Quick Verdict · who it fits
Craters & Freighters fits first-time franchise buyers looking for a mid-scale business services concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$207K - $390K
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$35K
Royalty (Item 6)
5% + 1% ad
System size (Item 20)
64
Years in business
35+ yrs
Model Craters & Freighters's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Data extracted from the 2026 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 5% + ad fund 1% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$500,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (5%)
—
Ad fund (1%)
—
Total / year
—
▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
65
Total units open
1
Units opened last year
1
Units closed last year
0
Net unit growth
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
4
Risks to review
3
Strengths identified
4
Questions to ask
How Craters & Freighters ranks against 90 Business Services peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
82nd pct · of 90 peers
Franchise fee
21st pct · of 90 peers
System size
53rd pct · of 90 peers
Business Services industry averages
Avg investment
$151K - $432K
Avg franchise fee
$50K
Avg system size
223
Franchises analyzed
90
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Craters & Freighters | Disclosed | $35K | $207K - $390K | 5% | 64 |
| IaSimilar price | Disclosed | $50K | $168K - $395K | 6% | 0 |
| The Ups StoreBiggest system | Disclosed | $40K | $86K - $606K | 5% | 5,487 |
| Unishippers Global LogisticsTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $30K | $17K - $233K | 15–18.5% | 191 |
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Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Brand Analysis
FedEx Office is a wholly owned FedEx subsidiary with no franchise program and no disclosure document. The comparable counter you can actually buy is The UPS Store, where the 2026 FDD prices a new traditional center at $222,368 to $606,081.
Brand Analysis
Yes. Jiffy Lube International is a Shell subsidiary, and 1,765 of the system's 2,083 US service centers were franchised at the end of 2025. The 2026 FDD sets a $35,000 fee and a $211,000 to $510,000 investment range that leaves out the land and the building.
Brand Analysis
Yes, McDonald's is a franchise — roughly 95% of its 40,000+ locations worldwide are operated by independent franchisees. But McDonald's franchise model is unlike almost any other brand. Here's how it actually works.
Craters & Freighters requires a $35,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $207,000–$390,000, per the most recent FDD on file.
Craters & Freighters franchises are sold by Craters & Freighters Franchise Company, the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the corporate structure, including any parent companies and predecessors.
Yes. Craters & Freighters discloses Item 19 financial performance representations in its FDD. See the financials sub-page for the disclosed figures.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 5% and an advertising fund contribution of 1% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Craters & Freighters has 64 total locations. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt