Franchise opportunities compared
Fred Astaire Dance Studios vs Water Babies
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.
- Water Babies 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 (Fred Astaire Dance Studios: 3, Water Babies: 1). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure |  Fred Astaire Dance Studios | WBWater Babies |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $298,000 – $665,000 TOTAL 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 32 | $102,650 – $164,217 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $35,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 20 | $55,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 9 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | 7% · percent of Gross Revenue for the preceding week Royalty Fee 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 22 | $10 Royalty rate up to $400,000 gross revenue 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 10 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $150/mo Advertising Fees — per month 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 22 | $2.00 Brand fund contribution 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 10 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 285 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 86 | 2 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 49 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | +39 Calculated: 246 at end of 2023 → 285 at end of 2025 | +0 Calculated: 2 at end of 2023 → 2 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 expressly stated 2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 11 | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | 1995 2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 10 | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record $85,567 – $4,117,263 range Gross Revenue · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 85 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record $624,953 median Gross Revenue · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 81 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — "all Mature Studios"; a “Mature Studio” is any Studio in the United States that… $250,000 other For 2025, the Performance Standards are: YEAR OF OPERATION PERFORMANCE STANDARD 2 $250,000 3 $312,476.66 4 $343,724.33 5 $374,971.99 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 85 | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record $1,989,969 other Gross revenue 2024 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 47 |
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.