Tommy's Express Car Wash Franchise Review (2026): Costs, Fees, Revenue Potential

• Category: Cleaning & Restoration
• Initial Investment: $2,111,615 to $3,585,351
• Franchise Fee: $50,000
• Royalty: 4% of gross sales
• Marketing / Ad Fee: 1% brand development fee plus at least 2% local marketing
• Key additional recurring fees: technology costs shown at $4,680 annually in Item 19 expense tables; training and other contingent fees may apply
• Number of locations: 217 open outlets as of December 31, 2024; 207 franchised
• Best Fit: manager-led owner with active oversight

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The FDD estimates initial investment at $2,111,615 to $3,585,351 for a single territory, with an initial franchise fee of $50,000. It also shows additional funds of $100,000 to $500,000, which indicates a meaningful working capital requirement beyond buildout and opening costs.

This is a very high-cost franchise based on the disclosed range. The business also appears capital intensive because the disclosure indicates a vehicle- or equipment-heavy model and a technology-dependent operating system.

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• Royalty: 4% of gross sales, paid weekly by EFT
• Brand Development Fee: 1% of gross sales
• Local Marketing: at least 2% of gross sales
• Technology Costs: Item 19 expense tables show $4,680 annually across site age groups
• Renewal Fee: $2,500
• Transfer Fee: $10,000 for franchise agreement transfers; $20,000 for development agreement transfers
• Additional training: current disclosed rates include $200 per day for certain employee training and $500 per day per trainer for additional on-site training, plus expenses
• Late / contingent fees: insufficient funds fee, late interest, audit-related costs, legal costs, indemnification, supplier evaluation reimbursement, management fee if the franchisor steps in, and insurance-related reimbursement if required coverage is not maintained

The core recurring fee load is straightforward at 7% of gross sales before local operating expenses beyond required local marketing, with local marketing bringing the ongoing percentage-based burden to at least 7%. That is separate from labor, utilities, repairs, insurance, taxes, and other operating costs.

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Yes, the FDD includes Item 19 financial performance data for calendar year 2024. The disclosure provides gross sales by outlet age group for franchised outlets open a full 12 months in 2024, plus expense tables by site age.

Gross sales by outlet age

• 1st year sites (43 outlets)
  • Average: $1,093,264
  • Median: $995,079
  • Range: $351,087 to $3,139,557
• 2nd year sites (43 outlets)
  • Average: $1,603,302
  • Median: $1,596,436
  • Range: $368,715 to $3,120,435
• 3rd year sites (28 outlets)
  • Average: $1,876,137
  • Median: $1,817,593
  • Range: $984,829 to $3,375,173
• 4th year sites (25 outlets)
  • Average: $2,028,912
  • Median: $1,731,858
  • Range: $932,682 to $4,267,227
• 5th year+ sites (25 outlets)
  • Average: $2,204,358
  • Median: $2,108,433
  • Range: $663,968 to $4,135,566

All included franchised outlets

• 164 outlets
• Average gross sales: $1,647,523
• Median gross sales: $1,566,920
• Range: $351,087 to $4,267,227

Quartile data disclosed

For a group of 78 outlets, the FDD reports:

• Lowest: $657,167
• 25th percentile: $1,541,308
• Median: $1,866,787
• 75th percentile: $2,265,150
• Highest: $4,154,928

What the spread suggests

The revenue range is wide. Even within the same age bands, the lowest and highest gross sales are far apart, which suggests meaningful location-level variability. The age-group pattern also suggests that older sites tended to report higher average and median gross sales than newer sites, but the disclosure does not establish that every unit follows that path.

The FDD also includes expense categories by site age. Examples include:

• Labor: 18.34% to 29.66% of gross sales across the disclosed age groups
• Repairs & maintenance: 4.67% to 7.62%
• Utilities total: 8.76% to 11.74%
• Royalty: 4.00%
• Brand fund: 1.00%
• Local marketing: 1.36% to 4.11% in the expense tables

These figures help frame operating cost structure, but they still do not prove unit-level profit. Revenue is not profit, and the disclosure provided here does not clearly establish bottom-line earnings. The FDD excluded 42 franchised outlets that had not operated for a full 12 months, plus 10 corporate locations and 1 majority-owned location later transferred to a franchisee, so the Item 19 sample does not cover the full system. The disclosure here also does not clearly establish whether the Item 19 figures are audited.

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• Customer type: The business itself appears consumer-facing, even though some source fields classify audience differently
• Revenue pattern: Mix of recurring revenue potential through monthly memberships and transaction-based wash sales
• Operational characteristics: fixed-site operation, equipment-heavy, technology-enabled, manager-supervised, and likely labor- and utility-intensive based on the expense tables

This is not a light operational model. The FDD requires direct supervision by the franchisee or a manager, and it requires on-premises supervision by a trained manager.

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Advantages

• Item 19 includes actual 2024 gross sales across 164 franchised outlets with age-based breakdowns.
• The FDD also provides operating expense categories, which gives more context than revenue alone.
• Percentage-based franchisor fees are clearly disclosed: 4% royalty and 1% brand development fee.
• The system had 217 open outlets at year-end 2024, including 207 franchised outlets.

Considerations

• Startup cost is high at $2.1 million to $3.6 million, plus $100,000 to $500,000 in additional funds.
• Revenue dispersion is substantial, with included outlets ranging from $351,087 to $4,267,227 in gross sales.
• The business appears operationally intensive, with notable labor, utilities, and maintenance costs in Item 19.
• Required local marketing adds at least 2% of gross sales, on top of royalty and brand fund fees.
• The disclosure does not clearly establish territory exclusivity.

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This franchise may fit an investor or operator who is comfortable with a high initial capital requirement, a fixed-site operating model, and active oversight through a trained on-premises manager.

It likely does not fit someone seeking a low-cost entry point, a home-based model, or a passive ownership structure with minimal operational involvement.

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• The initial term shown is 5 years, which is relatively short compared with the size of the upfront investment, and renewal terms are not clearly established here.
• Weekly royalty withdrawals by EFT can tighten cash management if sales fluctuate or expenses run ahead of collections.
• If the franchisor steps in to operate the business in certain circumstances, the disclosed management fee is 20% of gross sales plus expenses.
• Understating gross sales or amounts owed by 2% or more can trigger audit cost reimbursement plus the understated amount and interest.
• Three insufficient funds fees within a 12-month period may allow termination of the franchise agreement.

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Tommy's Express Car Wash presents a high-investment, manager-led operating model with meaningful disclosed gross sales history and detailed expense categories in Item 19. The main tradeoff is clear: the FDD shows the potential for substantial revenue at some locations, but that comes with high upfront capital needs, operating complexity, and wide unit-level variation.

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