The Best And Worst Franchises To Buy, 2015 (Forbes)

To help FORBES create its second annual list of the Best and Worst Franchises to Buy, we’ve again tapped the invaluable intel and statistics of FRANdata. The information assessed all comes from the five-year time period ranging from 2009 to 2013. We’ve divided our ranking of franchises into three categories, based on entry costs: up to $150,000; $150,000 to $500,000; and over $500,000. 

The Best Franchises To Buy

Entry Cost	Rank	Brand	5-Year Growth Rate	5-Year Franchisee Continuity	Total Units
Up to $150K	1	Brightway Insurance	22%	89%	109	Sells auto, home, business and personal policies.
Up to $150K	2	Maid Pro	10%	92%	167	Provides house-cleaning services with detailed 49-point checklist.
Up to $150K	3	Right at Home	14%	89%	338	Offers In-home care, nursing to companionship, for seniors, disabled.
Up to $150K	4	Discovery Map	10%	91%	132	Curates quirky, tourist maps and travel guides.
Up to $150K	5	Just Between Friends	14%	90%	141	Hosts consignment events for child and maternity clothes.
Up to $150K	6	Seniors Helping Seniors	41%	89%	231	Arranges non-medical in-home care for seniors and provided by seniors.
Up to $150K	7	BrightStar Care	26%	80%	258	Provides home care to anyone, newborns to the elderly.
Up to $150K	8	Pop-A-Lock	26%	92%	415	Offers 24-hour locksmith services, largest franchise chain the U.S.
Up to $150K	9	Mathnasium	23%	85%	417	Offers customized math tutoring services, preschool through high school.
Up to $150K	10	Weed Man	6%	91%	142	Provides lawn care service; started in Canada, now in U.S. and U.K.
$150K – $500K	1	Jimmy John’s	17%	99%	1,802	Serves and delivers sandwiches; preparing an IPO.
$150K – $500K	2	Jet’s Pizza	15%	98%	321	Fires up deep-dish pizza baked in a square pan.
$150K – $500K	3	Marco’s Pizza	21%	94%	433	Sells “authentic Italian” pizza.
$150K – $500K	4	Plato’s Closet	10%	98%	384	Buys and sells name-brand young adult clothing, shoes, accessories.
$150K – $500K	5	Dutch Bros.	9%	96%	214	Sells coffee from drive-thru shops; founded by dairy farming brothers.
$150K – $500K	6	Wingstop	8%	92%	593	Serves enough hot wings to fuel a hit IPO.
$150K – $500K	7	Sport Clips	13%	97%	1,151	Provides barber services from sports-themed, man-cave shops.
$150K – $500K	8	Batteries Plus Bulbs	12%	97%	602	Fills replacement battery needs for phones, laptops, cars and more.
$150K – $500K	9	Anytime Fitness	14%	91%	1,834	Offers  tanning and personal training from gyms open 24 hours a day.
$150K – $500K	10	Auntie Anne’s	6%	92%	977	Sells sweet and salty pretzels from mall food courts around the country.
$500K+	1	Sola Salon Studios	38%	100%	139	Lets stylists run their own one-person businesses from salons.
$500K+	2	Massage Envy	12%	99%	941	Offers affordable massages from more than 1,000 convenient locations.
$500K+	3	Firehouse Subs	16%	94%	722	Serves hot sub sandwiches; founded by former firefighters.
$500K+	4	The Learning Experience	25%	94%	126	Provides before- and after-school child care.
$500K+	5	Primrose Schools	6%	97%	271	Offers day care plus learning at accredited private preschools.
$500K+	6	Retro Fitness	23%	94%	102	Pumps up gym regulars by projecting classic 1980s movies.
$500K+	7	Doubletree Hotels	8%	94%	252	Gives every hotel guest a chocolate chip and walnut cookie at check-in.
$500K+	8	Culver’s	5%	100%	495	Sells “Butter Burgers,” frozen custards and now  salads too.
$500K+	9	Hilton Garden Inn	5%	99%	521	Offers full bar, free WiFi and fitness center at mid-range prices.
$500K+	10	Homewood Suites by Hilton	5%	99%	322	Includes full kitchens for extended stay guests.

The Worst Franchises To Buy

Entry Cost	Rank	Brand	5-Year Growth Rate	5-Year Franchisee Continuity	Total Units
Up to $150K	1	American Express Travel Services	-13%	57%	117	Supplies travel services.
Up to $150K	2	Guardsman Furniture Professionals	-11%	47%	72	Offers furniture protection plans and damage, stain repair.
Up to $150K	3	ERA Real Estate	-10%	48%	549	Brokers real estate transactions.
Up to $150K	4	All Tune and Lube	-15%	31%	77	Provides tire, engine, transmission and general car maintenance.
Up to $150K	5	United Country	-7%	52%	456	Brokers real estate in small cities, towns and rural areas.
Up to $150K	6	WSI	-12%	43%	344	Sells digital marketing services, starting with website design.
Up to $150K	7	Handyman Connection	-19%	31%	52	Provides home repair from paint and plaster to fences and faucets.
Up to $150K	8	Curves	-18%	37%	2,356	Offers strength-training and weight-loss services for women.
Up to $150K	9	Computer Troubleshooters	-7%	42%	145	Troubleshoots IT systems for family and small business clients.
Up to $150K	10	Realty World	-20%	29%	89	Offers real estate brokerage services.
$150K – $500K	1	It’s A Grind Coffee House	-20%	26%	36	Operates coffee shops that also feature tea and smoothies.
$150K – $500K	2	Econo Lube N’ Tune & Brakes	-22%	25%	33	Offers quick oil changes, engine maintenance and brake repair.
$150K – $500K	3	Mr. Payroll	-8%	52%	88	Handles check cashing, money orders, bill pay and money transfers.
$150K – $500K	4	Cottman Transmissions	-11%	54%	67	Repairs autos; founded in Philadelphia.
$150K – $500K	5	Chock Full o’Nuts Cafe	-25%	20%	31	Operates Iconic coffee shops dating back to 1926 New York nuts store.
$150K – $500K	6	Quiznos	-20%	27%	1,439	Serves toasted sub sandwiches; went through Chapter 11 last year.
$150K – $500K	7	Great Steak & Potato Company	-14%	45%	90	Specializes in Philly cheesesteaks; started by two Ohio brothers.
$150K – $500K	8	Epcon Communities	-10%	46%	86	Builds homes for people who want to live in “maintenance free” communities.
$150K – $500K	9	Fitness Together	-12%	47%	207	Offers personal training in one-on-one and in small groups.
$150K – $500K	10	The Athlete’s Foot	-25%	21%	54	Sells athletic footwear; predates Foot Locker.
$500K+	1	Sbarro	-4%	68%	572	Sells pizza/Italian fast-food; emerged from Chapter 11 in 2014.
$500K+	2	Desert Sun Tanning Salons	-8%	46%	52	Sells sunbed and spray tans along with lotions, moisturizers.
$500K+	3	Country Kitchen International	-14%	55%	46	Serves breakfast all day, plus comfort food like fried steaks and apple pie.
$500K+	4	DirectBuy Club	-8%	47%	92	Lets members buy direct from manufacturers, after paying entrance fees.
$500K+	5	Bruster’s Real Ice Cream	-5%	67%	187	Serves ice cream, frozen yogurt, Italian ice, sorbet and sherbet.
$500K+	6	Big Boy	-5%	62%	109	Sells burger fare; popularized by “The Adventures of Big Boy” comic.
$500K+	7	Friendly’s Restaurants	-8%	69%	338	Offers sandwiches,  burgers, ice cream; founded during Depression.
$500K+	8	Ponderosa Steakhouse	-10%	63%	113	Serves steak and seafood with all-you-can eat buffet.
$500K+	9	Tastee Freez	-28%	19%	11	Selling soft-serve ice cream since the 1950s.
$500K+	10	Sizzler	-9%	66%	158	Serves steak, seafood, mostly west of the Rockies.

Original