News

Tighter Capital Is Rewiring Who Gets Franchise Deals

Rising lending standards have narrowed the franchisee pipeline to experienced operators, leaving franchisors to compete harder for a smaller, more discerning pool.

Jordan ReyesJune 14, 20264 min read

Dog Haus's 50-Unit Deal Puts Operators in the C-Suite

By pairing a 50-unit development agreement with president and COO titles, Dog Haus is testing a model where franchisee investment and brand leadership are the same role.

Jordan ReyesJune 13, 20264 min read

Multi-Brand Operators Are Rethinking What Belongs in a Portfolio

FRANdata's 2026 Multi-Brand 50 shows large franchise operators trading diversification for portfolio fit, choosing concepts that share operational infrastructure rather than simply spreading revenue across categories.

Priya ShahJune 13, 20264 min read

Court Approves FAT Brands Breakup Across Four Buyers

A Texas bankruptcy court approved the sale of FAT Brands' eleven restaurant concepts to four separate buyers, resolving more than $1.3 billion in debt through debt-to-equity conversions and direct cash transactions.

Jordan ReyesJune 13, 20264 min read

PE-Backed Operator Reaches 61 Club Pilates Studios

Aligned Fitness Holdings' acquisition of six New Jersey units illustrates how private equity is consolidating boutique fitness through franchisee buy-outs.

Priya ShahJune 13, 20264 min read

U.S. Franchise Brands Enter Six New Markets in 2026

American brands signed a cluster of international franchise agreements in early 2026, entering Canada, Malaysia, Italy, Germany, and the Caribbean through local franchise structures.

Jordan ReyesJune 13, 20264 min read

What 2026 Franchise Innovation Winners Signal for Operators

Autonomous delivery, employee tech, and local marketing execution defined the winners across all five categories at this year's franchise innovation awards.

Priya ShahJune 13, 20264 min read

Tighter Lending Is Filtering Out First-Time Franchisees

Stricter underwriting is concentrating new franchise agreements among experienced multi-unit operators, forcing franchisors to compete for a smaller, more sophisticated candidate pool.

Jordan ReyesJune 13, 20264 min read

How franchise networks are deploying AI agents across the field

Multi-location operators are moving past pilots. Inside the playbook for rolling out AI agents across hundreds of units without breaking brand standards.

Priya ShahJune 10, 20264 min read

The new economics of multi-unit ownership

Capital is consolidating around operators who run ten units like one. What that means for valuations, financing, and the next wave of franchise M&A.

Jordan ReyesJune 5, 20264 min read

Why field operations is the last automation frontier

Headquarters digitized a decade ago. The field — where the customer actually is — is only now getting the same treatment.

Jordan ReyesMay 28, 20264 min read

Stanford's JobBench Gives Franchise Operators a Clearer Map for AI Agent Deployment

A new framework from Stanford SALT Lab maps 844 job tasks across 104 occupations on two axes — what workers want to hand off to AI, and what AI can actually do reliably. For multi-unit operators, it is the most practical deployment filter available.

Priya ShahMay 26, 20264 min read

FAT Brands' Court-Approved Sale Moves Into Transition — What Franchisees in the System Need to Track

The May 19 court ruling handed 14 FAT Brands concepts to four buyers. For the franchisees still operating inside those systems, the next 90 days carry more uncertainty than the deal itself.

Jordan ReyesMay 22, 20264 min read

Dunkin' Signs Master Franchise Deal with Foodtastic to Relaunch in Canada

Canadian restaurant operator Foodtastic has exclusive national rights to develop and subfranchise Dunkin' across Canada — nine years after the brand last operated there.

Priya ShahMay 21, 20264 min read

Google's I/O AI Search Overhaul Creates a Franchise Location Data Emergency

At Google I/O on May 19, Google unveiled what analysts called the biggest transformation to its search interface in 25 years. For franchise networks with hundreds or thousands of locations, the shift is operational: AI systems now surface local business results based on structured data quality, and stale location profiles translate directly into lost discovery — and lost revenue.

Priya ShahMay 19, 20264 min read

Chicken Salad Chick Signs Its Largest Franchise Agreement Ever — 25 Units in Upstate New York

The Southern fast casual brand committed to 25 locations across Albany, Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, and the Upper Hudson Valley — its largest single development agreement on record. The deal extends Chicken Salad Chick's footprint toward the Canadian border and signals an accelerating push into Northern markets.

Jordan ReyesMay 13, 20264 min read

Dunkin Returns to Canada with Hundreds of Planned Stores

Foodtastic wins exclusive master franchise rights to develop Dunkin across the Canadian market it abandoned eight years ago.

Jordan ReyesMay 12, 20264 min read

The SBA's SBSS Score Sunset Has Changed the Franchise Lending Calculus

Effective March 1, 2026, SBA lenders stopped using the FICO Small Business Scoring Service score for 7(a) loans up to $350,000. Two months in, the downstream effects are clear: documentation requirements are heavier, the credit bar is higher, and the operators best positioned are those with established financials and system-level brand data.

Priya ShahMay 8, 20264 min read

US Franchise Brands Are Accelerating Global Market Entries

A wave of master franchise and area development deals signals that American franchise systems are moving faster than ever to lock up international territory.

Priya ShahMay 7, 20264 min read

Multi-Unit Reinvestment Has Become the Engine of Franchise Deal Flow in 2026

New franchise buyers are still entering the market, but the operators closing the most development agreements are overwhelmingly existing franchisees expanding within their systems. The shift is reshaping development pipelines, franchisor relationships, and how brands think about the difference between growing their system and growing their network.

Jordan ReyesMay 3, 20264 min read

Real Brokerage Makes $880 Million Offer to Acquire RE/MAX

The tech-forward real estate franchisor's unsolicited bid would combine two of the industry's largest franchise networks under one parent.

Jordan ReyesApril 27, 20264 min read

Flynn Group Buys 98-Unit Planet Fitness Portfolio from Grand Fitness

The nation's largest franchise operator adds nearly 100 Planet Fitness locations to its portfolio, continuing its strategy of absorbing large multi-unit blocks from exiting operators.

Priya ShahApril 20, 20264 min read

Tiger Global Backs Popup Bagels at $300 Million Valuation

The New York bagel startup's Series B round signals that institutional investors see franchise-ready food concepts as a durable asset class even at significant valuations.

Jordan ReyesApril 14, 20264 min read

Two Families, One Market: ReCoat Revolution's Texas Bet

Simultaneous investments from two unrelated families in Southlake point to growing confidence in the surface refinishing brand.

Jordan ReyesApril 7, 20264 min read

Franchise Networks Have a Built-In Edge in the AI Era

Standardized systems and centralized data give franchise operators an AI implementation advantage independent businesses cannot easily replicate.

Priya ShahMarch 28, 20264 min read

Service Experts Opens Franchising After 30 Years Corporate-Only

One of North America's largest HVAC service networks is inviting owner-operators into its system for the first time since 1990, targeting markets where its corporate footprint has gaps.

Jordan ReyesMarch 19, 20264 min read

Obsessing Over Service Built the Top Two Maids Unit

The franchisee running Two Maids' highest-performing location credits a single operating principle: treat every clean as if the customer is inspecting right behind you.

Priya ShahMarch 10, 20264 min read

Xponential's $40M Settlement Puts Franchisors on Notice

The FTC's $39.75 million action against Xponential Fitness over earnings claims in its FDDs is the clearest signal yet that disclosure compliance is no longer an afterthought regulators will overlook.

Jordan ReyesMarch 9, 20264 min read

McDonald's Value Push Delivers 6.8% Same-Store Sales Gain

After years of franchisee pricing pressure, McDonald's doubled down on value deals and reversed a sustained traffic decline in Q4 2025.

Jordan ReyesFebruary 24, 20264 min read

IFPG Buys Franchise Business Review in Industry Consolidation Move

Combining candidate sourcing with brand evaluation under one roof reshapes how franchisors recruit and vet qualified buyers.

Priya ShahFebruary 19, 20264 min read

SPENGA Returns to Franchise FastLane With a Leaner Site Model

The spin-strength-yoga brand rejoins its development partner with a compact footprint and three new revenue streams designed for multi-unit scale.

Jordan ReyesFebruary 9, 20264 min read

Strickland Brothers Lands Growth Financing to Expand Oil Change Network

The rapid-oil-change franchise secured outside capital to accelerate unit count, a move that reflects rising investor appetite for automotive services.

Priya ShahFebruary 6, 20264 min read

Private Equity Returns to Franchising as M&A Activity Builds

Lower interest rates, solid unit economics, and pent-up PE capital are converging to make 2026 one of the most active deal years in franchise history.

Jordan ReyesJanuary 31, 20264 min read

Why More Workers Are Leaving Jobs for Franchise Ownership

New data shows franchise buyers in 2026 cite community ties and generational wealth as primary motivators, not just income.

Jordan ReyesJanuary 17, 20264 min read

Jersey Mike's Plans 400 Stores Across UK and Ireland

Jersey Mike's is entering the UK and Ireland with a 400-location development deal, one of franchising's largest international commitments of the year.

Priya ShahJanuary 13, 20264 min read

New Data Shows Franchise Workers Earn More, Stay Longer

An IFA-commissioned Oxford Economics study finds franchise employment outpaced comparable sectors by 10 percent and workers receive better benefits than non-franchise peers.

Jordan ReyesJanuary 7, 20264 min read

Ten Operating Habits That Drive Franchisee Performance in 2026

Franchise veterans entering 2026 are prioritizing operational precision and manager development over expansion, signaling a maturing approach to unit-level growth.

Priya ShahDecember 31, 20254 min read

Twelve Forces Shaping Franchise Expansion and Operations in 2026

From stabilizing interest rates to the emergence of generative search, the forces reshaping franchise development and unit performance in 2026 are already visible.

Jordan ReyesDecember 20, 20254 min read

Oxi Fresh Adds Dryer Vent Cleaning to Expand Franchisee Revenue

The carpet cleaning franchise rolls out a second service franchisees can launch with existing training and infrastructure.

Jordan ReyesDecember 11, 20254 min read

IFA Coalition Pushes Congress to Pass American Franchise Act

More than 100 business and advocacy groups signed a letter calling for a permanent joint employer standard to end a decade of regulatory uncertainty.

Priya ShahDecember 3, 20254 min read

Papa Johns Refranchises 85 Units to Operator Chris Patel

Pie Investments absorbs a large corporate portfolio and commits to 52 additional locations, clearing 150 units across six states.

Jordan ReyesNovember 26, 20254 min read

White House Backs Franchise Model at McDonald's Policy Summit

President Trump's public endorsement of a franchise-specific joint employer standard gives the American Franchise Act new political momentum headed into Congress.

Priya ShahNovember 18, 20254 min read

Veterinarian Signs 20-Unit Scenthound Deal in Two East Coast Markets

Dr. Jaime Pickett brings 18 years of multi-unit franchise operations to a pet wellness brand built on subscription-based grooming.

Jordan ReyesNovember 12, 20254 min read

Shipley Donuts Posts Record Q3 as Unit Count Approaches 400

The Houston-based donut brand opened 25 shops through September, with Q4 on pace to outrun 2024's full-year total by more than 60 percent.

Jordan ReyesOctober 30, 20254 min read

Veteran Operator Takes 20 Qdoba Units in Colorado and Alaska

B Wild Investments, led by KBP Brands co-founder Barry Dubin, acquires 20 existing locations to become Qdoba's largest franchisee overnight.

Priya ShahOctober 22, 20254 min read

PIRTEK USA Closes Its Strongest Quarter on Record

The hydraulic hose franchise sold 22 territories and opened 7 locations in Q3, entering New Hampshire and Kansas while climbing 12 spots on Franchise Times' Top 400.

Jordan ReyesOctober 15, 20254 min read