Franchise opportunities compared
Little Diggers vs Mad Science
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.
- Mad Science 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 (Little Diggers: 1, Mad Science: 5). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure | LDLittle Diggers |  Mad Science |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $349,760 TOTAL (low–high) 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 21 | $127,050 – $185,859 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | $50,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 12 | Not available No single standard fee identified |
| Royalty (Item 6) | $8.00 Continuing Franchise Royalty rate 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13 | $8.00 Royalty fee rate 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $3.00 Advertising fund maximum rate 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13 | $5.00 National marketing fund maximum rate 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 3 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 47 | Not available No reviewed outlet counts |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | +2 Calculated: 1 at end of 2023 → 3 at end of 2025 | Not available Only one year reported |
| 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) | 2025 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 $475,818 other annual gross sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 45 | Franchised (57 franchisees) — revenue and other measures $84,000 other Franchisee low gross revenues · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 61 Franchised (21 franchisees) — other measures $491,000 other one territory franchisee population · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 62 Franchised (7 franchisees) — other measures $743,000 other two territories franchisee population · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 63 +2 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.