Grease Monkey Franchise Costs, Fees & FDD

Year Business Began: 1978

Franchising Since: 1978

Headquarters: Greenwood Village, Colorado

Estimated Number of Units: 515

Franchise Description: Grease Monkey Franchising, LLC is the franchisor. Each Grease Monkey center offers the general public automotive oil and lubrication services, along with a preventive check and fill of fluid levels, and other approved automotive maintenance and repair services, in accordance with the franchisor’s “Pit Crew Guarantee.” Grease Monkey centers must offer brake services and sell other select automotive products. The franchisor also offers opportunities for conversion franchises both to existing independent businesses that provide services and products similar to those offered by Grease Monkey centers and to existing franchisees who purchase such businesses for conversion.
Training Overview: Before the opening of the Grease Monkey center, franchisees or their principal owner are required to attend and complete to the franchisor’s satisfaction the initial training program conducted at the times and location designated by the franchisor. The initial training program consists of approximately three to four days of classroom training and approximately five days of hands-on training. The franchisor reserves the right to increase the length of the initial training program by up to five additional days. The additional initial training may be conducted in Greenwood Village, Colorado or other locations designated by the franchisor in closer proximity to where the franchisee is located. The franchisor also may offer franchisees and their employees optional or required training programs to obtain certification as a specialist in certain of the services that it offers, such as certified pit crew certification. The franchisor may present seminars, conventions or continuing development programs for the benefit of its franchisees. Attendance at many of these seminars is voluntary. However, the franchisor may require that franchisees or their manager or principal owner attend in-person the biennial conventions once every two years, plus other certain seminars, conventions, or programs it deems mandatory at least once a year. The franchisor may also present additional training programs and certification programs through its FullSpeed University, online training, or training in other formats that do not require franchisees, their manager, or principal owner to attend the training program in person, but that are mandatory, more often than once per year.

Territory Granted: The franchisor designates a geographic area in which a site will be located for the franchisee’s Grease Monkey center. The designated area is designated solely to select a proposed suitable location for the center and facility and does not give franchisees any exclusive rights to the designated area, nor imply any other territorial rights either before or after execution of a Franchise Agreement. The designated area is customarily designated by city, county, or other physical boundaries. Franchisees do not receive an exclusive territory. Franchisees may face competition from other franchisees, from outlets the franchisor or affiliates own, or from other channels of distribution or competitive brands that the franchisor controls.

Obligations and Restrictions: Franchisees or, if the franchisee is not an individual, their managing shareholder or partner who is designated by them to assume primary responsibility for the management of the Grease Monkey center (the principal owner) are not obligated to participate personally in the direct operation of the center and facility, although it recommends that franchisees do so. If franchisees or their principal owner do not participate in the day-to-day operation of their center and facility, they must designate a manager who has been approved by the franchisor to be responsible for the direct on-premises supervision of the center. If franchisees are a corporation, limited liability company, or partnership, their manager need not own an equity interest in the entity. Franchisees must use their center solely for the operation of the Grease Monkey center. Franchisees must service all national fleet accounts in accordance with the franchisor’s policies and procedures concerning national fleet accounts, and its agreements with any national fleet account vendors. Franchisees must keep the center and facility open and in normal operation for the minimum hours and days the franchisor may specify. Franchisees must refrain from using or permitting the use of the center for any other purpose or activity at any time without first obtaining the franchisor’s written consent.

Term of Agreement and Renewal: The length of the initial franchise term is 15 years. If franchisees are in good standing and they meet other requirements, they have the option to renew for: (a) one renewal term of 15 years; or (b) one renewal term of five years with an automatic extension for five additional years.

Financial Assistance: The franchisor does not offer direct or indirect financing. The franchisor does not guarantee a franchisee’s note, lease or obligation. If franchisees are an honorably discharged United States military veteran or first responder or a spouse of either, the franchisor offers a reduced initial franchise fee of $29,900 for a single Grease Monkey center.

Estimated Initial Investment

Name of Fee	Low	High
Initial Franchise Fee	$20,000	$39,900
Real Estate (lease)	$16,000	$33,333
Building Work	$60,000	$1,006,650
General Site Work	$0	$450,000
Due Diligence, Permits, Design and Plans	$500	$80,000
FF&E Package & Installation	$80,450	$186,650
Grand Opening Costs	$10,000	$10,000
Initial Inventory	$25,000	$35,000
Signs	$20,000	$40,000
Supplies	$3,000	$5,000
Initial Training – Travel & Lodging Expenses	$3,300	$6,000
Computer Hardware and Software	$14,000	$20,500
Point of Sale Maintenance Fee	$2,070	$4,000
Prepaid Expenses	$2,000	$5,000
Additional Funds (3 mos.)	$35,000	$50,000
ESTIMATED TOTAL	$291,320	$1,972,033

 
Other Fees

Type of Fee	Amount
Royalty	6% of gross revenues.
Advertising Contribution	0.5% of gross revenues.
Local Advertising	4% of gross revenues.
Local or Regional Advertising Cooperatives	Established by cooperative members.
Point of Sale System (POS) Maintenance Fee	Ranges between $193 to $346 per month.
Convention and Other Meeting Fee	Varies. The current charge for registration for the biennial convention is $1,200 per person.
Audit Expenses	Cost of audit and inspection, any understated amounts, and any related accounting and legal expenses.
Transfer Fee	$5,000
Transferee Training Fee	$2,500
Renewal Fee	$0 to $5,000
Interest	Lesser of 1.5% per month or highest rate of interest allowed by law.
Late Charges	$25
Insufficient Funds Fee	An amount equal to the fee imposed against the franchisor.
Additional and Training or Assistance Fees	$500 per trainer per day.
Noncompliance Service Charge	$1,000 per event of noncompliance, depending on the type of noncompliance.
Professional Fees and Expenses	Will vary under circumstances.
Indemnification	Will vary under circumstances.
Insurance	Reimbursement of the franchisor’s costs, plus a 20% administration charge.
Supplier and Product Evaluation Fee	Costs of inspection (estimated to be approximately $100 to $500).
Resale Assistance Program	$3,600
Broker Fees	The actual cost of the brokerage commissions, finder’s fees, or similar charges.

The above information has been compiled from the FDD of Grease Monkey. Year of FDD: 2025.
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