GarageExpertsFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A GarageExperts franchise requires a total initial investment of $94K – $226K, including a $50K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $632K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 0.0% charge-off rate across 12 loans[1]. Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $94K – $226K
- 28th pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- $632K
- 22nd pct Home Services
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 13th pct Home Services
- Units
- 104
- 54th pct Home Services
- SBA default
- 0.0%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Home Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Home 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
Each dollar invested generates 4.0x in gross revenue, well above the typical 1.5-2.5x range.
Only 0.0% of 12 SBA loans charged off, well below the 16% franchise average.
Bottom line
- Total investment $94K – $226K including a $50K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $632K/year (median $566K).
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 38/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 0.0% across 12 loans (well below the franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Garage Experts International LLC
- Incorporated in
- DE
- 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
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
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
- Headquarters
- TX
- Founded
- 2008
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 32
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 16 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee (Standard Territory) | $50K | $50K | |
| Equipment, Furniture, Fixtures, and Signage | $30K | $35K | |
| GarageExperts Vehicle(s) | $1K | $60K | |
| Computer Hardware and Software | $3K | $5K | |
| Cellular Phone and Mobile Wireless Hotspot | $300 | $500 | |
| Wages, Travel and Living Expenses During Training | $3K | $10K | |
| Leasing Costs | $1K | $3K | |
| Advertising (Standard Territory) | $5K | $15K | |
| Insurance Deposits and Premiums | $200 | $1K | |
| Licenses and Permits | $500 | $2K | |
| Professional Fees | $3K | $5K | |
| Miscellaneous Supplies | $100 | $500 | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months (Standard Territory) | $20K | $40K | |
| Initial Franchise Fee (Micro-Territory) | $35K | $35K | |
| Advertising (Micro-Territory) | $3K | $10K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months (Micro-Territory) | $15K | $30K | |
| Total initial investment | $169K | $301K |
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
$73K
11.5% margin
Unlevered ROIC
39%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
31 mo
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $94K – $226K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $15K – $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $50K
- Near category avg vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.5%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.5% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $450 |
| Transfer fee | $13K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Total fee load | 7.5% of rev |
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 25 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $120K→$1.7M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 349 Home Services brands
vs Home Services averages
How GarageExperts Compares
Unit growth
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
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 4
- Terminated (3yr)
- 10
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 1
- Transfers (3yr)
- 8
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Termination rate
- 11.1%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 4.0%
- Units that stopped operating
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).
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
- Indiana
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Virginia
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 12
- Loan volume
- $4.3M
- Median loan
- $164K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 0.0%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 100.0%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 10
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
With a 0.0% charge-off rate across 12 loans, banks have historically viewed this brand favorably for lending.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
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.
Litigation (Item 3)
6 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · CBIZ CPAs P.C.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 38 / 100 rating
- 01HIGHActive litigation (2024) involving fraud, conversion, tortious interference, and civil conspiracy claims raises governance and operational integrity concerns
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in FDD Item 19 prevents validation of the $632,445 average revenue claim and makes ROI analysis impossible
- 03MINORUnknown unit growth trajectory with 104 units makes it impossible to assess whether the franchise is expanding, stagnating, or contracting
- 04MEDHigh initial investment range ($93,600–$226,000) combined with 6% royalty on gross sales creates significant financial risk without disclosed profitability data
- 05HIGHGoing Concern status is False, suggesting potential franchisor financial instability or operational challenges
- 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
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Household count |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 10 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 4 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Texas |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
6 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 62 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- On-site at Restaurant
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Franchise Central / ServiceMinder
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Franchise Central / ServiceMinder
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
30 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
GarageExperts · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a GarageExperts franchise?
The total investment to open a GarageExperts franchise ranges from $94K – $226K, 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 GarageExperts franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the GarageExperts FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $632K. The median is $566K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is GarageExperts's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, GarageExperts has a charge-off rate of 0.0% across 12 loans, meaning 0.0% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many GarageExperts franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, GarageExperts has 104 total units in the United States, including 104 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 7 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is GarageExperts a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates GarageExperts as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 38 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.