Franchise Facts Report

Franchise Facts Report → brands → Grease Monkey

Grease Monkey franchise — is it worth it?

Automotive · FDD-based assessment · registered 2026

Medium risk Growing network Item 19 disclosed

Grease Monkey is an automotive service franchise with an investment range of $708,057 to $2,284,321.

Everything below is free, read straight off Grease Monkey's registered filing, with where the numbers land against automotive peers. Weighing Grease Monkey against other options? Get a free shortlist of franchises that fit your budget.

Get a free franchise shortlistbudget + industry ↓
Total initial investment
$708,057 – $2,284,321
Bottom quartile for automotive · median $432,600
Initial franchise fee
$39,900
FDD Item 5
Royalty
6%
FDD Item 6
Item 19 earnings
Disclosed
figure not machine-read
Litigation (Item 3)
1 case
in Item 3
Closure rate
1%
automotive median 2.5%
Outlet network
233 units
+24 last year

Figures above are as disclosed in Grease Monkey's most recent FDD (registered 2026). Source: Wisconsin Dept. of Financial Institutions — Franchise Registration · filing 640905 — check it yourself. See every other Wisconsin-registered franchise.

Free · no obligation

Considering Grease Monkey? See what else fits your budget

Tell us your budget and the industries you're open to. We'll match you with 5–10 franchises whose own FDDs fit — ranked by earnings disclosure, growth and closure rate — and email you the list. Grease Monkey will be on it if it fits.

Industries (pick any)

We email you the shortlist and nothing you didn't ask for. Your details go to a consultant only if you tick the box above.

How much does a Grease Monkey franchise make?

Grease Monkey is one of the franchisors that answers this on the record: its most recent FDD makes an Item 19 financial performance representation — actual unit earnings figures, disclosed by the franchisor itself. The headline figure did not machine-read cleanly from this filing, so we don't print one; Item 19 of the source FDD has the tables. See every automotive brand that discloses earnings in the Automotive franchises with disclosed Item 19 earnings ranking.

Grease Monkey franchise profit vs. revenue

Revenue is not profit. An Item 19 almost always reports sales — what a location takes in — not what an owner keeps. Out of that number come Grease Monkey's 6% royalty, the ad fund, rent, payroll, supplies and debt service. No FDD tells you a Grease Monkey franchise's profit, because profit depends on your site, your rent and how you run it — so treat any "Grease Monkey franchise profit" figure quoted elsewhere as someone's estimate, not a disclosure.

Grease Monkey lawsuits & legal history (FDD Item 3)

Grease Monkey's most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026) does disclose 1 legal proceeding in Item 3 . Item 3 is the item where a franchisor must put its material legal history on the record. Two things it is not: it covers the franchisor and its predecessors, parents and affiliates, so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Grease Monkey itself; and a disclosure is a fact, not a finding of wrongdoing — most entries are contract disputes with former franchisees, which every large system accumulates. 1 of those proceedings were brought by franchisees against the franchisor — the split that actually matters, because franchisees suing their franchisor is the signal a buyer is looking for. Item 3 of the source FDD describes each case.

Grease Monkey closures & failure rate

Before you sign, Grease Monkey will hand you a list of current owners to call as references — and they choose who's on that list. It won't include the owners who quit, got bought out, or were forced out last year. The FDD does report that number, even though the reference list leaves those people off. Below is what Grease Monkey's most recent filing shows, and whether it's normal for a automotive of this kind.

The closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate is Item 20 — outlet openings, closures, terminations and non-renewals, reported by the franchisor. Grease Monkey's latest tables show a growing franchised network. Its franchised-outlet closure rate — closures, terminations and non-renewals against outlets — is 1%, against a automotive median of 2.5% — at or better than the category. Net franchised outlets moved +24 to 233 in the latest reported year.

Who owns Grease Monkey?

Grease Monkey's franchise is offered by Grease Monkey Franchising, LLC — the franchisor named on the cover of its most recently filed Franchise Disclosure Document (2026), and the entity a franchisee actually signs with. That name comes straight off the filing at WI DFI; it identifies the franchisor, not necessarily the ultimate parent company behind it.

Automotive franchises at a similar investment level

Anyone weighing Grease Monkey is really weighing it against the other brands their money could go into. These are the closest by total initial investment (FDD Item 7), each with its own FDD-based page.

Hertz$25,000 – $75,000Fleet Clean$188,350 – $459,000 · Item 19 disclosedFix Auto$55,100 – $850,000 · Item 19 disclosedGreen Motion Car and Van Rental$167,900 – $1,547,250Avis Rent A Car and$625,500 – $1,588,400Payless Car Rental System$625,500 – $1,588,400Rent-n-Roll$703,561 – $1,687,275 · Item 19 disclosedByrider and CNAC$947,000 – $1,577,500 · Item 19 disclosedSpeeDee Oil Change & Auto Service$708,057 – $2,284,321 · Item 19 disclosedStrickland Brothers 10 Minute Oil Change$816,900 – $2,228,400 · Item 19 disclosedIdeal Automotive Dealer$514,450 – $2,636,200Valvoline Instant Oil Change; Instant Oil Change$192,375 – $3,483,550 · Item 19 disclosed

Grease Monkey franchise — frequently asked

Who owns Grease Monkey — who is the franchisor?

Grease Monkey's most recently filed FDD (2026) names Grease Monkey Franchising, LLC as the franchisor — the entity you would actually sign the franchise agreement with, as stated on the disclosure document itself. A registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent company.

How much does a Grease Monkey franchise cost?

Grease Monkey's most recently filed FDD (Item 7) puts the total estimated initial investment at $708,057 – $2,284,321, with an initial franchise fee of $39,900 and a 6% royalty. That price is the franchisor's own estimate of what it takes to open, not a quote. Against automotive peers it sits in the bottom quartile (median $432,600).

How much profit does a Grease Monkey franchise make?

Grease Monkey discloses unit earnings in Item 19, but that figure is revenue — sales — not profit. Royalties (6% of gross for Grease Monkey), the ad fund, rent, payroll and supplies all come out of it, and no FDD discloses what an owner nets. Any Grease Monkey franchise profit number quoted elsewhere is an estimate.

Does Grease Monkey disclose financial performance (Item 19)?

Yes — Grease Monkey reports unit-level earnings in Item 19. The headline figure did not machine-read cleanly, so check Item 19 of the source FDD for the numbers.

Are there lawsuits against Grease Monkey?

Grease Monkey's most recently filed FDD (2026) discloses 1 legal proceeding in Item 3. Item 3 covers the franchisor, its predecessors, parents and affiliates — so a disclosed case is not necessarily a suit against Grease Monkey itself, and a disclosure is not a finding of wrongdoing. 1 of the disclosed proceedings were brought by franchisees against the franchisor.

Is Grease Monkey a good franchise to buy?

Nobody can answer that from Grease Monkey's numbers alone — it comes down to how its investment, earnings, litigation and franchisee churn stack up against automotive peers and against your own budget. Our read on this filing is medium risk. Every figure behind that read is on this page for free. If you're comparing options, the free shortlist on this page matches you with 5–10 franchises that fit your budget and industry.

Just watching Grease Monkey?

Get a free email when something changes on Grease Monkey or automotive: a new FDD registration, a new lawsuit, an outlet count that shifts, or Item 19 earnings going from undisclosed to disclosed. Pulled straight from the same state registries this page is built on.

This report compiles and structures publicly filed Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) data from state franchise registrations. It is not legal, financial, or investment advice, is not affiliated with or endorsed by any franchisor, and does not replace reading the full FDD or consulting a franchise attorney or accountant. All figures are as disclosed by the franchisor in its most recent registered FDD. Item 19 financial performance representations are made at the franchisor’s option and may be absent or limited.