
2024
States available
3

Item 7 · what it costs

The Vitals

Total investment
$120K – $680K
All-in to open one unit
Liquid capital
$10K – $50K
Cash you must have on hand
Franchise fee
$25K
Royalty
30.0%
Gross Profit · typical 6–8%
Ad fund
n/d
Total fee load
30.0%
vs 9–13% typical

Item 19

Financial Performance

This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.

Item 20 · unit dynamics

The Growth Chart

Total units
55
Opened
1
Last reporting year
Closed
2
Turnover rate
3.6%
Company-owned
15
Corporate units in the system
% franchised
73%
vs corporate-owned
Net growth (yr3)
-2.5%
Net unit change last year
3-yr CAGR
-9.3%
Compounded over last 3 years
2022
39±0
Franchised units
2023
40
Franchised units
2024
43
Franchised units

Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.

Item 12 · 3 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.

3

states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)

Government records

SBA Loan Data

Aggregated from SBA 7(a) loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.

Total loans
6
Loan volume
Avg loan
Default rate
0.0%
vs <3% typical · system-wide
5-yr default

FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17

Risk & Legal

72
Risk · 0-100
CAUTION72 / 100

DASH IN presents HIGH RISK due to declining unit count, predatory 30% profit royalty, complete absence of financial performance data, and unprotected territory—unsuitable for prospective franchisees unable to verify profitability claims.

Score breakdown · what drove the 72 / 100 rating

  1. 01MEDSystem contracting: -2.5% YoY unit decline with only 55 locations indicates shrinking franchise network and potential market saturation or operational challenges
  2. 02MINORExtreme royalty burden: 30% of gross profit is exceptionally high and leaves minimal margin for franchisee profitability after operating expenses
  3. 03MEDZero financial transparency: No disclosed average revenue or net income makes ROI impossible to validate; franchisor refusing Item 19 is major red flag
  4. 04MINORUnprotected territory: Lack of territorial exclusivity creates cannibalization risk and direct competition from other franchisees in same market
  5. 05MINORWide investment range: $119.6K–$680.3K spread suggests inconsistent startup costs and unclear capital requirements
  6. 06HIGHNo going concern disclaimer: False status contradicts typical franchise disclosure; requires verification of franchisor financial health

Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification

FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal

Contract & Territory Detail

Protected territory
No
Initial term
10 years
Renewal term
10 years
Online sales rights
Restricted
Franchisor can compete
Yes
Hire a manager?
Allowed
Litigation count
0
Right of first refusal
Yes
Franchisor can buy back on resale
Mandatory arbitration
Yes
Jury trial waiver
Yes
Non-compete
2 yrs
Post-termination restriction
Owner-operator
Required
Governing law
Maryland

Item 11

Training & Operations

Classroom training
48 hrs
On-the-job training
36 hrs
POS system
Verifone, NCR or Gilbarco
Operating tech stack

Item 20

Franchisee Contacts

Phone numbers extracted directly from this brand's FDD Item 20. After purchase, you'll also receive a list of validation questions tailored to this brand.

Franchisee contacts

5 numbers

Locked
(410) 576-••••
MD
(212) 416-••••
MD
(703) 847-••••
MD

One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included

FDD download

DASH IN · FDD (2024) PDF

Single-page checkout · instant download · CSV export of contacts available separately above