Franchise opportunities compared
Drybar vs Fantastic Sams Hair Salons
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.
- Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Drybar: 8, Fantastic Sams Hair Salons: 14). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure |  Drybar |  Fantastic Sams Hair Salons |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | Not available No reviewed Item 7 total | $162,500 – $453,000 Total estimated initial investment lower estimate — $162,500 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 18 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $50,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 13 | Not available No single standard fee identified |
| Royalty (Item 6) | $7.00 Monthly royalty gross receipts 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15 | Not available No reviewed royalty record |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $4.00 Brand fund maximum 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 18 | $147 Current weekly National Advertising Fund fee — $147.49 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 198 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 73 | 484 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 44 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | +39 Calculated: 159 at end of 2023 → 198 at end of 2025 | −81 Calculated: 565 at end of 2023 → 484 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) | 2011 From a verified franchisor listing | 1976 From a verified franchisor listing |
| 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 | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Top 10 10 shops other Top 10 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 71 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Bottom third 47 shops other Bottom third · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 71 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — All shops 167 shops other All shops · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 71 +5 more groups in the full report | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Top Quartile of311 reporting salons $493,651 other Top Quartile · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 43 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Second Quartile of311 reporting salons 49 percent other Second Quartile · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 43 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Bottom Quartile of311 reporting salons $206,894 other Bottom Quartile · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 43 +11 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.