The Ultimate Franchise Scoring Engine

How It Works

From FDD to Score in Three Steps

No spreadsheets. No 300-page reading marathon. Just answers.

Upload the FDD

Drop in the Franchise Disclosure Document for any brand you're evaluating. Every franchisor is legally required to give you one — if you don't have it yet, ask for it.

The Engine Analyzes

We extract and evaluate Items 6, 7, 19, and 20 — royalty and fees, total investment, franchisee financial performance, and unit openings, closures, and transfers over the last three years.

Receive Your Score

Within minutes you get a 0–100 score, a letter grade, and the headline strengths and red flags — on screen and in your inbox.

Scoring Methodology

Two Pillars. One Honest Answer.

Your score is built from weighted criteria across two pillars, then normalized to a 0–100 scale. Financial performance carries the heaviest weight. If a data point isn't disclosed in the FDD, we exclude it from the math rather than guess — the brand is never penalized for what we can't verify, but missing disclosures get flagged.

Pillar 1

Financial Strength & ROI

Sales-to-investment ratio — how fast revenue can outrun your buy-in
Item 19 disclosure quality — what % of franchisees actually report numbers
Year-over-year revenue trend
Royalty rate

Pillar 2

Brand System Health & Stability

Franchisee retention rate — are owners staying or walking away
Brand maturity — from unproven to bluechip
Transfer rate — quiet exits show up here
Corporate-owned units — does the franchisor eat its own cooking

A80–100Exceptional

B65–79Strong

C50–64Proceed with caution

D35–49Serious concerns

F<35High risk

1,200+

FDDs analyzed

300+

Brands evaluated for our own portfolio

FDD criteria scored on every upload

Cost to you — always free

"The score confirmed what my gut couldn't prove — and the flag on franchisee retention saved me from a six-figure mistake."

— Placeholder testimonial · swap in a real client quote

FAQ

Questions, Answered

What is an FDD?

The Franchise Disclosure Document is a legal document every franchisor in the U.S. must provide to prospective franchisees at least 14 days before you sign or pay anything. It contains 23 items covering fees, investment, litigation, financial performance, and unit history — our engine focuses on the four items that reveal the most about the opportunity's real economics.

How long does scoring take?

Typically 2–3 minutes. Larger FDDs (400+ pages) can take slightly longer. Your results appear on screen and a copy lands in your inbox.

Is my FDD and personal information kept private?

Yes. Your document is used solely to generate your score and is never shared with franchisors, brokers, or third parties. Your email is used to deliver your report and occasional franchise insights from Franchise Empire — unsubscribe anytime.

What if the FDD is missing information, like no Item 19?

We never guess. If a data point isn't disclosed, it's excluded from the scoring math so the brand isn't unfairly penalized — but a missing Item 19 (financial performance) is itself a red flag, and we'll mark it on your report.

Is a high score a guarantee the franchise will succeed?

No. The score measures the strength of the system as disclosed in the FDD — it can't measure your market, your capital, or your execution. Treat it as a powerful first filter, not a substitute for due diligence and professional advice.