Franchise opportunities compared
Roto-Rooter vs Zoom Drain
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.
- Zoom Drain discloses more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
- Only Zoom Drain has reviewed Item 19 figures here.
| Disclosure |  Roto-Rooter | ZDZoom Drain |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $123,110 – $281,550 Total Estimated Initial Investment 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 22 | $266,250 – $672,000 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | Not available No single standard fee identified | $54,500 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 12 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | Not available No reviewed royalty record | $1,000 Royalty minimum after month 12 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | Not available No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee | $2.00 Brand Fund contribution 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 448 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 40 | 165 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 63 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | −10 Calculated: 458 at end of 2023 → 448 at end of 2025 | +36 Calculated: 129 at end of 2023 → 165 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) | 1936 2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 12 | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | 1935 2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 12 | 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 — Franchisee 1 (2 Territories) $13,568 other Franchisee 1 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 53 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchisee 2 (3 Territories) $18,804 other Franchisee 2 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 53 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchisee 3 (3 Territories) $31,125 other Franchisee 3 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 53 +20 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.