The Grout Doctor®Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A THE GROUT DOCTOR® franchise requires a total initial investment of $24K – $38K, including a $15K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: A. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 21, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $24K – $38K
- 2nd pct Home Services
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 54th pct Home Services
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 83
- 49th pct Home Services
- SBA default
- N/A
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
Franchising since 2001. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Bottom line
- Total investment $24K – $38K including a $15K franchise fee.
- Item 19 discloses "gross_sales" rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- Verdict A (Top Quintile) with a risk score of 34/100.
- Item 19 reports "gross_sales" instead of annual gross sales. Ask franchisees directly for full unit-level revenue.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Grout Doctor Global Franchise Corp.
- Incorporated in
- NV
- HQ
- 2150 South 1300 East, Suite 500, Salt Lake City, Utah 84106
- Auditor
- Squire & Company, PC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.2M
- vs $1.1M prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate a grout and tile cleaning/restoration service, performing on-site residential and commercial cleaning, sealing, and repair work. Revenue depends heavily on local service density, repeat customer acquisition, and seasonal demand. Day-to-day involves sales calls, job estimates, field service delivery, and customer relationship management.
- CEO
- Daniel J. Start
- Headquarters
- UT
- Founded
- 2001
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 26
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $15K | $15K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $1K | $2K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $8K | $21K |
| Total initial investment | $24K | $38K |
Source: THE GROUT DOCTOR® 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
- $24K – $38K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $1K – $2K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $15K – $20K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- Tiered percentage of Gross Sales (9% up to $8k, 8% $8k-$1…
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 10.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Transfer fee | $4K |
| Renewal fee | $500 |
| Total fee load | 10.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
This brand's FDD disclosed "gross_sales" in Item 19 rather than annual gross sales. This metric cannot be directly compared across brands, so we omit it from rankings.
vs Home Services averages
How The Grout Doctor® Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 83
- Opened
- 3
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 3
- Turnover rate
- 3.6%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 98%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -1.2%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -3.6%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 1
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 25 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.
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.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Moderate-to-high risk: system contraction, non-transparent profitability, aggressive royalty structure on low revenue, and ambiguous going concern status warrant careful validation before investment.
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Squire & Company, PC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Score breakdown · what drove the 34 / 100 rating
- 01MINORDeclining unit count (-1.2% YoY) suggests system contraction and potential franchisee satisfaction issues
- 02MEDNo average net income disclosed prevents assessment of actual profitability and ROI despite $158k average revenue
- 03MINORTiered royalty structure with 9% floor on low-volume sales (up to $8k) creates high effective rates for underperforming locations
- 04HIGHGoing Concern status is 'False' — ambiguous wording; requires clarification if franchisor faces financial instability
- 05MINORLow franchise fee ($15k) relative to startup cost ($23.7k-$37.8k) suggests high ongoing royalty dependence for franchisor revenue
- 06HIGHNo litigation disclosed but declining units + profit opacity raises red flags about franchisee disputes being underreported
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 | 7 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 7 years |
| Territory type | Zip code list |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Utah |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 15 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 45 hrs
- POS system
- Grout Doctor® Franchise Management Software (Sandstone)
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Grout Doctor® Franchise Management Software (Sandstone)
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
61 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
THE GROUT DOCTOR® · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a THE GROUT DOCTOR® franchise?
The total investment to open a THE GROUT DOCTOR® franchise ranges from $24K – $38K, with an initial franchise fee of $15K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do THE GROUT DOCTOR® franchise owners earn?
THE GROUT DOCTOR® does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is THE GROUT DOCTOR®'s franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for THE GROUT DOCTOR® (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 THE GROUT DOCTOR® franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, THE GROUT DOCTOR® has 83 total units in the United States, including 81 franchised units and 2 company-owned units. 3 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is THE GROUT DOCTOR® a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates THE GROUT DOCTOR® as a A-grade franchise with a risk score of 34 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.