Franchise opportunities compared
Dealer Specialties vs Southern Steer
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
- Dealer Specialties figures come from its 2025 FDD and Southern Steer figures from its 2026 FDD, so the years differ.
- Only Southern Steer has reviewed Item 19 figures here.
| Disclosure | DSDealer Specialties | SSSouthern Steer |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $17,400 – $44,900 Total initial investment (range 17400–44900) 2025 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 12 | $376,223 ,000 $50,000 As Incurred As Incurred Landlord, Suppliers and Utilities Total ( 1 8 ) — 376223 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 17 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $10,000 2025 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 9 | $59,500 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 10 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | $100 Royalty and continuing service minimum per dealer lot 2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 9 | 1 3 ) — 250 on to the Royalty Fee and Brand Fund Contribution, if any. Liquidated Damages 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $0.03 Advertising fee per unique VIN 2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 9 | $2.00 on each individual Southern Steer Business You operate . Brand Fund Contribution — 3) — 2% 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 11 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 21 Outlets at end of 2024 2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 31 | 18 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 57 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | −63 Calculated: 84 at end of 2022 → 21 at end of 2024 | +10 Calculated: 8 at end of 2023 → 18 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) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — St. Petersburg 0.7 percent other St. Petersburg · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 53 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Clearwater Florida 44 percent other Clearwater · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 50 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Ocoee $13,452 other Ocoee · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 53 +5 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.