The estimated cost to open one Frenchies Modern Nail Care franchise is $472,883–$550,060. This includes a $50,000 initial franchise fee and a separate $8,000 initial training fee.

Frenchies offers manicures, pedicures, related retail products, and a Polish Pass membership option. Its studio concept emphasizes cleanliness procedures, service standards, and a welcoming customer experience.

For prospective owners, the investment involves more than nail care. Owners oversee employees, appointments, operating standards, local marketing, customer relationships, and the performance of a physical retail business.

This guide explains how the model works, what the investment covers, what existing studios reported in the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, and what candidates should investigate before moving forward.

About this article. Frenchies Modern Nail Care is a member of the Franchise Brokers Association. FBA publishes reviews of member brands as part of its membership program, and FBA and its brokers may receive a commission from the franchisor if a candidate FBA works with goes on to purchase a franchise. This article was researched and written by FBA from the brand’s current Franchise Disclosure Document and FBA’s own franchise database. The brand did not write, review, or approve it before publication.

Nothing in this article should be considered legal, financial, or tax advice. Prospective franchisees should always review the most recent Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) with qualified advisors before making an investment decision.

How does the Frenchies franchise work? 

Frenchies operates retail studios offering manicures, pedicures, and related hand and foot care services. Customers can purchase individual services, retail products, or a Polish Pass membership.

The concept combines a defined studio environment with standards for equipment, products, service delivery, and employee training. Owners manage both the customer-facing experience and the work supporting it.

A guest may notice the studio’s appearance, the front-desk interaction, and the service received. Behind those moments are decisions about staffing, appointment availability, supplies, employee preparation, and operating procedures.

That connection is central to evaluating the franchise. Candidates should be interested in leading a staffed service operation—not only in the treatments themselves.

Brand background and system size

Frenchies, LLC, the franchisor, was formed in March 2015 and began offering franchises in April 2015.

Its parent operates as Head to Toe Brands. The FDD states that the parent company is ultimately controlled by investment funds managed by The Riverside Company.

The 2026 FDD reports 26 franchised studios as of December 31, 2025. Candidates should evaluate the system based on its current size, operating history, franchisee experiences, and contractual support—not assumptions based solely on its parent-company relationships.

Frenchies franchise at a glance 

For the most accurate and current information, review the latest Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) for Frenchies Modern Nail Care. The financial figures presented here are historical results from franchised businesses as disclosed in Item 7 and Item 19 of the 2026 FDD.

Cleanliness and the customer experience 

Frenchies presents cleanliness as part of the studio experience rather than simply a task completed behind the scenes.

The brand’s published cleanliness practices describe a multistep process for cleaning, disinfecting, and sterilizing stainless-steel tools. The brand also says it uses single-use files, buffers, and orangewood sticks.

Frenchies says its pedicure basins do not have jets or pipes and that the basins are disinfected between guests.

These are specific brand-described practices that candidates can investigate. They do not guarantee that health risks are eliminated or establish that other salons fail to follow appropriate procedures.

Maintaining these standards involves more than purchasing equipment. Employees must understand approved processes, management must monitor compliance, and the studio must maintain the necessary supplies and equipment.

Candidates should ask how those responsibilities are divided, how compliance is evaluated, and what happens when a studio falls short. Local sanitation, licensing, environmental, and workplace-safety requirements must also be reviewed.

How the Polish Pass membership works 

The Polish Pass membership gives customers another way to purchase services. The brand’s website describes two membership levels, monthly dues redeemable toward manicures or pedicures, and unused credits that may roll over under the applicable terms.

Memberships operate alongside individual visits and retail-product sales. They do not replace those transactions or guarantee appointment frequency, customer retention, revenue, or profit.

For an operator, the program creates responsibilities involving billing, credits, appointment access, customer explanations, and cancellations. Those responsibilities continue after the customer enrolls.

For example, a member may redeem a credit for a manicure while another customer books a single pedicure without joining. The studio must communicate the appropriate terms and have qualified employees available to serve both customers.

This illustrates how the model functions—not a typical spending pattern or promised visit schedule.

Before evaluating the membership program, obtain the current customer terms. Confirm what each membership level includes, how cancellations work, how unused credits are treated, and how membership transactions are handled for royalty, marketing, and accounting purposes.

How much does a Frenchies franchise cost? 

The 2026 FDD estimates $472,883–$550,060 to open one Frenchies studio. The range includes opening expenses and an additional-funds allowance covering the first three months.

The FDD was issued March 27, 2026. These figures are investment estimates—not predictions of sales, profit, owner income, cash flow, or return on investment.

Single-studio startup investment 

Important context: These figures reflect startup and early operating needs only. They do not indicate financial performance or outcomes.

For the most accurate and current information, review the latest Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) for Frenchies Modern Nail Care. The financial figures presented here are historical results from franchised businesses as disclosed in Item 7 and Item 19 of the 2026 FDD.

The standard franchise fee is $50,000—not $58,000. The separate $8,000 initial training fee brings the two charges to $58,000. Both are already included in the overall investment estimate.

The table summarizes the disclosed expense amounts, not every payment condition, assumption, or footnote.

What the initial investment covers 

Leasehold improvements are the largest expense category. This work adapts the leased premises to the studio’s requirements.

Furniture, fixtures, equipment, inventory, signage, and technology prepare the location to deliver services and handle customer transactions. Training and marketing expenses support the opening process.

Together, these categories show why the opportunity differs from establishing an individual nail-care practice. The investment creates a staffed retail operation with customer-facing space and required systems.

Completing the build-out does not establish demand or guarantee a smooth opening. Property condition, lease terms, permits, construction, staffing, financing, and other circumstances can affect the amount spent and the opening timeline.

Planning beyond the opening budget 

The three-month additional-funds allowance is not a complete first-year budget. Candidates should separately assess personal living expenses, financing payments, contingencies, and the financial effect of construction or opening delays.

A capital plan should distinguish the money needed to establish the studio from the reserves needed to operate it. It should also identify expenses beginning before customers can purchase services.

FBA’s franchise financial calculator can help organize an initial discussion with an accountant, lender, or qualified financial advisor.

The FDD states that Frenchies does not offer direct or indirect financing and does not guarantee franchisee notes, leases, or other obligations.

Multi-unit development costs 

The FDD describes development agreements for candidates approved to open multiple studios.

For the most accurate and current information, review the latest Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) for Frenchies Modern Nail Care. The financial figures presented here are historical results from franchised businesses as disclosed in Item 7 and Item 19 of the 2026 FDD.

These ranges do not cover opening every committed studio. Subsequent studios require additional capital and must follow the applicable development schedule.

Candidates considering expansion should review more than the development-fee structure. Ask who will manage each studio, how employees will be prepared, and what opening deadlines apply.

Do not assume the first studio will generate the funds needed to open later locations.

Ongoing Frenchies franchise fees 

For the most accurate and current information, review the latest Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) for Frenchies Modern Nail Care. The financial figures presented here are historical results from franchised businesses as disclosed in Item 7 and Item 19 of the 2026 FDD.

Frenchies does not currently require an advertising-fund contribution, but it charges a separate marketing fee. The local-advertising obligation is additional.

There is no general automatic reduction of local advertising to $1,500 after the first year. The FDD separately states that if a cooperative advertising program is established, its minimum contribution may satisfy the local-advertising requirement after a studio has operated for at least 12 full months.

The FDD also describes possible membership-marketing and membership-perks fees if those programs are established. No such program fees were required as of the FDD’s issuance date.

Candidates should review the complete Item 6 schedule for additional training, conventions, renewals, transfers, supplier approval, audits, defaults, late payments, indemnification, and other potential charges.

These obligations sit alongside payroll, rent, products, supplies, insurance, utilities, taxes, and financing expenses.

What does Frenchies franchise ownership involve?

Frenchies ownership centers on leading a staffed service business. The work extends beyond the treatments performed at a nail station.

The studio needs qualified employees, daily management, and an owner who remains accountable for the operation. How those responsibilities are divided depends partly on whether the owner also serves as General Manager.

One candidate may want direct involvement with the team throughout the day. Another may prefer to oversee a manager. Neither arrangement eliminates the need for defined responsibilities and follow-through.

Owner-operated or manager-led?

If the franchisee is a business entity, at least one owner must oversee the studio’s general operations and business activities.

A designated General Manager must devote full-time energy and best efforts to the studio’s management, operation, promotion, and growth. The owner and General Manager may be the same person.

If the General Manager leaves or no longer qualifies, a replacement must be designated within 30 days. The replacement must complete the required training before assuming responsibility.

This permits a manager-led structure. It does not establish a guaranteed part-time schedule or passive investment.

Ask current owners how their involvement changes during hiring problems, manager turnover, opening delays, or other disruptions. Validate the proposed structure directly instead of relying on a “semi-absentee” label.

Staffing and service management

Appointments, employee availability, and service standards are closely connected. A schedule may appear workable until an employee becomes unavailable or a service takes longer than planned.

Management then needs to consider customer communication, booking adjustments, employee qualifications, and approved procedures. Access to a management dashboard does not replace those decisions.

Recruitment must also account for state and local licensing requirements. Candidates should understand the qualifications required in their market and how employees are prepared to provide approved services.

Avoid building a budget around an unsupported universal staffing count. Request a staffing plan for the proposed studio and discuss its practicality with owners in comparable markets.

An example of owner-manager oversight

The following is a hypothetical management discussion—not a description of a typical Frenchies day or a guaranteed schedule.

An owner and General Manager review the coming week’s appointments. Several bookings overlap with a period when fewer employees are available. They discuss staffing, required qualifications, customer communication, and whether any bookings need adjustment.

They also review supplies for those services and an unresolved membership-credit question. The conversation moves among staffing, inventory, service standards, and customer terms because those responsibilities affect one another.

The owner does not need to perform every task personally. The owner does need to understand how the tasks connect and who is responsible for acting.

Who may fit the Frenchies franchise model?

Frenchies may appeal to candidates interested in employee leadership, customer service, local marketing, and retail operations.

The model may be less suitable for someone seeking minimal staffing, guaranteed income, a home-based business, or little involvement in management.

No particular career background guarantees success. Consider your available time, capital, leadership skills, and willingness to follow the operating system.

FBA’s owner-fit assessment can help organize that discussion. You can also talk with a franchise consultant about owner-operated and manager-led business responsibilities.

What training and support does Frenchies provide?

Training introduces owners and designated participants to the operating system. Candidates should evaluate the subjects covered, required participation, and practical preparation—not only the total number of hours.

Item 11 lists 34.5 classroom hours and 16–21 on-the-job hours, producing a total range of 50.5–55.5 hours.

Initial franchise training

The initial program combines business training with studio-opening training.

The $8,000 initial training fee includes virtual instruction, a three-day in-person business-training session currently hosted in Dallas, and on-site studio-opening technical training.

The disclosed subjects include:

• Introduction to Frenchies.
• Operations and employee experience.
• Performance measurement.
• Information technology and point-of-sale systems.
• Finance and accounting.
• Procurement, vendors, and supplies.
• Sales and marketing.
• Hands-on operations training.

These subjects reflect the range of ownership responsibilities. Procurement relates to approved supplies, employee experience relates to team leadership, and financial instruction helps owners evaluate the business beyond the appointment schedule.

Ask where instruction includes hands-on practice, what participants must demonstrate, and which subjects may require further preparation.

The fee covers training for up to two participants. Owner and manager travel, lodging, meals, wages, and other attendance expenses are separate.

The FDD does not state a fixed number of days for on-site opening support. Confirm the current schedule, required attendees, and scope of opening assistance directly with the franchisor.

Support after opening

The disclosure describes ongoing consultation concerning operations, products, services, suppliers, and marketing. It does not guarantee a particular coaching schedule, amount of assistance, or level of franchisee satisfaction.

A useful support discussion focuses on practical situations. Ask what happens when a manager leaves, an employee needs additional preparation, a customer complaint involves service standards, or a system change requires implementation.

Current franchisees can explain which resources they use and where responsibility remains local. That helps distinguish receiving guidance from carrying it out.

Candidates who want broader franchise education can watch FBA’s free franchise education webinar or attend a FranPath Live session to learn more about comparing business models and ownership roles.

Technology and studio-management systems

Required systems support appointment scheduling, customer management, payments, inventory, reporting, marketing, and employee education.

These tools organize information. Owners and managers must still interpret it, communicate with employees, and respond to problems.

For example, software may show bookings and employee availability. Management must decide whether the schedule is workable and whether the team can provide services according to the required standards.

The technology fee does not cover every software or service charge. Confirm mandatory platforms, subscription inclusions, support contacts, payment start dates, and potential upgrade obligations.

How do Frenchies site selection and territory rights work?

Candidates must use the designated real-estate provider unless the franchisor approves an applicable exception. That provider assists with identifying sites, but the franchisee remains responsible for selecting the property and signing the lease.

Site approval means the location meets the applicable criteria. It does not mean the rent is favorable or that the studio will achieve particular results.

Frenchies does not grant an exclusive territory. After an acceptable location is identified, the franchisor defines a Protected Area that replaces the Site Selection Area.

The Protected Area generally contains a population of up to 50,000 and does not exceed a four-mile radius. Closed Markets—such as certain hotels, resorts, airports, campuses, military bases, public facilities, and other captive-market venues—are treated separately.

The franchisor may also distribute products and services through alternative channels within or outside the Protected Area without compensating the franchisee.

The FDD says a studio usually opens within 12 months after the Franchise Agreement is signed. Real estate, financing, permits, construction, staffing, training, and other factors can affect the timeline.

Review the lease, Protected Area, retained rights, development deadlines, Control Date, and extension provisions with qualified advisors before committing.

How much do Frenchies franchisees make?

The 2026 FDD provides historical revenue information—not franchisee profit, owner income, cash flow, or return on investment.

Item 19 reports 2025 revenue by quartile for 23 franchised studios that operated throughout the complete 2025 calendar year. It excludes one franchised studio that closed during the year and three franchised studios that opened during the year.

Revenue by quartile

For the most accurate and current information, review the latest Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) for Frenchies Modern Nail Care. The financial figures presented here are historical results from franchised businesses as disclosed in Item 7 and Item 19 of the 2026 FDD.

These figures are total revenue, not profit. They do not show payroll, rent, products, supplies, royalties, marketing, utilities, debt service, taxes, owner compensation, or other expenses required to operate a studio.

The quartiles also should not be combined into an unsupported “typical” result. Candidates should review the studio-level data, definitions, exclusions, comparison periods, and substantiation available from the franchisor.

Some outlets have earned this amount. Your individual results may differ. There is no assurance that you’ll earn as much.

Revenue by source

Item 19 also reports the following systemwide revenue by source for all franchised studios operating at any point during the 2025 measurement period:

For the most accurate and current information, review the latest Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) for Frenchies Modern Nail Care. The financial figures presented here are historical results from franchised businesses as disclosed in Item 7 and Item 19 of the 2026 FDD.

The FDD defines recurring membership revenue as revenue derived from scheduled recurring memberships. It defines first-time guests and all other services as service revenue excluding recurring membership revenue.

These are aggregated systemwide figures. They are not average unit results, do not show how revenue was distributed among studios, and do not establish customer retention, predictable revenue, profitability, or owner income.

Candidates should ask what expenses were required to generate the reported revenue and how membership billing, unused credits, refunds, and service redemptions are accounted for.

Frenchies franchise due diligence: What should candidates verify? 

A useful franchise review should explain the opportunity while identifying what remains to be investigated.

The FTC’s Consumer’s Guide to Buying a Franchise explains how to evaluate franchise costs, financial claims, disclosures, and broker relationships.

System history and outlet activity

As of December 31, 2025, Frenchies reported 26 franchised studios, compared with 23 at the beginning of the year.

The 2025 outlet tables report:

The FDD separately reports five franchisee-to-franchisee transfers during 2025.

One company-owned studio was sold to a franchisee, leaving no company-owned studios at year-end.

These figures describe outlet activity. They do not establish profitability, franchisee satisfaction, system stability, or the reasons for individual transactions.

Ask about the closure, transfers, opening experience, and eight franchise agreements that had been signed but had not produced open outlets as of year-end.

Financial condition and disclosed risks

The FDD explicitly states that the franchisor’s financial condition calls into question its financial ability to provide services and support.

Other highlighted risks include mandatory minimum payments, supplier control, spousal liability, out-of-state dispute resolution, and unopened franchises.

Items 3 and 4 state that no litigation or bankruptcy information was required to be disclosed. That does not mean the investment has no legal, operational, financial, or market risks.

Review the financial statements, parent guarantee, state-specific addenda, mandatory payments, and exit obligations with qualified legal and accounting advisors.

Questions to ask Frenchies franchisees

• What capital was needed beyond the Item 7 estimate?
• How are membership cancellations and credit redemptions handled?
• What staffing level is needed to maintain appointment availability?
• How involved is the owner when a General Manager runs daily operations?
• Which expenses were higher than expected?
• What support is available when employees or managers leave?
• What explains the disclosed closure and franchisee transfers?
• What does the financial-condition warning mean for the franchisor’s support capacity?
• How did actual construction and opening timelines compare with the initial plan?
• What would current owners change if they were purchasing the franchise again?

Current and former franchisee contacts appear in Exhibit G. Exhibit F contains financial statements.

Speak with owners in different markets and at different operating stages. Ask them to distinguish their personal experience from what they know about the wider system.

Frenchies Modern Nail Care franchise FAQs

How much does a Frenchies franchise cost?

The 2026 FDD estimates $472,883–$550,060 to open one studio. This includes a $50,000 initial franchise fee and a separate $8,000 initial training fee.

What is the Frenchies franchise fee?

The standard initial franchise fee is $50,000. The $8,000 initial training fee is separate, but both charges are already included in the total estimated investment.

What royalty and marketing fees does Frenchies charge?

The royalty is the greater of 6% of Gross Revenue or a $100 weekly minimum, subject to the agreement’s commencement provisions. The marketing fee is currently 2% of Gross Revenue and may increase to 3%. Franchisees must also spend at least $2,000 monthly on approved local advertising.

How much do Frenchies franchisees make?

The 2026 FDD does not disclose franchisee profit or owner income. Item 19 reports 2025 revenue for the 23 franchised studios open the full year, with quartile averages ranging from $400,169 (Quartile 4) to $818,088 (Quartile 1). Revenue does not account for the expenses required to operate a studio.

Is Frenchies exclusively a membership business?

No. Frenchies offers individual nail-care services, retail products, and the Polish Pass membership option. Memberships do not guarantee customer visits, retention, revenue, or profitability.

Can a manager run daily operations?

Yes, subject to the Franchise Agreement. A designated owner retains oversight, while a qualified General Manager must devote full-time energy and best efforts to daily management and complete the required training.

Does Frenchies offer financing?

The 2026 FDD states that the franchisor does not offer direct or indirect financing and does not guarantee franchisee notes, leases, or other obligations.

Does a Frenchies franchise receive an exclusive territory?

No. Frenchies does not grant an exclusive territory. A studio receives a Protected Area, but the FDD reserves rights involving Closed Markets, alternative distribution channels, and locations outside that area.

How many Frenchies locations are there?

Item 20 reports 26 franchised studios as of December 31, 2025. The system began the year with 23 franchised studios, opened four, and reported one outlet ceasing operations for other reasons.

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