Is ZEISS VISION CENTER or Buff City Soap cheaper to open?

ZEISS VISION CENTER costs $605,000–$1,096,000 and Buff City Soap costs $395,427–$1,278,424 to open (FDD Item 7). Buff City Soap has the lower entry cost.

Which is the better franchise, ZEISS VISION CENTER or Buff City Soap?

FranchiseVerdict grades ZEISS VISION CENTER C and Buff City Soap B, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

ZEISS VISION CENTER vs Buff City Soap

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both ZEISS VISION CENTER and Buff City Soap are retail franchises. ZEISS VISION CENTER requires an investment of $605K – $1.1M while Buff City Soap requires $395K – $1.3M. Neither ZEISS VISION CENTER nor Buff City Soap makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD — a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule — so the two cannot be compared on disclosed unit revenue. FranchiseVerdict rates ZEISS VISION CENTER C (Average) and Buff City Soap B (Above average).

Metric	ZEISS VISION CENTER	Buff City Soap
Verdict Grade	CAverage	BAbove average
Investment Range	$605K – $1.1M	$395K – $1.3M
Franchise Fee	$25K	$50K
Royalty Rate	$25,000 per annum	6.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	N/ANo Item 19 representation	N/ANo Item 19 representation
SBA Charge-Off Rate	N/A	Limited data
Total Units	0	260
Unit Growth (YoY)	+0 units	-11 units
Year Began Franchising	2024	2018
FDD Year	2025	2025