Fastest Labs Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $131K – $200K
- Disclosed sales
- $156K
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Limited · 34 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Fastest Labs is a healthcare franchise providing fast, no-appointment drug, alcohol, and DNA testing for employers, individuals, and agencies. Franchisees run a testing lab managing collections, compliance, and client accounts.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Fastest Labs franchise requires a total initial investment of $131K – $200K, including a $46K – $81K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $156K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
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 scored7 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $131K – $200K
- 24th pct Healthcare
- Avg gross sales
- $156K
- 0th pct Healthcare
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 37th pct Healthcare
- Units
- 244
- 71st pct Healthcare
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Healthcare · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Healthcare 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 $131K – $200K including a $60K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $156K/year (median $127K). Note: this is gross profit, not take-home income.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 75/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +14 franchised outlets in the latest year (35 opened, 19 closed) (Item 20).
- FLAG19 units terminated last reporting year (7.8% of the system). Ask existing franchisees why.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Fas-Tes Franchise Systems, LLC
- Parent company
- FTFS Holdings LLC / FTFS Intermediate Inc. / Fastest Labs LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 9 of the 2026 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- FTFS Holdings LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 9 of the 2026 FDD
- CEO title
- President & CEO
- Matt Kunz
- Incorporated in
- TX
- HQ
- 5718 University Heights, Suite 105, San Antonio, TX 78249
- Auditor
- Kezos & Dunlavy
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $8.6M
- vs $9.3M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Matt Kunz
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2010
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 35
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 49% below the typical healthcare franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $60K | $60K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $20K | $40K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $51K | $100K |
| Total initial investment | $131K | $200K |
Source: Fastest Labs 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $131K – $200K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $46K – $81K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- Set by a formula · 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 | $109 |
| Training fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $4K – $5K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 77% below the healthcare norm.
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for Fastest Labs until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for 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.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$195K
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Fastest Labs 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 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.
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for 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.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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
- Avg gross sales
- $156K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $127K
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- historical
- Sample size
- 208 outlets
- vs category median 20 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $10K→$574KCited, not corroborated — printed on page 57 of the 2026 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $59K→$282K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 10 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 162 Healthcare brands
Revenue is only 0.9x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $156K/year in gross sales. Median is $127K — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 0.9x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 9.0% (near the Healthcare median).
Disclosure
Transparency score 10/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 150.5% CAGR over 3 years across 244 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 Healthcare medians
How Fastest Labs Compares
Category median of published Healthcare 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
- 244
- Opened
- 35
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 19
- Terminated
- 19
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 7.8%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +150.5%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +150.5%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 19
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 28
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 16 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.
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
98 current owners across 16 states.
- CA 29
- FL 21
- GA 12
- AZ 6
- CO 5
- MD 5
- IN 4
- KY 3
- LA 3
- AL 2
- ID 2
- KS 2
- +4 more states
Counts only, from the list the franchisor prints in Item 20. Names and phone numbers are for your own due diligence and are not shown here.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 34
- Loan volume
- $5.1M
- Median loan
- $150K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- Limited · 34 loans
- Limited SBA coverage: 34 loans, rate hidden until 10 have resolved and loans reach 2% of franchised units
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Limited · 34 loans
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 18
- Defaults
- 0
- Typical loan rate
- 8.0%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- 0.0%
- NAICS 621511
- Jobs supported
- 142
- 3.0 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 29%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 74% went to startups / new businesses, 26% to established operators
Top lenders financing Fastest Labs franchisees
Showing 3 of 18 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.
Lender network · 7(a) + 504
SBA Lending Report
Full lending analysis for Fastest Labs from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
- Principal loss rate
- 0.0%
- Avg SBA guarantee
- 77%
- Avg interest rate
- 7.97%
- Lender concentration
- 29.0%
- Job velocity
- 3.0 per $100K
- NAICS benchmark
- 0.0%
- NAICS 621511
- Jobs supported
- 142
Top SBA lendersTop lender holds 29% of loans
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 9 | $1.3M | N/A |
| 2 | Frost Bank | 5 | $691K | 0.0% |
| 3 | Telhio Credit Union Inc | 2 | $270K | 0.0% |
| 4 | Webster Bank National Association | 2 | $113K | N/A |
| 5 | Stearns Bank National Association | 1 | $94K | 0.0% |
| 6 | Zions Bank, A Division of | 1 | $70K | N/A |
| 7 | First National Bank of Omaha | 1 | $50K | N/A |
| 8 | Peoples Bank | 1 | $100K | N/A |
| 9 | U.S. Bank, National Association | 1 | $125K | N/A |
| 10 | Citizens Bank | 1 | $275K | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| TXTexas | 7 | 0 | 0.0% |
| FLFlorida | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| CACalifornia | 3 | 0 | -- |
| GAGeorgia | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| MAMassachusetts | 2 | 0 | -- |
| MIMichigan | 2 | 0 | -- |
| OHOhio | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| INIndiana | 1 | 0 | -- |
| MOMissouri | 1 | 0 | -- |
| NCNorth Carolina | 1 | 0 | -- |
SBA 7(a) lending trend
Borrower profile
Source: SBA 7(a) + 504 FOIA loan-level data, matched by FranchiseVerdict
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
Fastest Labs presents moderate-to-caution risk: strong growth and no litigation are offset by high investment relative to returns, opaque royalty structures, and unverified financial claims lacking Item 19 substantiation.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Kezos & Dunlavy
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 75 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDMinimum royalty structure not disclosed — 'greater of 7% or minimum' with minimum amount unknown creates unpredictable cash flow risk
- 02MINOR26% YoY unit growth (229 units) is strong but may indicate recent scaling; longevity of growth model unproven
- 03MINORBusiness model lacks detail in FDD summary; inability to assess service delivery repeatability and scalability
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 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory sizeℹ | Standard Territory: 8,500-12,000 businesses; Mid-Size: up to 8,499 businesses; Large: 12,001-14,000 businesses |
| 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 |
| RoFR response window | 10 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 29 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 11 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | San Antonio, Texas |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 52 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 5 hrs
- Training location
- San Antonio, Texas (or designated training location)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 6 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisor (software-assisted site selection, franchisor approves location)
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
98 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 Fastest Labs franchise?
The total investment to open a Fastest Labs franchise ranges from $131K – $200K, with an initial franchise fee of $60K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Fastest Labs franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Fastest Labs FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $156K. The median is $127K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns Fastest Labs?
Fastest Labs is franchised by Fas-Tes Franchise Systems, LLC. Its parent company is FTFS Holdings LLC / FTFS Intermediate Inc. / Fastest Labs LLC. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is FTFS Holdings LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Fastest Labs 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 Fastest Labs FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Fastest Labs's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Fastest Labs (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 Fastest Labs franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Fastest Labs has 244 total units in the United States, including 243 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 35 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Fastest Labs a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Fastest Labs as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 75 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
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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.