Pet Wants Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $148K – $239K
- Disclosed sales
- $547K
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (8)
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Pet Wants is a pet-retail franchise selling fresh, private-label pet food and supplements, often with local delivery. Franchisees run a store or home-based delivery operation managing inventory, sales, and customer education in a territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A PET WANTS franchise requires a total initial investment of $148K – $239K, including a $54K franchise fee and an ongoing 7.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average revenue per franchisee was $547K. 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: 2026 filing · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low - the current year's filing
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 scored8 of 8 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $148K – $239K
- 40th pct Pet Services
- Avg gross sales
- $547K
- Per franchisee, not per outlet
- Royalty
- 7.0%
- 49th pct Pet Services
- Units
- 158
- 85th pct Pet Services
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Pet Services · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Pet Services 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 $148K – $239K including a $54K franchise fee, 7.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage revenue per franchisee of $547K/year (median $336K). Averaged per franchisee, not per outlet - not comparable with per-outlet figures.
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 79/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHNegative: net -1 franchised outlets in the latest year (14 opened, 15 closed); 1 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Pet Wants Franchise System, LLC
- Parent company
- Franchise Funding Group, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 9 of the 2026 FDD
- CEO title
- President
- Ray Fabik
- Incorporated in
- OH
- HQ
- 4755 Lake Forest Drive, Suite 100, Cincinnati, Ohio 45242
- Auditor
- Clark, Schaefer, Hackett & Co.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $4.3M
- vs $4.0M prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Ray Fabik
- Headquarters
- OH
- Founded
- 2015
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 35
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 41% below the typical pet services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $54K | $54K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $10K | $20K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $85K | $166K |
| Total initial investment | $148K | $239K |
Source: PET WANTS 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
- $148K – $239K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $10K – $20K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $54K – $54K
- 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 | $50 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Inventory (initial) | $25K – $50K |
| Total fee load | 9.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 9% below the pet services 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 PET WANTS 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
$209K
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 PET WANTS 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
- $547K
- Per franchisee, per year — not per outlet
- Median gross sales
- $336K
- Per franchisee, 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
- Gross Revenue by Quartile
- Sample size
- 51 franchisees
- vs category median 12 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $82K→$1.8MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 39 of the 2026 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $136K→$936K
- 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 69 Pet Services 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 $547K/year in gross sales. Median is $336K — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 9.0% (near the Pet Services median).
Disclosure
Transparency score 4/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System expanding at 8.2% CAGR over 3 years across 158 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 Pet Services medians
How Pet Wants Compares
Per franchisee, not per outlet - the category median is per-outlet only, so no comparison is shown
Category median of published Pet Services 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
- 158
- Opened
- 14
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 15
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 9.5%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- +8.2%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +8.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 12
- Reacquired
- 9
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 1
- 0.01 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 20
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 35 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.
35
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 8 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 8
- Loan volume
- $1.1M
- Median loan
- $87K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- Under 10 loans (8)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 8 loans, rate hidden below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Under 10 loans (8)
- 5-yr charge-off
- Under 10 loans (8)
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 7
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
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
Declining franchise system with shrinking unit base, opaque profitability metrics, multiple regulatory/litigation issues, and management credibility concerns present elevated investment risk.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: the franchisor is a named party (defendant).
1) Commonwealth of Virginia v. F.C. Franchising Systems (affiliate) - disclosure failure, settled 2021 ($8,000 penalty); 2) CA Commissioner v. multiple affiliates including Pet Wants - non-disclosure of officer bankruptcy, Consent Order July 2021; 3) CA Commissioner v. multiple affiliates including Pet Wants - CPA registration failure, Consent Order Dec 2021 ($5,000 penalty); 4) Pet Wants v. Intihar et al. (Hamilton Cty. OH, Sept. 2025) - franchisor suing franchisee for breach of non-compete, pending with counterclaim
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Clark, Schaefer, Hackett & Co.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Revenue from franchise agreements $3,436,599 plus National Branding Fund revenue $829,967 = total $4,266,566 (FY 2025, audited).
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 79 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDUnit decline of 8.2% YoY indicates shrinking franchise system with retention problems
- 02MINORNo Item 19 (average net income) disclosure prevents ROI validation; $546K revenue may not support $148K-$239K investment
- 03HIGHMultiple litigation disclosures including officer bankruptcy concealment, auditor registration violations, and active breach of contract lawsuit signal governance and compliance issues
- 04MEDHigh royalty rate (7%) combined with undisclosed profitability creates cash flow risk for marginal performers
- 05MINORFranchise fee of $53,500 (36% of minimum investment) is substantial relative to system health and declining unit count
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 |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Exclusive territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | Yes |
| Territory population | 100,000 |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | No |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 15 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 7 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Hamilton County, Ohio |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | OH |
| Litigation count | 4 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
1) Commonwealth of Virginia v. F.C. Franchising Systems (affiliate) - disclosure failure, settled 2021 ($8,000 penalty); 2) CA Commissioner v. multiple affiliates including Pet Wants - non-disclosure of officer bankruptcy, Consent Order July 2021; 3) CA Commissioner v. multiple affiliates including Pet Wants - CPA registration failure, Consent Order Dec 2021 ($5,000 penalty); 4) Pet Wants v. Intihar et al. (Hamilton Cty. OH, Sept. 2025) - franchisor suing franchisee for breach of non-compete, pending with counterclaim
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 40 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 0 hrs
- Training location
- Cincinnati, Ohio (corporate headquarters)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 2 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee selects, franchisor approves
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- portable point-of-sale (POS) system
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: portable point-of-sale (POS) system
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 PET WANTS franchise?
The total investment to open a PET WANTS franchise ranges from $148K – $239K, with an initial franchise fee of $54K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do PET WANTS franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the PET WANTS FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $547K. The median is $336K. 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 PET WANTS?
PET WANTS is franchised by Pet Wants Franchise System, LLC. Its parent company is Franchise Funding Group, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the PET WANTS 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 PET WANTS FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is PET WANTS's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for PET WANTS (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 PET WANTS franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, PET WANTS has 158 total units in the United States, including 158 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 14 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is PET WANTS a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates PET WANTS as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 79 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.