The Grounds Guys
Home Services · Lawn Care & Landscaping
- Active units
- 219
- Royalty
- 6.0%
Franchised, year-end 2025
of weekly Net Sales
About The Grounds Guys
The Grounds Guys, a reputable and industry-leading brand, offers a comprehensive range of lawn and landscape services tailored to meet your needs. With a strong focus on customer satisfaction, they are your go-to choice for all your outdoor maintenance requirements. Whether you are a residential or commercial client, The Grounds Guys have got you covered. Their residential services encompass everything from lawn and bed maintenance, flower bed edging, pruning, and fall clean-up to lawn aeration, seeding, and mulching. They also specialize in tree work, artificial turf installation, and hardscaping, ensuring that your outdoor spaces are beautifully designed and maintained. For commercial clients, The Grounds Guys provide lawn and bed maintenance, turf and tree maintenance, as well as property maintenance services. They also offer horticulture services, power washing, and aquatic management for a comprehensive outdoor maintenance solution. Additionally, The Grounds Guys offer pest control, weed control, and fertilization services, as well as irrigation repair, drainage solutions, and outdoor lighting. With The Grounds Guys, you can expect a culture of care, free estimates, upfront pricing, and scheduled appointment times, ensuring a hassle-free experience from start to finish.
Key terms
- Franchise fee
$44k
- Rural franchise special pricing
Population 40,000–100,000; lowest initial fee 50% of Minimum Initial Franchise Fee; may combine with VetFran under stated order; 30% minimum down payment if financed
- Roll-In Discount
5% off for each $100,000 of annual Gross Sales rolled-in; $200k–$999,999 yields 10%–45%; $1,000,000+ yields 50% max
- Multi-Unit Franchisee Discount
If Gounds Guys franchisee 2+ years; 5% at 2 years, 10% at 3, 15% at 4, 20% at 5+ years
- Additional Concept Discount
If franchisee of an affiliate 2+ years; 10% off initial franchise fee
- HIRE Discount
Employees of franchisees; 10% at 2 yrs, 15% at 3, 20% at 4, 25% at 5+; applies only to first 200,000 population
- Brand fund
2.0% of Net Sales
- Local advertising
5.0% of Net Sales
- Footprint
1,500 – 2,500 sq ft
- Veteran discount
20.0% off franchise fee — VetFran: 20% discount on the Minimum Initial Franchise Fee ($43,750)
Brand Percentile Rankings
Rankings compare brands in the same operating year. Fee and investment figures come from the FDD (2026 filing); filings on file: 2024, 2025, 2026.
Growth
- Total locations219
Franchised units open at year-end
- New openings12
Gross new units opened during the calendar year
- 1-year unit growth rate-4.4%
Net unit growth versus prior year
- 3-year unit CAGR-1.6%
Compound annual growth rate of unit count over the trailing 3 years
- Unit growth ratio0.5×
Cumulative opens / closures through year-end
Unit economics
- Annual unit volume (Median)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- Annual unit volume (25th percentile)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- Annual unit volume (75th percentile)—
Per FDD Item 19 disclosure
- 1-year Median AUV growth rate5.4%
Year-over-year change in median AUV
- Store-level EBITDA Margin—
Median unit-level EBITDA / AUV
Investment profile
- Estimated initial investment$180k
Midpoint of estimated initial investment range
↓ Lower is better - Time to open—
Midpoint of average time from agreement to opening
- Royalty rate6.0%
Percent of net sales paid to the franchisor
↓ Lower is better - Sales-to-investment ratio—
Median AUV / estimated initial investment midpoint
- Cash-on-cash returns—
Median unit-level EBITDA / estimated initial investment midpoint. Steady-state estimate; year 1 returns will be lower as the unit ramps to median volumes.
Franchisee healthLocked
- Unit closure ratio
- Transfer vs. closure ratio
- Percent multi-unit franchisees
- Litigation rate
- EBITDA multiple on sales & transfers
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Location footprint
Showing 269 of 567 mapped locations
Sources
Financial and operating figures are sourced from the brand's Franchise Disclosure Documents. Brand percentile rankings are based on comparisons to other brands that include the same metrics in their Franchise Disclosure Documents.