Griswold Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $100K – $186K
- Disclosed sales
- $2.0M
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Limited · 15 loans
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Griswold is a senior-care franchise providing non-medical in-home care, companionship, personal care, and homemaking, for seniors and other adults. Franchisees run an agency referring and coordinating caregivers and managing client care in a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Griswold franchise requires a total initial investment of $100K – $186K, including a $50K – $55K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average revenue per franchisee was $2.0M. This franchisor reports Item 19 per franchisee rather than per outlet, so the figure is not comparable with per-outlet averages[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 7 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $100K – $186K
- 50th pct Senior Care
- Avg gross sales
- $2.0M
- Per franchisee, not per outlet
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 5th pct Senior Care
- Units
- 209
- 79th pct Senior Care
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Senior Care · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Senior Care 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 $100K – $186K including a $50K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage revenue per franchisee of $2.0M/year. Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 80/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +16 franchised outlets in the latest year (22 opened, 6 closed); 10 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- OWNERS61% of franchisees own multiple units, a high repeat-buyer signal suggests strong unit economics.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Griswold International, LLC
- Parent company
- Griswold Investors, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 9 of the 2026 FDD
- Predecessor
- Griswold Special Care, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Michael Slupecki
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 510 East Township Line Road, Suite 210, Blue Bell, PA 19422
- Auditor
- RSM US LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $23.8M
- vs $23.0M prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
- Franchisee Advisory Board
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Michael Slupecki
- Headquarters
- PA
- Founded
- 2009
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 14
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost is about typical for a senior care franchise (near the category median).
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown12 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $50K | $55K | |
| Living Expenses While Training | $3K | $5K | |
| Office Lease | $10K | $15K | |
| Office Equipment | $3K | $4K | |
| First Year Computer Software Fee and Installation Fee | $2K | $2K | |
| Other Technology | $1K | $4K | |
| Signage | $50 | $1K | |
| Opening Office Supplies and Inventory | $50 | $750 | |
| Insurance (6 months of general liability and worker's comp premiums) | $4K | $5K | |
| Printed Materials and Shipping | $1K | $2K | |
| License, Permit Registration or Certificate Costs | $0 | $8K | |
| Additional Funds (6 months) | $27K | $86K | |
| Total initial investment | $100K | $186K |
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
- $100K – $186K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $27K – $86K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $50K – $55K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 4.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Inventory (initial) | $50 – $750 |
| Total fee load | 4.5% of rev |
A 4.5% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 93% above the senior care norm.
Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures
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 Griswold 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
$199K
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 Griswold 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
Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures
- Avg gross sales
- $2.0M
- Per franchisee, per year — not per outlet
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 Gross Receipts by franchisee/territory cohort (single-territory, multi-territory, quartile, and affiliate-owned segments)
- Sample size
- 59 franchisees
- vs category median 22 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $62K→$9.6MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 47 of the 2026 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $440K→$4.6M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%, per franchisee
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 79 Senior Care brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
The average franchisee generates $2.0M/year in gross sales.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 4.5% — below the Senior Care median of 7.0%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Multi-unit rate
61% of franchisees own multiple units — high repeat-buyer rate signals strong unit economics and operator satisfaction.
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 Senior Care medians
How Griswold Compares
Per franchisee, not per outlet - the category median is per-outlet only, so no comparison is shown
Category median of published Senior Care 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
- 209
- Opened
- 22
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 6
- 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
- 11
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 95%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 61.0%
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 1
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 10
- 0.05 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 10
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 3.2%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Continuity rate
- 99.1%
- Units that stayed open
- Termination rate
- 1.0%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 5.3%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 31 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
- Michigan
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
Where the owners are · Item 20 owner list
119 current owners across 31 states; 7 former (terminated, transferred or not renewed) listed separately.
- NJ 13
- FL 12
- TX 11
- MD 9
- CA 8
- NC 8
- OH 7
- PA 7
- SC 6
- MA 5
- NY 4
- IN 3
- +19 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
- 15
- Loan volume
- $4.8M
- Median loan
- $322K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- Limited · 15 loans
- Limited SBA coverage: 15 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 · 15 loans
- 5-yr charge-off
- Limited · 15 loans
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 5
- Defaults
- 0
Vintage analysis
Griswold charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Griswold franchisees
Showing 3 of 5 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 Griswold from SBA 7(a) FOIA data.
Top SBA lenders
| # | Lender | Loans | Volume | Default % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United Midwest Savings Bank National Association | 7 | $1.1M | N/A |
| 2 | Manufacturers and Traders Trust Company | 2 | $600K | N/A |
| 3 | Village Bank and Trust, National Association | 2 | $1.3M | N/A |
| 4 | Wells Fargo Bank National Association | 2 | $998K | 0.0% |
| 5 | CIBC Bank USA | 2 | $839K | N/A |
Geographic failure vector
| State | Loans | Defaults | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| CACalifornia | 3 | 0 | -- |
| ILIllinois | 2 | 0 | -- |
| MDMaryland | 2 | 0 | -- |
| MOMissouri | 2 | 0 | -- |
| NCNorth Carolina | 2 | 0 | -- |
| TXTexas | 2 | 0 | 0.0% |
| MNMinnesota | 1 | 0 | -- |
| PAPennsylvania | 1 | 0 | -- |
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
Griswold presents elevated risk due to undisclosed profitability data, active multi-jurisdictional litigation, and documented franchisee disputes, despite healthy unit growth that may mask operational or compliance problems.
Why this reads harsher than the A grade: the grade weighs financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency across the whole filing, while this summary lists individual flags without that weighting. The flags are worth checking with current owners; neither is investment advice.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
Item 3 discloses 8 completed actions: 2 Virginia securities/franchise regulator actions against predecessor Griswold Special Care, Inc. (settlements of $2,000 costs, and $10,000 penalty + $5,000 costs); 3 related 2014-2015 franchisee suits/arbitration (Andersen, Mull, Jenkins) resolved via a 2016 Global Settlement Agreement paying $700,000; a 2019 Texas negligence/fraud suit (MacPhee) settled for $34,848.25; a 2012 Indiana Securities Division administrative complaint against affiliated Valiant entities (penalty $8,000 + $5,000 costs); and a 2023 AAA arbitration (Griswold Homecare of Baton Rouge) resulting in a 2024 interim award of $2,601,840 plus $1,614,263.21 in fees/costs. No pending litigation and no bankruptcy disclosed.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · RSM US LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
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: No
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 80 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGHMultiple active litigation cases including state regulatory investigations (Virginia, Indiana) and collective action wage claims—suggests systemic compliance or labor practice issues
- 02MINORPattern of franchisee disputes (Mull, Life Call Systems, Baton Rouge arbitration, MacPhee negligence claim)—indicates potential misrepresentation, breach, or operational support failures
- 03MINORFranchise fee of $49,500 plus startup costs up to $180,600 represent significant capital at risk with unproven unit economics
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 4.5% 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 | 5 years |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory population | 250,000 |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | No |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 20 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 10 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 3 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Philadelphia, PA |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Pennsylvania |
| Litigation count | 8 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
Item 3 discloses 8 completed actions: 2 Virginia securities/franchise regulator actions against predecessor Griswold Special Care, Inc. (settlements of $2,000 costs, and $10,000 penalty + $5,000 costs); 3 related 2014-2015 franchisee suits/arbitration (Andersen, Mull, Jenkins) resolved via a 2016 Global Settlement Agreement paying $700,000; a 2019 Texas negligence/fraud suit (MacPhee) settled for $34,848.25; a 2012 Indiana Securities Division administrative complaint against affiliated Valiant entities (penalty $8,000 + $5,000 costs); and a 2023 AAA arbitration (Griswold Homecare of Baton Rouge) resulting in a 2024 interim award of $2,601,840 plus $1,614,263.21 in fees/costs. No pending litigation and no bankruptcy disclosed.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 71 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 45 hrs
- Training location
- GHC headquarters or another designated location (HomeCare Academy)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 2 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- ClearCare (web-based home care management software)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: ClearCare (web-based home care management software)
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
126 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 Griswold franchise?
The total investment to open a Griswold franchise ranges from $100K – $186K, 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 Griswold franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Griswold FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $2.0M. Important context: Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns Griswold?
Griswold is franchised by Griswold International, LLC. Its parent company is Griswold Investors, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Griswold 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 Griswold FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Griswold's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Griswold (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 Griswold franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Griswold has 209 total units in the United States, including 198 franchised units and 11 company-owned units. 22 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Griswold a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Griswold as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 80 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 Griswold, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Senior Care franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Senior Care 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.