Central Bark franchise unit economics
Central Bark franchisees run dog daycare facilities from leased premises that sell daycare packages, overnight boarding and grooming.
Central Bark in the news
- Central Bark Reports Record-Breaking Q2 Revenue, Marking Highest Quarter in Company History · Webull (press release) ·
The Central Bark headline above is the publisher's own and links to the publisher. Averan Advisors checked this Central Bark link on 11 October 2026. Franchise news lists news on 95 brands, including Central Bark. Central Bark is in the Dog Daycare and Boarding franchise guide.
Central Bark franchise at a glance
In its 2026 FDD Central Bark reports 2025 gross sales, each operating cost line and operating profit for 36 franchised facilities open all of 2025, with results for the top and bottom thirds of that group.
Central Bark franchisees averaged $902,805 of sales in 2025, with a median of $812,437, according to Item 19 of Central Bark’s 2026 FDD, issued 3 June 2026. Fees paid to Central Bark come to about 8.7%* of sales. A Central Bark franchise costs $640,100 to $1,394,250 to open.
- A Central Bark franchise costs $640,100 to $1,394,250 to open, including a $55,000 initial franchise fee, according to the brand's 2026 FDD.
- Central Bark charges a royalty of 6% of sales, a 2% brand fund contribution and a $495 monthly technology fee.
- Central Bark’s 36 franchised facilities open all of 2025 averaged operating profit of 19.7% of revenue. Central Bark’s FDD defines operating profit as gross profit less operating expenses, royalties, brand fund and marketing, with rent deducted, before interest, income taxes, depreciation, amortization and owner pay.
- At the average Central Bark location, wages took 44.5%, rent and space costs took 10.8% and cost of goods took 1.5% of sales.
- Work out Central Bark's fees at your own sales with the minimum fee calculator.
- Rent at Central Bark runs from 4.7% of sales to 24.8% across the reporting group, a difference of 20.1 points.
These figures come from Central Bark's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, as the brand reported them, and were read by Averan Advisors.
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Talk to Averan → Move your books and accounting to Averan →- The rent range is worth more than the whole profit line. 4.7% to 24.8% of sales is $181,464 at the $902,805 average *, against an average operating profit of $177,589.
- Labor takes 44.5% of sales and ranges 31.3% to 54.7%. $401,748 at the average *, and the 23.4-point range is worth $211,256, the single biggest number an owner controls.
- The top third keeps 25.3% and the bottom third 12.2%. Median profit is $256,568 against $83,833, 3.06 times the money on 2.14 times the sales *.
- Daycare is 59% of sales and boarding 20%, but daycare ranges 35% to 77%. Grooming runs 7% to 34%, so two locations built to the same plan sell entirely different mixes.
- The 29 locations with a full five years grew 54.7% since 2021, and seven of them shrank last year. That is $611,878 to $946,847 each *, or 11.5% a year compounded.
How much does a Central Bark franchise make?
The average Central Bark unit reported $902,805 of revenue in the 2026 FDD, and the median reported $812,437. The brand’s disclosure document puts operating profit at 19.7% of revenue. Fees come off the top first, at about 8.7% of sales across royalty, brand fund and the rest of the stack. Revenue is not income. Rent, wages, cost of goods and the franchise fees all come out before an owner is paid. The figures for the highest-selling and lowest-selling locations are below.
Top performers
What separates the top Central Bark performers
Central Bark publishes a range for its locations instead of grouped averages. The highest-selling of the 36 Central Bark locations had $2,025,786 of gross sales in 2025. The lowest-selling Central Bark location had $413,760. Both run the same brand, on the same agreement, paying the same fees. The middle location sold $812,437. The average was $902,805. More than half the system is below the number the brand quotes.
Decided before you open
- Site and trade area.The highest-selling Central Bark location sells 4.9× the lowest-selling one, a gap too wide for operations alone to explain. Catchment, daytime population and what sits next door set the ceiling before the first customer arrives.
- Opening cost range.Opening costs $640,100 to $1,394,250, a 2.2× range inside one brand.
- Lease cost.Occupancy cost ran 10.8% of sales in this filing. Rent stays the same when sales fall, so it takes a larger share of sales at lower-selling locations.
- Fees and the minimum.Fees run about 8.7% of sales. A minimum fee also applies, so lower-selling locations pay a higher effective rate. Work out the sales level where the percentage overtakes the minimum.
- Cash needed in the first year.This filing shows how a new location builds up: the month sales cover costs, and how much cash you fund before then.
Live operating levers
- Wages.Wages take 44.5% of sales, against operating profit of 19.7%. The levers are staff productivity, scheduling against demand hour by hour, and the balance of base pay to commission.
- Occupancy cost.Rent and building costs take 10.8% of sales here. The rent is fixed when the lease is signed, so this share falls only as sales per square foot rise.
- Sales depend on pets served.The owner counts how many pets come through in a day and how many come back within the month.
- Service and retail mix.Retail sales and the share of customers on higher service tiers raise revenue per hour without adding hours or rooms.
Context you underwrite around
- What the figures cover.The figures describe the 2025 calendar year, reported by the franchisor and unaudited by us. Ask what changed after the period closed, because a filing shows one moment in time.
What is left at the end
Profit and loss as a share of sales, 2025
Labor is 44.5% of sales and rent 10.8%, so 55.3% is committed before marketing, utilities, insurance or the brand. The high and the low on every line are wide enough to swallow the profit several times over.
| Line | Average | At $902,805 * | Median | Most favorable | Least favorable | Spread worth * |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of labor | 44.5% | $401,748 | 44.6% | 31.3% | 54.7% | $211,256 |
| Cost of goods | 1.5% | $13,542 | 1.3% | 0.1% | 5.3% | $46,946 |
| Gross profit | 54.0% | $487,515 | 46.9% | 56.9% | 31.4% | $230,215 |
| Operating expenses | 13.0% | $117,365 | 10.8% | 7.3% | 24.8% | $157,991 |
| Rent | 10.8% | $97,503 | 10.5% | 4.7% | 24.8% | $181,464 |
| Royalty and brand fund | 7.9% | $71,322 | 8.0% | 6.5% | 8.0% | $13,542 |
| Marketing | 2.7% | $24,376 | 2.4% | 1.2% | 5.4% | $37,918 |
| Operating profit | 19.7% | $177,853 | 19.3% | 34.6% | 6.2% | $256,397 |
Every percentage is as the brand reported it. We worked out the last two columns, applying each figure to the $902,805 of average sales at the same 36 locations.
The top and lowest labor result differ by $211,256 a year. 31.3% against 54.7% at the same $902,805 of sales *, which is 119% of what an average location keeps.
Royalty and brand fund run 6.5% to 8.0% across the group. The 1.5-point range is worth $13,542 at the $902,805 average. Every other line except marketing moves at least three times as much.
The reported gross profit range does not match its components. Gross profit is sales less labor and cost of goods. So the lowest labor of 54.7% with the lowest cost of goods of 5.3% would give 40.0%, yet the reported gross profit low is 31.4%.
Discounts available
- Central Bark takes 10% off the first location's initial franchise fee for veterans who qualify under the IFA VetFran Program.
- Central Bark charges $35,000 instead of $55,000 for each franchise after the first signed under a Multi-Unit Franchise Agreement.
From Item 5 of the Central Bark 2026 FDD. The costs on this page use the full initial franchise fee for one unit, before any discount.
The three groups of locations
Sales and profit by third, 2025
Split the 36 locations into thirds by sales and the margins separate. The top third averages $1,269,014 of sales and keeps 25.3%; the bottom third averages $592,322 and keeps 12.2%. Larger locations keep a larger share of what they sell.
| Third | Locations | Sales range | Average sales * | Operating margin | Median profit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top | 12 | $1,012,637 – $2,025,786 | $1,269,014 | 25.3% | $256,568 |
| Middle | 12 | $715,125 – $1,011,490 | $847,077 | 19.3% | $147,734 |
| Bottom | 12 | $413,760 – $701,927 | $592,322 | 12.2% | $83,833 |
| All 36 | 36 | $413,760 – $2,025,786 | $902,805 | 19.7% | $147,734 |
Sales ranges, margins, median profits and the overall figures are as the brand reported it. The average sales column is marked *, from the filed location-level sales for all 36.
Every location in the group made money. The lowest location kept $44,577 and the highest kept $554,950, a difference of 12.4 times. No location lost money.
Crossing into the top third takes $1,012,637 of sales, $109,832 above the average location and $165,560 above the middle third *. It also keeps six more points of what it sells.
Sales mix, 2025
| Category | Average | At $902,805 * | Median | High | Low |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day care | 59% | $532,655 | 60% | 77% | 35% |
| Sleepovers and Stay & Play | 20% | $180,561 | 21% | 35% | 9% |
| Grooming | 17% | $153,477 | 16% | 34% | 7% |
| Retail | 2% | $18,056 | 1% | 4% | 0.1% |
| Enrichment, training, cab and parties | 2% | $18,056 | 2% | 14% | 0.1% |
Shares are as the brand reported it and the dollar column is marked *, applying each share to the group's average gross sales.
Grooming is worth up to $306,954 at the average location. The range runs 7% to 34% of sales *, and only day care, at 35% to 77%, has a wider range across Central Bark locations.
All 36, five years each
Gross sales by location, 2021 to 2025
All 36 locations, ranked by 2025 sales and grouped into thirds. The 29 with a complete five-year history grew from $611,878 each in 2021 to $946,847 in 2025, 54.7% in total, or 11.5% a year. Seven of those 29 billed less in 2025 than in 2024.
| Location | Opened | Third * | 2025 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2021 to 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | April 2014 | Top | $2,025,786 | $1,828,699 | $1,480,971 | $1,376,540 | $1,082,428 | 87.2% |
| 2 | August 2005 | Top | $1,605,516 | $1,404,239 | $1,210,786 | $1,177,034 | $1,050,676 | 52.8% |
| 3 | December 2006 | Top | $1,298,764 | $1,327,502 | $1,284,551 | $1,004,143 | $884,034 | 46.9% |
| 4 | August 2007 | Top | $1,261,562 | $1,234,344 | $1,169,833 | $1,108,690 | $949,055 | 32.9% |
| 5 | September 2006 | Top | $1,207,074 | $1,131,865 | $1,094,861 | $1,012,900 | $984,584 | 22.6% |
| 6 | September 2007 | Top | $1,196,078 | $1,207,885 | $1,187,303 | $1,005,646 | $602,856 | 98.4% |
| 7 | October 2024 | Top | $1,184,361 | $61,296 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 8 | February 2009 | Top | $1,136,963 | $1,047,850 | $1,051,924 | $996,002 | $635,524 | 78.9% |
| 9 | June 2019 | Top | $1,135,155 | $1,020,106 | $892,426 | $950,367 | $798,469 | 42.2% |
| 10 | October 2008 | Top | $1,131,323 | $1,105,760 | $1,001,286 | $788,401 | $783,401 | 44.4% |
| 11 | June 2007 | Top | $1,033,224 | $945,187 | $885,722 | $858,347 | $680,128 | 51.9% |
| 12 | August 2008 | Top | $1,012,367 | $1,008,213 | $994,041 | $823,232 | $467,872 | 116.4% |
| 13 | November 2020 | Middle | $1,011,490 | $913,168 | $922,427 | $890,178 | $824,611 | 22.7% |
| 14 | January 1997 | Middle | $1,000,019 | $1,007,428 | $1,087,538 | $1,016,484 | $799,472 | 25.1% |
| 15 | November 2020 | Middle | $986,149 | $897,067 | $926,075 | $749,639 | $451,212 | 118.6% |
| 16 | March 2024 | Middle | $948,209 | $304,186 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 17 | August 2019 | Middle | $859,066 | $793,563 | $808,684 | $718,442 | $578,103 | 48.6% |
| 18 | January 1999 | Middle | $835,549 | $791,442 | $799,313 | $789,050 | $733,378 | 13.9% |
| 19 | March 2008 | Middle | $789,324 | $629,952 | $592,598 | $545,326 | $570,217 | 38.4% |
| 20 | February 2000 | Middle | $787,400 | $675,957 | $630,067 | $458,841 | $224,102 | 251.4% |
| 21 | August 2020 | Middle | $758,993 | $770,229 | $744,811 | $592,635 | $484,524 | 56.6% |
| 22 | April 2014 | Middle | $748,286 | $743,773 | $722,871 | $651,281 | $552,858 | 35.3% |
| 23 | June 2013 | Middle | $725,316 | $653,158 | $671,275 | $659,836 | $536,269 | 35.3% |
| 24 | June 2019 | Middle | $715,125 | $652,777 | $646,459 | $697,059 | $606,936 | 17.8% |
| 25 | January 2024 | Bottom | $701,927 | $526,437 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 26 | March 2009 | Bottom | $693,189 | $676,065 | $668,361 | $555,057 | $390,862 | 77.3% |
| 27 | November 2006 | Bottom | $691,139 | $703,841 | $676,964 | $625,638 | $585,486 | 18.0% |
| 28 | March 2008 | Bottom | $669,867 | $412,805 | $538,209 | $533,992 | $268,168 | 149.8% |
| 29 | November 2020 | Bottom | $661,060 | $141,135 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 30 | August 2024 | Bottom | $601,024 | $561,487 | $484,145 | $363,734 | $273,844 | 119.5% |
| 31 | October 2022 | Bottom | $592,866 | $468,877 | $250,283 | $16,228 | n/a | n/a |
| 32 | February 2020 | Bottom | $590,260 | $668,845 | $635,756 | $544,888 | $462,829 | 27.5% |
| 33 | February 2021 | Bottom | $538,801 | $549,570 | $592,885 | $562,812 | $207,980 | 159.1% |
| 34 | December 2022 | Bottom | $483,528 | $405,599 | $208,014 | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 35 | January 2024 | Bottom | $470,444 | $237,647 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
| 36 | August 2006 | Bottom | $413,760 | $383,802 | $415,454 | $385,834 | $274,598 | 50.7% |
Opening dates, all five years of gross sales and the five-year growth column are as the brand reported it. The third column is marked *, ranking the 36 by 2025 sales into the same twelves used above.
System sales grew 16.5% last year and 83.2% since 2021. $17,744,474 to $32,500,964 across the same 36 locations, though 11 of them were still opening across that window.
The oldest location in the group sits in the middle third. Location 14 opened in January 1997 and billed $1,000,019, less than 10 Central Bark locations that opened in 2007 or later.
Fees and what it costs to open
Royalty, fees and cost to open
Royalty is 6% and the brand fund the greater of 2% or $500 a month. On top sit a $495 monthly technology fee and a $475 convention fee. Owners must also spend 2% of sales on local advertising, with any shortfall payable into the brand fund. On the profit line, royalty and brand fund together come to 7.9%.
| Charge | Amount | At $902,805 * |
|---|---|---|
| Royalty | 6% of gross sales | $54,168 |
| Brand fund | the greater of 2% or $500 a month | $18,056 |
| Technology fee | $495 a month | $5,940 |
| National convention | $475 per attendee, attendance required | $475 |
| Paid to the brand | 8% plus flat charges | $78,639, or 8.7% |
| Local advertising | 2% of gross sales, shortfall into the brand fund | $18,056 |
| Initial franchise fee | $55,000, or $35,000 under a multi-unit agreement | n/a |
| Multi-unit rights fee | $15,000 per further location, credited against its fee | n/a |
| Total investment | $640,100 to $1,394,250 | n/a |
Rates, fees and the investment range are as the brand reported it; the dollar column is marked. We applied each charge to the group's $902,805 average gross sales.
Franchise fees take 8.7% and the building takes 10.8%. $78,639 against $97,503 at the average *, and the brand's share is fixed while the building's runs from 4.7% to 24.8%.
Payback on the low estimate is 3.6 years at the average profit. That is $640,100 against $177,589 *, stretching to 7.85 years on the high estimate and to 2.5 years for a top-third location.
Launch advertising is $26,000, spent around opening. That is 2.9% of what an average location bills in a full year, spent across the 90 days before opening and the 180 after.
Questions we get asked
Questions owners ask.
How much does a Central Bark franchise make?
Central Bark franchisees averaged $902,805 of sales in 2025, with a median of $812,437, according to Item 19 of Central Bark’s 2026 FDD, issued 3 June 2026. Fees paid to Central Bark come to about 8.7%* of sales. A Central Bark franchise costs $640,100 to $1,394,250 to open.
What does a Central Bark location bill and keep?
Gross sales averaged $902,805 across 36 locations in 2025 with a median of $812,437, a high of $2,025,786 and a low of $413,760. Operating profit averaged $177,589, or 19.7%, with a median of $147,734, a high of $554,950 and a low of $44,577.
Where does the money go at Central Bark?
At the average Central Bark location, labor takes 44.5% of sales, operating expenses 13.0%, rent 10.8%, royalty and brand fund 7.9%, marketing 2.7% and cost of goods 1.5%.
How much does scale matter at Central Bark?
The top third averages $1,269,014 of sales and keeps 25.3%. The middle third averages $847,077 and keeps 19.3%. The bottom third averages $592,322 and keeps 12.2%. Median profit runs $256,568, $147,734 and $83,833.
What does Central Bark cost?
Central Bark charges a 6% royalty, a brand fund contribution of the greater of 2% or $500 a month, a $495 monthly technology fee and a $475 convention fee. That comes to about $78,639 a year at the group average. A separate 2% of sales must be spent on local advertising, with any shortfall payable into the brand fund.
How much does a Central Bark franchise cost to open?
A Central Bark franchise costs $640,100 to $1,394,250 to open for a single location. Building work is $441,000 to $850,000 of that, and three months of spare cash is $40,000 to $150,000. The initial franchise fee is $55,000, falling to a net $20,000 for each location after the first under a multi-unit agreement.
Questions worth putting to Central Bark
The filing answers what it answers. These are the gaps an owner or a buyer should close directly.
- Is the profit figure in Item 19 before or after owner pay, and how many locations sit below it?
- Which factors does Central Bark see in its highest-selling locations, such as trade area, years open and size?
- How long does a new location take to reach the average you publish, and what does the build-up look like month by month?
- At what level of sales do the minimum charges stop applying and the percentage take over?
- How many Central Bark locations closed, were sold, or changed hands last year, and why?
Run your own numbers.
The Franchise Numbers Check runs the same checks on your own numbers. It scores where you stand and compares you with Item 19 of your brand’s FDD. It works out what one location earns and spends, and builds a 13-week cash forecast. It checks whether you are ready to open another one. It is free and it runs in your browser.
Launch the diagnostic →What share of sales is your labor line?
We review your unit economics and cash forecast and build your reporting around labor measured against attendance week by week, rent read as a percentage every month. A grooming mix tracked separately from daycare.
Talk to AveranWhere these figures come from.
Every figure here comes from Barkley Ventures Franchising, LLC’s 2026 FDD and is unaudited by us. We are unaffiliated with the brand. Calculations of our own are labeled where they appear, the figures describe past performance at other businesses and are not a projection of yours. This page is an educational summary. It is not an offer to sell a franchise, and it is not financial, legal or tax advice. Central Bark® is a registered trademark of its owner. How Averan reads a Franchise Disclosure Document.
These figures come from the brand's disclosure. They are not a forecast, an offer to sell a franchise or advice. Source: Barkley Ventures Franchising, LLC, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, issued 3 June 2026.
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Central Bark reads against the rest of the dog daycare and boarding group: Camp Bow Wow · Dogtopia · Hounds Town USA. The dog daycare and boarding guide compares all of them on the same figures.
Questions owners ask next
The figures above raise these, and each one is answered on its own page.
- At what level of sales does a minimum fee stop costing me more than the percentage?It works out the sales level where a minimum fee stops applying.
- How much cash do I fund before a new location covers its own costs?It builds a 13-week forecast for the months before break-even.
- My payroll percentage keeps climbing. Is that a payroll problem?It shows how to tell whether payroll is rising or revenue is falling.
- How much of Item 19 can I rely on?It explains what an Item 19 financial performance representation tells you and what it leaves out.
- What should I be looking at every week?It lists the handful of numbers that move before the P&L does.