A research desk for franchise buyers
Franchise disclosure, redlined year over year.
Franchisors refile their Franchise Disclosure Document every year — and the changes between filings are where the story is: a royalty that crept up, an Item 7 range that quietly widened, outlets that stopped growing. Our multi-year redline audits diff a brand's filings line by line and cite every figure to the filing, item and page it came from. As filed — verify.
The sample is a complete, real audit — Dogtopia, 2023 vs 2026 — published free so you can judge the format before paying for anything.
Items 5 · 6 · 7
| Figure | As filed |
|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $49,500 |
| Royalty | 7% |
| Brand fund | 2% |
| Item 7 — low end | $780,104 |
| Item 7 — high end | $1,469,845 |
Items 5 · 6 · 7
| Figure | As filed | |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $49,500 | = |
| Royalty | 7% | = |
| Brand fund | 2% | = |
| Item 7 — low end | $664,355 | ▼ |
| Item 7 — high end | $1,478,820 | ▲ |
The redline format of every audit: two filings, side by side, changes marked and cited. Figures above are from the free Dogtopia sample audit.
What a Redline audit is
Two ways to buy the diff
The Multi-Year Redline & Risk Audit
$79
One brand, every filing year we hold.
- Line-by-line Item 5 & 6 fee diff across every filing year held
- Item 7 investment-range shifts, low end and high end, with calculated changes and formulas
- Item 3 litigation and bankruptcy changes between filings
- Item 20 openings, closures, transfers and turnover — the churn under the headline count
- Every figure cited to its filing, item and page
On sale — all 15 covered brands
An audit is sold only for a brand whose verified multi-year filing set we actually hold. Every brand in the library below now meets that rule — and Dogtopia's audit is finished and published free as the sample.
Market context: a professional FDD review by a franchise attorney commonly runs $2,000–$5,000. A Redline audit is a document diff, not legal advice — it shows you exactly what changed between filings so any review you commission starts from evidence.
The Category Benchmark Pack
$179
4–5 direct competitors, side by side.
- Every brand's multi-year redline audit in the category (same spec as the $79 audit)
- Side-by-side Item 7 buildout comparison across the brands
- Item 19 comparison where a franchisor chooses to include one
- Three-year outlet survival and churn from Item 20, brand by brand
Waitlist
Food & beverage pack · Fitness pack — a pack goes on sale only when every brand in it has a verified multi-year set.
Market context: a professional FDD review by a franchise attorney commonly runs $2,000–$5,000. A Redline audit is a document diff, not legal advice — it shows you exactly what changed between filings so any review you commission starts from evidence.
Brand library
A growing library: new brands are added as their filings are verified, and an audit is sold only for a brand whose multi-year filing set we actually hold. Coverage is 15 brand pages.
McDonald's
Item 7 (2026 FDD): $1,472,000 – $2,807,000
Free Item 5/6/7 teaser and outlet trend on the brand page.
Dunkin'
Item 7 (2026 FDD): $532,400 – $1,832,500
Free Item 5/6/7 teaser and outlet trend on the brand page.
Domino's
Item 7 (2026 FDD): $231,450 – $743,500
Free Item 5/6/7 teaser and outlet trend on the brand page.
Planet Fitness
Item 7 (2026 FDD): $1,282,500 – $3,769,000
Free Item 5/6/7 teaser and outlet trend on the brand page.
Anytime Fitness
Item 7 (2026 FDD): $539,329 – $905,482
Free Item 5/6/7 teaser and outlet trend on the brand page.
Great Clips
Item 7 (2026 FDD): $187,800 – $419,900
Free Item 5/6/7 teaser and outlet trend on the brand page.
Jersey Mike's Subs
Item 7 (2026 FDD): $436,176 – $1,162,228
Free Item 5/6/7 teaser and outlet trend on the brand page.
Nothing Bundt Cakes
Item 7 (2026 FDD): $490,900 – $1,156,200
Free Item 5/6/7 teaser and outlet trend on the brand page.
The UPS Store
Item 7 (2026 FDD): $222,368 – $606,081
Free Item 5/6/7 teaser and outlet trend on the brand page.
Budget Blinds
Item 7 (2026 FDD): $100,500 – $211,250
Free Item 5/6/7 teaser and outlet trend on the brand page.
Pet Supplies Plus
Item 7 (2024 FDD): $498,320 – $1,978,605
Free Item 5/6/7 teaser and outlet trend on the brand page.
SERVPRO
Item 7 (2026 FDD): $263,305 – $385,570
Free Item 5/6/7 teaser and outlet trend on the brand page.
Snap-on Tools
Item 7 (2026 FDD): $223,439 – $509,283
Free Item 5/6/7 teaser and outlet trend on the brand page.
Tropical Smoothie Cafe
Item 7 (2026 FDD): $275,500 – $770,500
Free Item 5/6/7 teaser and outlet trend on the brand page.
Dogtopia
Item 7 (2026 FDD): $664,355 – $1,478,820
Free Item 5/6/7 teaser and outlet trend on the brand page.
Start free
Every brand page carries a free Item 5/6/7 teaser and an outlet-trend chart, and the cross-brand cost comparison table puts all covered brands side by side. New to FDDs? Start with How to read an FDD.
Request a brand
Don't see the brand you're researching? Tell us — requests are the demand signal we use to decide which filings to verify next. New brands are added only as their filings are verified.