🧯 The Franzy Five

Welcome to the Franzy Five — your 5-minute fix on the most compelling franchises and the trends shaping the industry. Each week, we spotlight one standout concept worth watching, then round up key stories driving growth across food, fitness, home services, and beyond. Think of it as your shortcut to understanding where the smartest money in franchising is headed — and why.

The Brand Story

Most service franchises compete on convenience or quality. This one built its model around regulatory compliance. Commercial kitchen exhaust systems must be cleaned and inspected to meet NFPA 96 fire safety standards — it's not a recommendation, it's a legal requirement enforced at local, state, and federal levels.

Since 2009, this brand has been cleaning, inspecting, and repairing kitchen hoods for restaurants, hotels, hospitals, schools, and any facility with commercial cooking operations. The services aren't glamorous, but they're essential. Every restaurant needs hood cleaning quarterly at minimum. Many need it monthly. And when exhaust systems fail inspection or break down, repairs can't wait.

The business model centers on recurring contracts and predictable revenue. Once a franchisee establishes a client relationship, that customer needs service 4-12 times per year indefinitely. Add filter exchange programs and exhaust system repairs, and you've built multiple revenue streams from the same account base. The company reports a 24-month average contract duration and 4-week sales cycles — B2B fundamentals that create actual operating leverage.

The Data Angle

The restaurant industry is projected to hit $1.5 trillion in revenue in 2025 — five years ahead of the National Restaurant Association's previous forecast. Every one of those restaurants needs hood cleaning services. The addressable market is massive and growing.

Investment sits at $198K to $264K for a three-month ramp, which includes working capital, vehicles, equipment, and facility setup. The $49,000 franchise fee is straightforward, with tiered royalties starting at 10% (dropping to 9% above $1.5M and 8% above $3M in annual billings).

The corporate-owned location provides insight into unit economics at scale. In the most recent measurement period, it generated $5.3M in gross billings across three service lines: hood cleaning (80%), filter exchange (14%), and repairs (6%). After cost of sales (57%) and G&A expenses (18%), net operating income hit $1.33M (25% margin). After imputed royalties and fees, net income was $686K (13% margin).

Important context: the corporate location operates a territory three times larger than standard franchise territories and also services select accounts outside its primary area. Franchised territories are too new to report full-year data, but the brand has sold 105+ territories in approximately 14 months, signaling strong franchisee interest despite the early-stage performance data.