Fantastic Sams franchise
2025 filing · May 23, 2025Fewer locationsShares sales figures
Fantastic Sams at a glance
A family hair salon offering haircuts, color and styling for men, women and children. At the end of 2024 there were 512 Fantastic Sams locations in the US, all franchised.
The business
- Industry
- Salon
- Franchisor
- Fantastic Sams Franchise Corporation
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 1976
- 49 years of selling franchises
- First location
- 1974
- Franchisor based in
- Maple Grove, Minnesota
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $172K–$462K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- 6% of the salon's gross sales, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- Yes
- $146.49 a week
- Renewal fee
- $1,000
- 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, 2024
- 512
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 512
- Company-owned
- 0
- Change in 1 years
- −189
- Franchised locations, 2022–2024
- States
- 34
- Most in California, Florida and Minnesota
From Fantastic Sams Franchise Corporation’s 2025 filing; revenue and net loss from its audited financial statements, page 154; 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
Fantastic Sams among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Fantastic Sams | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $316,750 | Costs less than 55% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 512 | More than 94% of franchises |
How much a Fantastic Sams franchise costs
Opening one Fantastic Sams costs an estimated $171,500 to $462,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements(4) (including architectural fees) ($30,000 to $250,000) and salon equipment ($35,000 to $55,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $40,000 | ||
| Travel and Living Expense for New Owner On-Boarding and Training for You and Your Employee | $1,500 | $3,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements(4) (including architectural fees) | $30,000 | $250,000 | |
| Rent | $1,500 | $7,000 | |
| Utility Deposit | $500 | $1,500 | |
| Initial Salon Supply Haircare Product Inventory | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| Salon Equipment | $35,000 | $55,000 | |
| Other Equipment, Fixtures, and Furnishings | $2,000 | $4,000 | |
| New Salon Signage | $7,500 | $15,000 | |
| Grand Opening Marketing Plan/Advertising | $10,000 | $15,000 | |
| Insurance | $3,500 | $6,500 | |
| Additional Funds | $30,000 | $50,000 | |
| Total | $171,500 | $462,000 | |
Source: Fantastic Sams Franchise Corporation, 2025 filing, page 18
Fantastic Sams franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Fantastic Sams Franchise Corporation, 2025 filing, page 14
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 6% of the salon's gross sales, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | $146.49 a week. |
| Technology Fee | Currently, $150 per year |
| Renewal Fee | $1,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Fantastic Sams Franchise Corporation, 2025 filing, page 14
Other fees as filed, from page 15. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Fantastic Sams publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Fantastic Sams Franchise Corporation, 2025 filing, page 42
SBA loans to Fantastic Sams franchisees
Lenders approved 461 SBA-backed loans for Fantastic Sams franchisees from 1990 to 2026, $65.9M in all: 459 7(a) loans and 2 504 loans. Of the 441 that have ended, 344 were paid in full and 97 were charged off (22%). The other 20 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 Fantastic Sams compares
Of the 101 salon franchises on this site, Fantastic Sams is the 21st cheapest to open and the 9th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Fantastic Sams | Typical salon brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $172K | $303K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $462K | $531K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $45K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 6% | 6% |
| US locations | 512 | 26 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 13% | 2.5% | – |
| Change in franchised locations, 1 yrs | −27% | +14.6% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 75 of 101 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 101 brands in salon franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 701 (−101) | 0 | – | – |
| 2022 | 614 (−87) | 0 | +4 | −91 |
| 2023 | 565 (−49) | 0 | – | – |
| 2024 | 512 (−53) | 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 4 years, from the start of 2021 to the end of 2024, franchised locations went from 802 to 512 (−290, −36%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2024 filing.
Source: Fantastic Sams Franchise Corporation, 2025 filing, page 43
2021: Fantastic Sams Franchise Corporation, 2024 filing, page 42
Where Fantastic Sams locations are
At the end of 2024, Fantastic Sams had franchised locations in 34 states. The most are in California, Florida and Minnesota.
- California82
- Florida59
- Minnesota56
- North Carolina35
- Texas30
- Arizona22
| State | Franchised |
|---|---|
| California | 82 |
| Florida | 59 |
| Minnesota | 56 |
| North Carolina | 35 |
| Texas | 30 |
| Arizona | 22 |
| Michigan | 18 |
| Tennessee | 17 |
| Colorado | 15 |
| New York | 15 |
All 34 states
Source: Fantastic Sams Franchise Corporation, 2025 filing, page 46
Who owns Fantastic Sams?
Fantastic Sams franchises are sold by Fantastic Sams Franchise Corporation.
From Fantastic Sams Franchise Corporation’s 2025 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 11–14. |
|---|---|
| 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: Fantastic Sams Franchise Corporation, 2025 filing, litigation on pages 11–14, bankruptcy on page 14
Fantastic Sams filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Fantastic Sams Franchise Corporation’s 2025 filing, issued May 23, 2025; 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 filing | May 23, 2025 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2022–2024 |
| 2024 filing | – | Minnesota | Locations, 2021 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
