Skiptown Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $905K – $1.7M
- Disclosed sales
- partial, no system average
- SBA charge-off
- Not SBA-matched
Data from FDD filing
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Skiptown is a pet franchise offering premium dog daycare, boarding, grooming, and an on-site dog bar with off-leash play. Franchisees run the facilities, managing staff, pet care operations, and the bar.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Skiptown franchise requires a total initial investment of $905K – $1.7M, including a $45K franchise fee and an ongoing 6.0% royalty[2]. The 2026 FDD on file does not yield a unit-revenue figure we can publish. FranchiseVerdict grade: C (Average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Limited operating history: franchising since 2025. 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: 2026 filing · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: low - the current year's filing
Evidence: partial✓ 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 scored5 of 5 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $905K – $1.7M
- 90th pct Pet Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Company-owned onlyProjection
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- 18th pct Pet Services
- Units
- 3
- 18th 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 $905K – $1.7M including a $45K franchise fee, 6.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 makes a financial performance representation based on 3 corporate-owned locations (Denver, Atlanta, Charlotte), each open more than 12 months as of Dec 31, 2025. It does NOT disclose whole-unit gross sales, revenue, or net income. Instead it presents monthly operational metrics per location (Daytime Petcare capacity/utilization/new clients, Overnight Petcare capacity/utilization/new clients, Grooming new clients/total appointments) plus average daily PRICES per appointment. Daytime Petcare avg daily price by location: Charlotte $40.79 (range $34.51-$43.50, median $40.90), Denver $29.92 (range $23.03-$49.32, median $28.75), Atlanta $23.47 (range $15.39-$42.80, median $22.42). Overnight Petcare avg daily price: Charlotte $34.36, Denver $28.35, Atlanta $26.63. Data excludes dog park and bar revenue (not part of the franchise offering). No unit-level sales or earnings figures are provided, so no annualized per-unit gross sales or net income can be derived.
- RISKVerdict C (Average), verdict score 41/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHFlat: no net change in franchised outlets in the latest year (0 opened, 0 closed); 2 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- DATAItem 19 reports Historical Corporate Data rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Skiptown Franchising, LLC
- Parent company
- Skipper Pets, Inc.
- FDD Item 1, page 8 of the 2026 FDD
- Predecessor
- None
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Mike Rotondo
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 222 Rampart Street, Charlotte, North Carolina 28203
- Auditor
- Bennett Thrasher LLP
- Audited financials
Overview
About
- CEO
- Mike Rotondo
- Headquarters
- NC
- Founded
- 2025
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 3
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 296% above the typical pet services franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown22 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $45K | $45K | |
| Travel, lodging and meals for initial trainingnot refundable | $3K | $5K | |
| Licenses, Permitting and Feesnot refundable | $4K | $11K | |
| Prepaid rent and security deposit and utilitiesnot refundable | $17K | $33K | |
| Architect, engineer and other design professionalsnot refundable | $20K | $65K | |
| Grand Opening Marketing Feenot refundable | $20K | $20K | |
| Leasehold improvementsnot refundable | $350K | $800K | |
| Furniture, fixtures, equipment and decornot refundable | $5K | $10K | |
| Grooming equipment and start-up suppliesnot refundable | $12K | $27K | |
| Kennels (75 to 100)not refundable | $175K | $230K | |
| Exterior Signsnot refundable | $3K | $5K | |
| Interior Signage and Brandingnot refundable | $1K | $5K | |
| Technology Set-Up Feenot refundable | $8K | $10K | |
| POS Systemnot refundable | $2K | $3K | |
| Hardware & Mobile Devicesnot refundable | $15K | $20K | |
| WebCam Systemnot refundable | $8K | $10K | |
| Access Control Systemnot refundable | $100 | $10K | |
| Networking and Internetnot refundable | $4K | $25K | |
| Back Office Systemsnot refundable | $35K | $45K | |
| Other start-up expenses (uniforms, supplies, etc.)not refundable | $5K | $15K | |
| Total initial investment | $905K | $1.7M |
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
- $905K – $1.7M
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $150K – $225K
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $45K – $45K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 6.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 6.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $1K |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $17K – $42K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
No Item 19 revenue figure for Skiptown is on file. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Skiptown 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 annual revenue, 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.
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
Item 19 makes a financial performance representation based on 3 corporate-owned locations (Denver, Atlanta, Charlotte), each open more than 12 months as of Dec 31, 2025. It does NOT disclose whole-unit gross sales, revenue, or net income. Instead it presents monthly operational metrics per location (Daytime Petcare capacity/utilization/new clients, Overnight Petcare capacity/utilization/new clients, Grooming new clients/total appointments) plus average daily PRICES per appointment. Daytime Petcare avg daily price by location: Charlotte $40.79 (range $34.51-$43.50, median $40.90), Denver $29.92 (range $23.03-$49.32, median $28.75), Atlanta $23.47 (range $15.39-$42.80, median $22.42). Overnight Petcare avg daily price: Charlotte $34.36, Denver $28.35, Atlanta $26.63. Data excludes dog park and bar revenue (not part of the franchise offering). No unit-level sales or earnings figures are provided, so no annualized per-unit gross sales or net income can be derived.
Company-owned outlets only - not franchisee performance
Reported per transaction, not per outlet
- Item 19 type
- Historical Corporate Data
- Sample size
- 3
- vs category median 12 · small
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2026
- Disclosed in the 2026 filing, covering 2025
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.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Pet Services median).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports Historical Corporate Data rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
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 Skiptown 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 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 3
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- N/A
- Company-owned
- 3
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 0%
- vs corporate-owned
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 0
- Not renewed
- 0
- Transferred
- 0
- Reacquired
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Signed, not yet open
- 2
- 0.67 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 · 3 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.
3
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
No SBA loan data available for this brand.
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
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation disclosed.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Bennett Thrasher LLP
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 41 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORNegative net worth -$297,852, zero revenue
- 02MINORNo going_concern_note, no litigation
- 03MEDVery limited operating history
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% 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 | 2 |
| Territory type | Protected territory |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 7 mi |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 25 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 10 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | North Carolina (franchisor's principal place of business) |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | North Carolina |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation disclosed.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 50 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 45 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Site selection
- Franchisee, subject to franchisor site approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- SkipOS
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: SkipOS
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Skiptown franchise?
The total investment to open a Skiptown franchise ranges from $905K – $1.7M, with an initial franchise fee of $45K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Skiptown franchise owners earn?
Item 19 of the Skiptown FDD discloses figures for part of the system but no single average across all outlets. These are gross sales figures, not profit; the Revenue section shows what the filing reports and on what basis. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Skiptown?
Skiptown is franchised by Skiptown Franchising, LLC. Its parent company is Skipper Pets, Inc.. Source: FDD Item 1, 2026 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Skiptown 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 Skiptown FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Skiptown's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Skiptown (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 Skiptown franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Skiptown has 3 total units in the United States.
Is Skiptown a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Skiptown as a C-grade franchise with a verdict score of 41 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.