Franchise opportunities compared
Fantastic Sams Hair Salons vs The Barbershop (A Hair Salon for Men)
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 (Fantastic Sams Hair Salons: 7, The Barbershop (A Hair Salon for Men): 12). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure |  Fantastic Sams Hair Salons |  The Barbershop (A Hair Salon for Men) |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $162,500 – $453,000 Total estimated initial investment lower estimate — $162,500 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 18 | $207,000 Total initial investment — $207,000 to $352,600 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 14 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | Not available No single standard fee identified | $40,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 10 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | Not available No reviewed royalty record | $5.00 table Royalty — base rate 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 10 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $147 Current weekly National Advertising Fund fee — $147.49 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14 | $2.00 Advertising fund fee — up to 2% 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 10 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 484 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 44 | 50 Outlets at end of 2024 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 37 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | −81 Calculated: 565 at end of 2023 → 484 at end of 2025 | −1 Calculated: 51 at end of 2022 → 50 at end of 2024 |
| 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) | 1976 From a verified franchisor listing | 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 | 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 +4 more groups in the full report | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Top 25% of 34 eligible salons; met/exceeded counts use the 34-salon population 9 percent other Percentage meeting/exceeding average · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 34 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Top 50% of 34 eligible salons; met/exceeded counts use the 34-salon population $599,632 other annual gross sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 34 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Top 75% of 34 eligible salons; met/exceeded counts use the 34-salon population $539,709 other annual gross sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 34 +9 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.