Franchise opportunities compared
Surface Specialists vs The Grout Doctor
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.
- Surface Specialists 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 (Surface Specialists: 3, The Grout Doctor: 3). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure | SSSurface Specialists | TGThe Grout Doctor |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $3,400 – $56,000 2026 FDD · Item 7 | $24,065 – $38,085 TOTAL 2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 25 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | Not available No single standard fee identified | $500 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 16 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | 5% of Gross Receipts, subject to $250 monthly minimum Royalty Fee 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 12 | $0.00 Royalty minimum per household 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $1.00 Advertising Contribution — 1% of Gross Receipts 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 12 | $1.50 Current advertising fund 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 131 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 38 | 80 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 54 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | −12 Calculated: 143 at end of 2023 → 131 at end of 2025 | −2 Calculated: 82 at end of 2023 → 80 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 available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | 2001 2026 FDD · Item 1 · PDF p. 8 | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Franchised (44 locations) — revenue $296,405 mean Gross Sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 35 Franchised (35 franchise) — revenue $110,163 median Estimated Sales Value from Initial Inventory · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 37 Franchised (44 franchisees) — revenue $3,725 – $69,644 range Gross Sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 35 | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Standard >2 years 40 percent other Standard >2 years · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 49 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Standard 12–24 months 66.67 percent other Standard 12–24 months · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 52 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Non-standard >2 years 1 franchisees other Non-standard >2 years · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 52 |
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.