Detail Garage franchise
2023 filing · August 3, 2023Shares sales figures
Detail Garage at a glance
A store selling car detailing supplies, tools and accessories to enthusiasts and professionals. At the end of 2022 there were 92 Detail Garage locations in the US, 59 franchised and 33 company-owned.
The business
- Industry
- Retail
- Franchisor
- Detail Garage, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2016
- 7 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Torrance, California
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $161K–$270K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $30,000
- $20,000 to convert an existing detailing supply business
- Royalty
- 4%
- 4% of gross sales, paid monthly, plus currently 3% to the marketing fund and 2% in local advertising
- Brand fund
- 3%
- 3% of gross sales, paid monthly
- Renewal fee
- $5,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2022
- 92
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 59
- Company-owned
- 33
- States
- 20
- Most in California, Texas and Florida
Support and records
From Detail Garage, LLC’s 2023 filing; revenue and net loss from its audited financial statements, page 128; 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
Detail Garage among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Detail Garage | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $215,713 | Costs less than 67% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $30,000 | Lower than 72% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 4% | Lower than 93% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 92 | More than 75% of franchises |
How much a Detail Garage franchise costs
Opening one Detail Garage costs an estimated $160,975 to $270,450. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are opening inventory of products ($50,000 to $70,000) and leasehold improvements ($10,000 to $50,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $30,000 | ||
| Travel and Living Expenses While Training | $1,000 | $2,500 | |
| Real Estate/Lease | $6,000 | $10,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $10,000 | $50,000 | |
| Opening Inventory of Products | $50,000 | $70,000 | |
| Signage | $5,000 | $10,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, and Supplies Package | $25,000 | $35,000 | |
| Insurance | $875 | $1,000 | |
| Utility Deposits | $0 | $1,000 | |
| Business Licenses and Permits | $1,000 | $2,500 | |
| Professional Fees/Services | $5,000 | $7,000 | |
| Office Equipment & Supplies | $500 | $1,000 | |
| Computer/POS System | $6,500 | $8,050 | |
| Music/Entertainment System | $500 | $1,000 | |
| Uniforms | $100 | $1,400 | |
| Grand Opening Expenses | $1,500 | $5,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $18,000 | $35,000 | |
| Total | $160,975 | $270,450 | |
Source: Detail Garage, LLC, 2023 filing, page 20
Detail Garage franchise fee
The franchise fee is $30,000, $20,000 to convert an existing detailing supply business. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Detail Garage, LLC, 2023 filing, page 12
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 4% of gross sales, paid monthly, plus currently 3% to the marketing fund and 2% in local advertising. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 3% of gross sales, paid monthly. |
| Lightspeed POS Software Fee | $238.25 per month |
| Transfer Fee | 50% of the then- current Initial Franchise Fee |
| Renewal Fee | $5,000 |
| Additional Training at SDU | $1,900 per trainee. |
| Local Marketing/Advertising Expenses | 2% of Gross Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Detail Garage, LLC, 2023 filing, page 14
Other fees as filed, from pages 14–16. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Detail Garage publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Detail Garage, LLC, 2023 filing, page 49
SBA loans to Detail Garage franchisees
Lenders approved 7 SBA 7(a) loans for Detail Garage franchisees from 2017 to 2021, $1.1M in all. Of the 5 that have ended, 2 were paid in full and 3 were charged off. The other 2 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 Detail Garage compares
Of the 302 retail franchises on this site, Detail Garage is the 110th cheapest to open and the 100th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Detail Garage | Typical retail brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $161K | $198K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $270K | $425K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $30K | $35K | $40K |
| Royalty | 4% | 5.7% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 3% | 2% | 2% |
| US locations | 92 | 38 | 21 |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | +28.3% | 0% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 187 of 302 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 302 brands in retail franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2020 | 49 (+3) | 14 |
| 2021 | 56 (+7) | 21 |
| 2022 | 59 (+3) | 33 |
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.
Source: Detail Garage, LLC, 2023 filing, page 57
Where Detail Garage locations are
At the end of 2022, Detail Garage had locations in 20 states. The most are in California, Texas and Florida.
- California28
- Texas21
- Florida11
- Arizona4
- Georgia3
- Utah3
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 13 | 15 | 28 |
| Texas | 11 | 10 | 21 |
| Florida | 11 | 0 | 11 |
| Arizona | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| Georgia | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Utah | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Virginia | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Connecticut | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Maryland | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Michigan | 2 | 0 | 2 |
All 20 states
| Missouri | 2 |
|---|---|
| Nevada | 2 |
| North Carolina | 2 |
| Hawaii | 1 |
| Indiana | 1 |
| Massachusetts | 1 |
| Nebraska | 1 |
| Oregon | 1 |
| Rhode Island | 1 |
| Tennessee | 1 |
Source: Detail Garage, LLC, 2023 filing, page 59
Who owns Detail Garage?
Detail Garage franchises are sold by Detail Garage, LLC.
From Detail Garage, LLC’s 2023 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 pages 10–11. |
|---|---|
| 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: Detail Garage, LLC, 2023 filing, litigation on pages 10–11, bankruptcy on page 11
Detail Garage filings
The figures on this page come from Detail Garage, LLC’s 2023 filing, issued August 3, 2023, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 filing | August 3, 2023 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2020–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
