Hood Cleaning franchise vs going solo

Hood cleaning franchises sell commercial accounts: a name restaurant chains and property managers recognize, a trailer rig and the paperwork fire marshals expect. Going solo starts with a hot water washer, containment gear and a few local restaurants.

Franchise figures are from each brand's listing in Entrepreneur's franchise directory, which summarizes the brand's Franchise Disclosure Document. Where a fee is a range, the disclosure document sets which end applies to you. Koira's figures are from koira.ai/pricing.

The up-front fee is paid once. The share of sales is paid on every job for the length of the agreement, before you pay yourself. Here is the arithmetic on an example year of $400,000 in sales, using the low end of each published rate:

Hoodz's tech fee is $60 a week, about $260 a month. Card processing is left out of the franchise rows because the summaries do not set it; you would pay a processor either way. On Koira's Office plan, Koira keeps 2% of card payments on top of Stripe's processing, and nothing on cash or check.

The example sales figure is an example, not a promise of what either path earns. Use the calculator above with your own numbers.

Hoodz has been franchising since 2009 and asks for $50,000 in cash and a $200,000 net worth. Bare Metal Standard has franchised since 2009; its listing gives no cash or net worth figure. For that, a franchise sells a known name, a written system, training and a territory.

A hood cleaning franchise fits an owner who wants national and regional accounts and plans to run crews. It fits less well for an owner who already has restaurant contacts, because the royalty comes off every account you bring in yourself.

A solo hood cleaner needs a hot water pressure washer, containment supplies, ladders and a way to handle wastewater, and works nights when kitchens are closed. The work is winning accounts, keeping each kitchen on the schedule its cooking calls for, and leaving a clean report every time.

See the hood cleaning tools list, hood cleaning insurance and hood cleaning service plans.

Koira's free Office plan covers the office side a franchise system would: a website that books jobs, estimates with signing and deposits, invoices and card payments and your day plan. Paid plans add the phone and crew tools.

Federal rules require the franchisor to give you its disclosure document at least 14 calendar days before you sign or pay. Read the fee items and any sales claims with their footnotes, and call former hood cleaning owners. Our handyman franchise guide walks through the document item by item.