Central Bark franchise
2026 filing · June 3, 2026Shares sales figures
Central Bark at a glance
A dog daycare offering daycare, boarding, grooming, training and a retail boutique. At the end of 2025 there were 44 Central Bark locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Franchisor
- BARKLEY VENTURES FRANCHISING, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2004
- 22 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Oakland Park, Florida
- Typical size
- 5,000–8,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $620K–$1.39M
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $55,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of gross sales, paid monthly
- Brand fund
- Yes
- 2% of gross sales or $500, whichever is more
- Renewal fee
- $15,000.
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 44
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 44
- Company-owned
- 0
- States
- 15
- Most in Wisconsin, Florida and Illinois
From BARKLEY VENTURES FRANCHISING, LLC’s 2026 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 174; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
Central Bark among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Central Bark | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,007,175 | Costs more than 83% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $55,000 | Higher than 82% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 44 | More than 62% of franchises |
| Sales per locationYearly, as the brand reports it | $902,805 | Higher than 57% of brands that share sales figures |
| Sales against cost to openYearly sales over the cost midpoint | 0.9× | Lower than 83% of brands that share sales figures |
How much a Central Bark franchise costs
Opening one Central Bark costs an estimated $620,100 to $1,394,250. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($441,000 to $850,000) and additional funds (3 mos.) ($40,000 to $150,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $35,000 | $55,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $441,000 | $850,000 | |
| Architectural Fee | $20,000 | $35,000 | |
| Equipment, Fixtures | $27,600 | $135,000 | |
| Store Signage | $3,000 | $19,000 | |
| Security Deposits | $5,000 | $30,000 | |
| Opening Inventory | $2,000 | $10,000 | |
| Initial Launch Advertising | $26,000 | ||
| Pre-Opening Promotional Package | $0 | $9,000 | |
| Pre-Opening Training travel and lodging expense | $1,500 | $5,000 | |
| Training Materials | $0 | $500 | |
| Misc. (legal, permits) | $2,500 | $8,000 | |
| Supplies | $5,000 | $20,000 | |
| Insurance | $3,000 | $7,000 | |
| Computer Hardware and Software | $1,000 | $6,000 | |
| Microsite Fees | $1,500 | $4,000 | |
| Lease Assignment Agreement Review | $0 | $5,000 | |
| Vehicle | $0 | $2,250 | |
| Rent | $6,000 | $17,500 | |
| Additional Funds (3 mos.) | $40,000 | $150,000 | |
| Total | $620,100 | $1,394,250 | |
Source: BARKLEY VENTURES FRANCHISING, LLC, 2026 filing, page 17
Central Bark franchise fee
The franchise fee is $55,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: BARKLEY VENTURES FRANCHISING, LLC, 2026 filing, page 12
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross sales or $500, whichever is more. |
| Technology Fee | Then-current fee; currently, $495 per month3, 7 |
| Transfer Fee – Franchise Agreement | $15,000 |
| Renewal – Franchise Agreement | $15,000. |
| Training Fee | Then-current fee; currently, $5,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: BARKLEY VENTURES FRANCHISING, LLC, 2026 filing, page 13
Other fees as filed, from pages 13–14. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Central Bark publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
- Average sales
- $902,805
- Median sales
- $812,437
Yearly figures for fiscal 2025, covering franchised facilities open the whole fiscal year (36 locations). The average is about 0.9 times the midpoint of the cost to open.
Sales are what a location takes in before rent, payroll, royalties and other costs, not what its owner keeps.
Source: BARKLEY VENTURES FRANCHISING, LLC, 2026 filing, pages 44–45
SBA loans to Central Bark franchisees
Lenders approved 57 SBA-backed loans for Central Bark franchisees from 2013 to 2026, $33.2M in all: 55 7(a) loans and 2 504 loans. Of the 25 that have ended, 22 were paid in full and 3 were charged off (12%). The other 32 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
How Central Bark compares
Of the 19 dog daycare franchises on this site, Central Bark is the 9th cheapest to open and the 6th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Central Bark | Typical dog daycare brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $620K | $622K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.39M | $1.15M | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $55K | $49K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| Sales per location | $903K | $915K | $794K |
| US locations | 44 | 13 | 21 |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | +29.4% | +29.4% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 16 of 19 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 19 brands in dog daycare franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 33 (+2) | 0 |
| 2022 | 35 (+2) | 0 |
| 2023 | 36 (+2) | 0 |
| 2024 | 40 (+4) | 0 |
| 2025 | 44 (+4) | 0 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Over 5 years, from the start of 2021 to the end of 2025, franchised locations went from 31 to 44 (+13, +42%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2024 filing.
Source: BARKLEY VENTURES FRANCHISING, LLC, 2026 filing, page 50
2021–2022: BARKLEY VENTURES FRANCHISING, LLC, 2024 filing, page 53
Where Central Bark locations are
At the end of 2025, Central Bark had franchised locations in 15 states. The most are in Wisconsin, Florida and Illinois.
- Wisconsin14
- Florida5
- Illinois4
- Minnesota3
- North Carolina3
- Pennsylvania3
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| Wisconsin | 14 |
| Florida | 5 |
| Illinois | 4 |
| Minnesota | 3 |
| North Carolina | 3 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 |
| New York | 2 |
| Ohio | 2 |
| Texas | 2 |
| Arizona | 1 |
All 15 states
| Connecticut | 1 |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 1 |
| Maryland | 1 |
| Oregon | 1 |
| South Carolina | 1 |
Source: BARKLEY VENTURES FRANCHISING, LLC, 2026 filing, page 51
Who owns Central Bark?
Central Bark franchises are sold by BARKLEY VENTURES FRANCHISING, LLC.
From BARKLEY VENTURES FRANCHISING, LLC’s 2026 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on page 11. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: BARKLEY VENTURES FRANCHISING, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 12
Central Bark filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from BARKLEY VENTURES FRANCHISING, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued June 3, 2026; the earlier ones below are on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | June 3, 2026 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2024 filing | – | Minnesota | Locations, 2021–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other dog daycare franchises
All dog daycare franchises
Central Bark is also on these lists: pet franchises.