How to Start a Roosters Men's Grooming Center Franchise in 7 Steps: Checklist

The applicant controls the application, site search, lease, financing, permits, buildout, staffing and readiness submissions. Roosters controls candidate acceptance, agreements, site and lease acceptance, brand standards, approved sources and training standards. Landlords, lenders, contractors, suppliers, insurers and authorities remain independent dependencies.

The sequence below follows the 2025 FDD and attached agreements rather than a generic franchise checklist. Site approval, lease acceptance, construction completion, training and opening readiness are separate gates.

Source: 2025 Roosters FDD, Item 11, pp. 34-43; Franchise Agreement §§ III, V and XIV.

Roosters requires an accurate Franchise Application and reserves candidate approval, but the reviewed FDD provisions publish no universal net-worth, liquidity, credit-score, education, industry-experience, citizenship or background-check threshold. Obtain the current written criteria and confirm whether they apply per owner, ownership group, entity, Shop or development commitment.

Meeting a requested standard does not guarantee an award. The Franchise Agreement says Roosters relies on business skill and financial capacity; the Personal Guaranty makes signing guarantors responsible for contractual obligations. State addenda may change guaranty or payment provisions.

Source: 2025 Roosters FDD, Items 1 and 15; Franchise Agreement recitals, §§ III.D and V.I; Personal Guaranty.

Each Shop is governed by a Franchise Agreement, while Roosters' disclosed practice also uses a Development Agreement for new acquisitions in a geographic area. The contract package changes when the buyer commits to multiple Shops or converts an existing branded salon.

The Development Fee is generally triggered at signing and described as nonrefundable, including when the franchisee cannot secure a suitable site or satisfy opening requirements. State addenda may defer collection. Under the disclosed three-Shop schedule, the second Shop is due 18 months after the first Shop's required opening date and the third 18 months after the second's; each later Shop agreement must be signed at least 10 days before business begins.

The Shop may operate only at an Approved Location. The franchisee finds the site; Roosters has no duty to locate one. The Designated Market Area and Development Agreement Geographic Area are nonexclusive, so market designation and site acceptance do not create protected territory.

The disclosed site criteria include population and demographic characteristics, visibility, traffic, competition, access, ingress and egress, physical size, strip-center or mall position and lease terms. A traditional Shop is estimated at approximately 1,000-1,400 square feet with six grooming stations, but the actual site must satisfy then-current standards.

After site and lease acceptance, the franchisee adapts the Plans and Architectural Design Manual for the premises and local law. Roosters reviews brand compliance, not building-code, accessibility, zoning or professional-design compliance. Required systems and sources include Roosters Specific Equipment, Opening Inventory Supply, approved signage and the Zenoti point-of-sale and back-office platform. Alternate-supplier requests can take up to 90 days for a decision.

Licenses and permits vary by jurisdiction. The Franchise Agreement makes the franchisee responsible for determining, obtaining and maintaining them. The U.S. Small Business Administration licensing and permit overview explains the location-based framework; governing state and local authorities control.

Source: 2025 Roosters FDD, Items 8, 11 and 12; Franchise Agreement §§ III.A-C and V.B-C; Site Selection Addendum and Lease Addendum.

These periods use different triggers and are not additive. The lease reviews are sequential, while site work, financing, design, permitting, training planning and supplier coordination may overlap only when the documents and responsible parties allow it.

The Initial Training Program covers the franchisee, managers and up to two employees. A corporate franchisee must send one actively involved principal shareholder. Listed classroom or online modules total about 9 hours 20 minutes; separate technical instruction covers service, haircutting, shaving, facial services, grooming, color and retail without a disclosed total duration.

At least 30 days before opening, the owner or corporate manager and employees must complete the required portion to Roosters' satisfaction; Roosters may conduct it online. Tuition and materials are provided, while the franchisee bears travel, lodging, meals, wages and other attendee expenses. Classes depend on demand and staff availability.

A replacement manager who has not completed the Initial Training Program must begin it within 30 days after hire and complete it within 100 days. That ongoing manager rule matters before opening when the originally designated manager changes during construction or staffing.

Source: 2025 Roosters FDD, Item 11, pp. 42-44 and Item 15; Franchise Agreement §§ III.D, V.G-I and XII.C.

Roosters supplies standards, approvals and designated resources, while the Franchise Agreement leaves real estate, construction, licensing, staffing and operating setup with the franchisee. Assistance does not guarantee third-party timing.

Item 10 discloses no direct or indirect financing from Roosters. A lease guaranty may be considered in limited circumstances, but it is discretionary rather than a promised financing or real-estate service.

Item 20 and Exhibit E list current and former franchisees. Ask comparable operators about site, lease, permitting, construction, hiring, technical training, equipment and systems; ask former franchisees which opening assumptions failed and whether assistance matched the contract.