FranchiseVerdict
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FV-01039·MODERATEExcellent95

GarageExperts

Formerly known as Service Experts

Home Services - OtherFranchising since 2008Website
Investment
$94K – $226K
38th pct Other
Avg revenue
$632K
29th pct Other
Royalty
6.0%
19th pct Other
Units
104
71st pct Other
SBA default
0.0%
vs <3% typical

Bottom line

  • Total investment $94K – $226K including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
  • Average unit revenue of $632K/year (median $566K).
  • Rated MODERATE with a risk score of 59/100. SBA loan default rate of 0.0% across 1 loans (below the industry average).

Item 1 · who you're contracting with

The Franchisor

Legal entity
Garage Experts International LLC
Incorporated in
Delaware
HQ
1051 Mustang Drive, Suite 100, Grapevine, TX 76051
Auditor
CBIZ CPAs P.C.
Audited financials
Franchisor revenue
$3.6M
vs $3.0M 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 GarageExperts unit return on the cash you put in?

Revenue · per unit, per year
$
FDD Item 19 reports $632,445
Franchisor take · royalty + ad fund
Royaltytyp 68%
%
Ad fundtyp 35%
%
Operating costs · category default: restoration
COGS
%
Labor
%
Rent / occupancy
%
Other operating
%
Total invested capital · what you actually put in
Initial investment
$
FDD Item 7: $94K–$226K
Working capital
$
FDD reports $15K–$40K

Unlevered ROIC · per unit

39%

In Yale's "attractive" band (30–60%)

0%30–60% Yale band80%

Store EBITDA · annual
$73K
EBITDA margin
11.5%
Total invested
$187K
Payback
31 mo
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.

Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing

What would 25 GarageExperts units return on equity?

Edit assumptions

Equity IRR · 5-yr

49.9%

7.57× MOIC

Year-1 DSCR

1.88×

EBITDA ÷ debt service

Equity required

$569K

on $2.8M purchase

Total debt

$2.3M

SBA $1.4M + senior + seller note

Overview

About

GarageExperts franchisees operate automotive service centers, likely providing diagnostics, repairs, and maintenance services. Daily operations involve managing technicians, maintaining equipment, handling customer service, and managing inventory while paying 6% royalties on all gross sales to the franchisor.

CEO
Mike Meursing
Founded
2008
FDD year
2025
States available
32

Item 7 · what it costs

The Vitals

Total investment
$94K – $226K
All-in to open one unit
Liquid capital
$15K – $40K
Cash you must have on hand
Franchise fee
$50K
Royalty
6.0%
Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
Ad fund
1.5%
typical 3–5%
Total fee load
7.5%
vs 9–13% typical

Item 19

Financial Performance

Avg gross sales
$632K
Per unit, per year
Median gross sales
$566K
Item 19 type
Actual
Sample size
65 units
vs category median 21 · large
Range (low → high)
$120K$1.7M
Cohort dispersion
Transparency
4 / 5
vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Revenue rank29th
vs Home Services - Other peers
Investment cost rank38th
Lower investment ranks lower (better)
Royalty rate rank19th
Lower royalty = lower percentile (better)
Unit count rank71th
vs Home Services - Other peers
Risk score rank50th
Lower risk = lower percentile (better)

Item 20 · unit dynamics

The Growth Chart

Total units
104
Opened
7
Last reporting year
Closed
7
Turnover rate
6.7%
Company-owned
0
Corporate units in the system
% franchised
100%
vs corporate-owned
Net growth (yr3)
+0.0%
Net unit change last year
3-yr CAGR
-1.9%
Compounded over last 3 years
2023
104±0
Franchised units
2024
104
Franchised units
2025
106
Franchised units

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

Item 20 · 22 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).

AK
ME
VT
NH
MA
RI
CT
NY
NJ
PA
DE
MD
DC
WA
OR
CA
NV
ID
MT
WY
UT
CO
AZ
NM
ND
SD
NE
KS
OK
TX
MN
IA
MO
AR
LA
WI
IL
MS
TN
MI
IN
KY
AL
OH
WV
GA
VA
NC
SC
FL
HI
Registered · 22 states
Not registered

States derived from franchisee phone area codes (Item 20). Approximate — ported numbers may show the original state, not the franchisee's current location.

Government records

SBA Loan Data

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

Total loans
1
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

59
Risk · 0-100
MODERATE59 / 100

GarageExperts presents elevated risk due to undisclosed profitability data, active multi-claim litigation alleging fraud and misconduct, unknown unit growth, and franchisor going concern issues—warranting careful validation before investment.

Score breakdown · what drove the 59 / 100 rating

  1. 01HIGHActive litigation (2024) involving fraud, conversion, tortious interference, and civil conspiracy claims raises governance and operational integrity concerns
  2. 02MEDNet income not disclosed in FDD Item 19 prevents validation of the $632,445 average revenue claim and makes ROI analysis impossible
  3. 03MINORUnknown unit growth trajectory with 104 units makes it impossible to assess whether the franchise is expanding, stagnating, or contracting
  4. 04MEDHigh initial investment range ($93,600–$226,000) combined with 6% royalty on gross sales creates significant financial risk without disclosed profitability data
  5. 05HIGHGoing Concern status is False, suggesting potential franchisor financial instability or operational challenges
  6. 06HIGHLitigation involves allegations against multiple defendants including apparent franchisor representatives, indicating systemic rather than isolated disputes

Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification

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

Contract & Territory Detail

Territory
Household count
Protected territory
Yes
Initial term
5 years
Renewal term
5 years
Online sales rights
Restricted
Franchisor can compete
Yes
Hire a manager?
Allowed
Litigation count
1
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
Optional
Governing law
Texas

Item 11

Training & Operations

Classroom training
62 hrs
On-the-job training
0 hrs
POS system
Franchise Central / ServiceMinder
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

30 numbers

Locked
(916) 303-••••
CA
(470) 955-••••
GA
(540) 798-••••
VA

One-time purchase · CSV download · Validation questions included

FDD download

GarageExperts · FDD (2025) PDF

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