Franchise opportunities compared
Appell Striping vs Top Rail
Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.
Before you compare
- Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
- Top Rail discloses more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
- Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Appell Striping: 2, Top Rail: 7). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure |  Appell Striping |  Top Rail |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $224,907 Totals 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 17 | $177,444 – $519,944 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $5,000 A $50,000 Territory Fee and $5,000 Initial Training Fee are also due at signing. 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 9 | $59,900 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 15 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | 8%/15% NA; $500/mo min m13 Royalty 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 10 | 6%–4% source Blended royalty rate range low 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 18 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | 1% of percentage of gross sales; $200 monthly minimum beginning in month 13 Brand Fund Contribution 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 11 | $1.00 Brand Fund Contribution — 1% 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 18 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 24 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 50 | 378 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 75 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | +16 Calculated: 8 at end of 2023 → 24 at end of 2025 | +192 Calculated: 186 at end of 2023 → 378 at end of 2025 |
| Outlet exits (Item 20) | Not available No complete exit records for a year | Not available No complete exit records for a year |
| Franchising since (Item 1) | April 2023 2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 6 | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | 2023 2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 6 | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Franchised (5 locations) — revenue $402,390 other Gross Sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 48 Company-owned (1 locations) — revenue $6,720,279 other Gross Sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 49 | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Firstyearfully2025not2024 7 locations other PartI Firstyearfully2025not2024 exceededaveragecount · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 72 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Secondyearfully2025and2024 $1,319,327 other PartI Secondyearfully2025and2024 average AcceptedContracts · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 72 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Proposalconversion56locations168territories 28.66 percent other PartII Proposalconversion56locations168territories median · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 73 +4 more groups in the full report |
Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.