👀 Insiders Reveal Top Franchise Picks

You won't find these in traditional rankings...

Author

Chris Wright
January 16, 2025

Welcome to Franzy Five, the 5-minute weekly summary of franchise news 👋.

At Franzy, we match aspiring owners with their ideal franchises through personalized recommendations and transparent metrics. Think match-making, but for your business future. Our platform shows you opportunities you'll actually care about, complete with the numbers that matter.

🔎 Unique 2025 Franchise Recommendations by Industry Insiders

Key Recommendations From:

  • Menu Tiger: The restaurant tech company that's helped thousands of spots ditch paper menus, spills the tea on which food franchises won't burn your wallet.

  • Smart Health Clubs: This tech company isn’t just powering gym management software, they're tracking which fitness franchises are flexing in 2025.

  • Meet Jen Clarke: This Goldman Sachs VP turned multi-franchise entrepreneur is crushing it with Jersey Mike’s, The Woodhouse Spa, and laundromats. Her franchise picks will surprise you.

👉️ Why It Matters:

Beside the usual franchise-focused media and broker recommendations, some of which we highlighted in last week’s newsletter, what do other industry insiders think are the best franchisees to invest in for 2025? We scoured the internet and uncovered unique takes from two industry software providers. In addition, we found Jen Clarke, a black female entrepreneur, who seems to have franchising all figured out. Check out their top 2025 franchise picks.

💼 Show Me The (Franchise) Money

Key Highlights:

  • Franchise development budgets just hit a whopping $1,019,869 average for 2025 - up almost 40 percent from last year.

  • Broker budgets nearly doubled in 2025 and development teams are adding marketing, real estate gurus, and design experts to the traditional sales team.

  • Development teams are beefing up like never before - adding marketing ninjas, real estate gurus, and design wizards to the traditional sales squad.

  • Companies plan to spend 13% more in recruitment budgets to hit the same sales goals as last year.

👉️ Why It Matters:

Franchise development isn't just getting more expensive - it's getting more sophisticated. While everyone's throwing more money at recruitment, the real story is how the whole game is changing. Teams are diversifying faster, and brokers are suddenly the belle of the ball. But here's the kicker - all this cash isn't necessarily buying more growth. It's buying smarter growth in a market that's playing hard to get.

Key Highlights:

  • Age is just a number: Top dogs range from 99-year veteran A&W (started 1925) to fresh-faced newbies like Spark by Hilton.

  • Size doesn't equal success: #1 champ Taco Bell isn't even in the 10k+ unit club. They're crushing it with "just" 8,565 locations.

  • Reality check: The average franchise has 1,269 units, but that's like saying the average American is besties with Taylor Swift. The real median? A humble 269.

  • Quick-service food is having a moment: 111 brands made the list (up from 104), with healthy options and beverage brands leading the charge.

👉️ Why It Matters:

The best franchises aren't defined by their age, size, or price tag. They're the ones that keep delivering value while dancing to the rhythm of changing times. Whether you're eyeing a budget-friendly cleaning franchise or dreaming of a hotel empire, success comes down to one thing: adaptability. These brands aren't just growing - they're building sustainable systems that evolve with market demands and customer needs.

💪 Multi-Unit Mythbusters

Key Highlights:

  • Profitable multi-unit franchisees often think they're unstoppable when scaling up. Spoiler alert: Even the best need a reality check.

  • Money's not the real villain here - it's the support system. Doubling operations means building an infrastructure that won't crumble under pressure.

  • Your rock-star operators might crush daily ops, but leadership is a whole different ballgame - and yes, it can be learned.

  • Tech is your secret weapon: Cloud-based CRMs and KPI monitoring let you work smarter, not harder.

  • The three C's are your power source: Competencies, Capacity, and Capital. Miss one, and you're building a house of cards.

👉️ Why It Matters:

Think you can go solo on your expansion journey? Think again. Successful scaling isn't about being a superhero - it's about building a dream team, leveraging your franchisor's support systems, and having the humility to know when to delegate. The most successful multi-unit operators aren't the ones who can do everything themselves; they're the ones who build systems that work even when they're not in the room.

✂️ Snippets

After four decades of playing it slow, this home storage franchise is finally stepping on the gas. Tinea Price, franchise performance coach, reveals plans to hit major metro markets with populations of 2M+. Only 22 locations across 10 states? That's about to change - they're targeting four new units this year. (Source: Franchise Times)

Meet Aaron Harper, who turned Rolling Suds from local biz into national franchise machine - 200+ territories sold in under 2 years with 37% margins. Not his first rodeo either - he's already done this with drywall and carpet cleaning brands. (Source: Youtube Sieva Kozinsky)

Excel Fitness just snagged 11 Texas Family Fitness locations, converting seven to Planet Fitness. The Austin-based operator, backed by Olympus Partners since 2022, has grown to 164 locations through aggressive buys and builds. They're already eyeing retail vacancies for 2025 expansion. (Source: Franchise Times)

Wonder Franchises just acquired the 110-unit pizza chain ($94M in system sales) with CEO Mary Jane Riva staying on board. The buyers launched in 2023 with $30M in equity capital, aiming to help Pizza Factory cook up major expansion plans through their new 40th anniversary franchise deal. (Source: QSR Magazine)