Data dictionary
What each field means
Every brand page is built from the same fields. Each one below says where it comes from and, where it matters, what it should not be compared with. Outlets, franchisees and owner contacts are three different counts.
| Field | Source | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Franchised outletsfranchised_units_yr1 | FDD Item 20, Table 1 | Outlets operated by franchisees at the end of the filing's most recent fiscal year. |
| Company-owned outletscompany_owned_units | FDD Item 20, Table 1 | Outlets operated by the franchisor or its affiliates at the end of that year. |
| Total outletsunit_count_total | FDD Item 20, Table 1 | Franchised plus company-owned outlets open at year end, as the franchisor's own filing counts them.Some filings count territories, vehicles or offices rather than storefronts; the page says so where the filing does. |
| Owner contactscontact_count | FDD Item 20 exhibit | Current and former franchisees the filing lists by name. One franchisee can own several outlets and one outlet can list several people.Never compare this to the outlet count: it is neither a count of franchisees nor of locations. |
| Projected new outletsprojected_new_units | FDD Item 20, Table 5 | Outlets the franchisor projects opening in the next fiscal year. |
| Signed but not openedsold_not_open | FDD Item 20, Table 5 | Franchise agreements signed where the outlet had not opened by year end.Read from Table 5's Total row only where that row's projected-openings column matches the projection we store, so both figures come from the same printed row. FDDs give the count only; they do not age these commitments, so no page shows an age. |
| Terminated / not renewed / reacquired / transferredunits_terminated | FDD Item 20, Tables 2 and 3 | Outlets that left a franchisee's hands in the most recent fiscal year, by route of exit. |
| Turnover rateturnover_rate | Derived from Item 20 | Outlets that exited in the most recent year (terminated, not renewed, reacquired, ceased) divided by total outlets. |
| Initial investment (range)investment_low | FDD Item 7 | The TOTAL row of the filing's Item 7 table, low to high, as printed. |
| Initial franchise feefranchise_fee | FDD Item 5 | The fee for a single standard outlet; ranges and gated fees are labelled on the page. |
| Royaltyroyalty_rate | FDD Item 6 | The ongoing royalty, as a share of gross sales unless the page says otherwise. |
| Ad fundad_fund_rate | FDD Item 6 | The brand or marketing fund contribution. |
| Average gross salesavg_gross_sales | FDD Item 19 | The filing's own average of gross sales per unit of analysis for the period it reports.Gross sales are not profit. The unit of analysis may be a franchisee or a territory, not an outlet; the page says which. |
| Item 19 statusitem19_status | FDD Item 19 | Disclosed (an average is on file), partial (figures but no system average), not disclosed (the filing states it makes no financial performance representation) or not extracted (not yet read). |
| SBA 7(a) charge-off ratesba_default_rate | SBA 7(a) loan records (FOIA) | Charged-off loans as a share of resolved (paid in full or charged off) 7(a) loans matched to the brand.Shown only with at least 10 loans, at least 10 resolved, a lender on record, and loans equal to at least 2% of franchised outlets; otherwise the coverage word explains why it is hidden. |
| SBA coveragesba_coverage | Derived | Adequate (the rate is shown), limited (10 or more loans, too few resolved or too few for the system's size), insufficient (fewer than 10 loans), not matched (no SBA loans matched). |
| Auditor going-concern doubtgoing_concern_note | FDD Item 21, auditor's report | Yes when the auditor's report carries a going-concern section; No when the opinion has none; Not extracted when we have not read the report.The standard audit-report sentences about evaluating going concern are not a finding. |
| Litigation caseslitigation_count | FDD Item 3 | Cases the filing discloses. The page says when none of them name the franchisor itself. |
| Bankruptcy (Item 4)bankruptcy_disclosed | FDD Item 4 | A bankruptcy disclosed in the last ten years; the page says when it is an officer's own or that of a company an officer ran, rather than the franchisor's. |
| Audited financial statementshas_audited_financials | FDD Item 21 | Whether the franchisor's statements are audited rather than reviewed or unaudited. |
| Territoryterritory_type | FDD Item 12 | Exclusive (no other outlet of the brand inside it), protected (limits on the franchisor's own nearby outlets, not exclusive), none, or not extracted. |
| Parent companyparent_company | FDD Item 1 | The franchisor's parent as the filing names it. |
| Franchisorfranchisor_legal_name | FDD cover and Item 1 | The legal entity that grants the franchise. |
| Verdict score and gradeverdict_score | FranchiseVerdict methodology | A 0-100 editorial score (higher is better) and its A-F grade: A 70+, B 46-69, C 38-45, D 28-37, F below 28.An editorial assessment of public records, not investment advice. |
| FDD yearfdd_year | FDD cover | The year of the filing the page's figures come from. |
| Data extractedfdd_extract_at | FranchiseVerdict | When the filing was last read end to end. |
| Last cited checklast_cited_check | FranchiseVerdict | The newest figure on the page written with a page reference and a verbatim quote from its filing. |
| FV brand IDdisplay_id | FranchiseVerdict | A stable public identifier (FV-00682); /brand/fv-00682 opens the brand's page. |