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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 | DirectBuy Club | -8% | 47% | 92 | Lets members buy direct from manufacturers, after paying entrance fees. |
| $500K+ | 3 | Bruster's Real Ice Cream | -5% | 67% | 187 | Serves ice cream, frozen yogurt, Italian ice, sorbet and sherbet. |
| $500K+ | 4 | Big Boy | -5% | 62% | 109 | Sells burger fare; popularized by "The Adventures of Big Boy" comic. |
| $500K+ | 5 | Friendly's Restaurants | -8% | 69% | 338 | Offers sandwiches, burgers, ice cream; founded during Depression. |
| $500K+ | 6 | Ponderosa Steakhouse | -10% | 63% | 113 | Serves steak and seafood with all-you-can eat buffet. |
| $500K+ | 7 | Sizzler | -9% | 66% | 158 | Serves steak, seafood, mostly west of the Rockies. |
In a previous version of this list, three brands were included mistakenly. The three brands -- Tastee Freez, Desert Sun Tanning Salons, and Country Kitchen International -- should have been excluded because all three had too few franchise locations to qualify for this list of worst franchises, based on the criteria Forbes established with Frandata.
