Playful Pack Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $286K – $489K
- Disclosed sales
- $543K
- gross sales, not profit
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (2)
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Playful Pack is a pet care franchise offering dog daycare, boarding, and enrichment programs. Franchisees run the facilities, managing staff, pet care operations, and scheduling.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Playful Pack franchise requires a total initial investment of $286K – $489K, including a $60K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $543K[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Limited operating history: franchising since 2024. A system this young has fewer than three years of Item 20 outlet history and rarely enough SBA loans for a charge-off rate, so its grade rests on less evidence than an established system's. Read its Item 20 tables and talk to its first franchisees before relying on the grade. Other new franchisors
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: medium - issued 12 to 24 months ago; a newer filing is likely on file
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 scored6 of 7 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing; the rest are marked “Not cited” beside the figure.
Overview
- Investment
- $286K – $489K
- 54th pct Pet Services
- Avg gross sales
- $543K
- Incl. company outlets16th pct Pet Services
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 18th pct Pet Services
- Units
- 9
- 40th 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 $286K – $489K including a $60K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $543K/year (includes company-owned outlets).
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 39/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHPositive: net +1 franchised outlets in the latest year (1 opened, 0 closed); 4 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- EARLYEmerging franchise: only 2 years of franchising with 9 units. Early-stage systems carry higher risk but may offer better territory availability.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Playful Pack Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- STAPS Holdings, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 7 of the 2025 FDD
- Incorporated in
- VA
- HQ
- 888 North Quincy Street, Suite 1604, Arlington, VA 22203
- Auditor
- Muhammad Zubairy, CPA PC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $93K
- vs $3K prior year
Same owner · FDD Item 1, page 7
1 other brand on this site name STAPS Holdings, LLC as parent or ultimate parent in their own FDD.
Grouped by the owner's name as each filing prints it (this page: the 2025 FDD). Spelling variants of the same group may be listed apart; a brand is never grouped with an owner its filing does not name.
Overview
About
- CEO
- Scott Parker
- Headquarters
- VA
- Founded
- 2019
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 4
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 19% above the typical pet services franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $60K | $60K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $65K | $65K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $161K | $364K |
| Total initial investment | $286K | $489K |
Source: Playful Pack 2025 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
- $286K – $489K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $65K – $65K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $60K – $60K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% |
| Technology fee | $500 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $0 |
| Inventory (initial) | $3K – $4K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 10% below the pet services norm.
Includes company-owned outlets
Source: FDD 2025 · 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 Playful Pack 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
$453K
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 Playful Pack 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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Includes company-owned outlets
- Avg gross sales
- $543K
- Per unit, per year
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 sales
- Sample size
- 7 outlets
- vs category median 12
- Range (low → high)
- $473K→$1.3MCited, not corroborated — printed on page 53 of the 2025 FDD. Nothing else in our record independently restates or re-derives it.
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 6 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · above
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
Average unit generates $543K/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.4x. Includes company-owned outlets.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 7.0% (near the Pet Services median).
Disclosure
Transparency score 6/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
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 Playful Pack Compares
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 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 9
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 8
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 11%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Signed, not yet open
- 4
- 0.44 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 3
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 4 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.
4
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 2 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 2
- Loan volume
- $325K
- Median loan
- $163K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- Under 10 loans (2)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 2 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 (2)
- 5-yr charge-off
- Under 10 loans (2)
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 1
- 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
Early-stage franchise with opaque profitability, minimal unit count, and missing financial disclosures that prevent accurate ROI validation.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Muhammad Zubairy, CPA PC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Item 21 audited statements are for Playful Pack Franchising LLC (single entity, Virginia LLC), in whole US dollars. FY2024 Total Revenue $93,132 = Franchise Fee $72,200 + Royalties $20,932 + Other Income $0. Members' Equity (deficit) -$24,405. Total Liabilities = current Contract Liability $108,400 + Contract Liability net of current $150,900 = $259,300; reconciles: assets $234,895 = liabilities $259,300 + equity (-$24,405). Audited by Muhammad Zubairy, CPA PC (Westbury, NY), dated April 3, 2025.
Score breakdown · what drove the 39 / 100 verdict
- 01MINOROnly 9 units system-wide with unknown growth trajectory — indicates nascent/stalled expansion
- 02MINORMinimum royalty of $300/week ($15,600/year) creates fixed cost burden even during low-revenue months
- 03MEDHigh investment range ($286k-$489k) relative to disclosed average revenue provides narrow margin of safety
- 04MED10-year term locks franchisees into long commitment with limited historical performance data
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · 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 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | No |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 50 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Arlington, VA (non-binding mediation at franchisor's option) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | VA |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 16 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 48 hrs
- Training location
- Corporate Training Location in VA (Affiliate-Owned location) and Franchised Business Premises
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
1 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 Playful Pack franchise?
The total investment to open a Playful Pack franchise ranges from $286K – $489K, 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 Playful Pack franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Playful Pack FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $543K. Important context: Includes company-owned outlets. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
Who owns Playful Pack?
Playful Pack is franchised by Playful Pack Franchising, LLC. Its parent company is STAPS Holdings, LLC. Source: FDD Item 1, 2025 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Playful Pack 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 Playful Pack FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Playful Pack's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Playful Pack (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 Playful Pack franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Playful Pack has 9 total units in the United States, including 1 franchised units and 8 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Playful Pack a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Playful Pack as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 39 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 Playful Pack, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Other Pet Services franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Pet Services 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.