About The Bar Method Franchise
The Bar Method is a boutique fitness franchise offering barre inspired workout classes that combine elements of ballet, yoga, and strength training to sculpt and tone the body.
Each class features small, isometric movements performed at a ballet barre, along with resistance exercises and stretching sequences.
The brand has been franchising since 2021 under Anytime Holdings, Inc.
The Bar Method Franchise Cost & Fees
Minimum Investment
$227K
Average Investment
$355K
Maximum Investment
$483K
| Fee Type | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $42,500 | One-time payment upon signing |
| Royalty Fee | 6% of Studio’s Gross Revenue of gross sales | Ongoing; paid monthly |
| Marketing/Ad Fund | 2% of Studio’s Gross Revenue | National brand fund |
| Total Investment Range | $226,616 – $482,736 | Includes build-out, inventory, working capital |
The investment range of $227K–$483K reflects variability in build-out costs, store size, lease terms, and market. The combined royalty (6% of Studio’s Gross Revenue) and marketing fee (2% of Studio’s Gross Revenue) are ongoing costs paid as a percentage of gross sales.
Investment Breakdown (Item 7)
| Item | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee (2) | $42,500 | $42,500 |
| Franchisee Training, Travel & Living Expenses (3) | $1,150 | $11,250 |
| Real Estate & Leasehold Improvements (4) | $8,875 | $221,875 |
| Office Supplies | $3,500 | $4,000 |
| Grand Opening Advertising (5) | $25,000 | $45,000 |
| Architect/Design Fees (6) | $5,000 | $8,000 |
| Furniture, Fixtures & Equipment (7) | $38,087 | $38,387 |
| Technology Expenses and Licenses (8) | $12,759 | $19,479 |
| Signage | $11,000 | $13,000 |
| Initial Inventory (9) | $3,560 | $3,560 |
| Insurance & Bonds (10) | $3,250 | $3,750 |
| Miscellaneous Expenses (11) | $7,000 | $7,000 |
| Additional funds – 3 months (12) | $64,935 | $64,935 |
Additional Fees (Item 6)
| Fee Type | Amount |
|---|---|
| Transfer Fee | $7,500 or $15,000 |
| Renewal Fee | $10,000 |
| Technology Fee | $299 per month |
| Audit Fee | Cost of audit |
| Marketing Spending Requirement shortfall | Difference between Marketing Spending Requirement and amount you spent |
| Grand Opening Program shortfall | $25,000 minimum spend, shortfall payable to Marketing Fund |
| Mandatory Seminars, Conferences or Programs | Currently, $439 for early registration, increasing to $659 at the Conference |
| Ongoing product purchases | Currently $1,000 to $30,000 per year, depending on the products purchased, but could increase if costs increase |
| Teacher Manager Support Program Fee | Currently $5,000 per training |
| Teacher Training Fee | Currently $750 per teacher, plus travel and living expenses for training |
| Coaching, Evaluation, and Certification (CEC) Program Fee | Currently, $650 per year |
| Other training fees | Currently $150 per hour plus the costs of travel and expenses for our trainer, but could increase |
| Music Licensing Fee | Will vary under circumstances |
| Relocation fee | $1,500 plus our expenses |
| Re-Sale Assistance Program | $549, plus $99 per month until you sell your business or decide to terminate your participation in the program. These prices are per Studio. |
| Management fee | 3% of Gross Revenue plus direct costs and expenses |
| Costs and attorneys’ fees | Will vary under circumstances |
| Indemnification | Will vary under circumstances |
| Interest | 1.5% per month or highest interest rate the law allows, whichever is less |
| Follow-up inspection fee | Currently $500 per day, but could increase if our costs increase |
| Insurance/Bond Handling Fees | Currently, $100 plus premium costs and expenses |
| Liquidated Damages | If Franchise Agreement is terminated, all Royalty and Marketing Fund contributions that would have been payable for remainder of Agreement. If ADA is terminated, $10,000 multiplied by number of undeveloped Bar Method studios |
Training Program (Item 11)
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Total Duration | 32 hours |
| Classroom Training | 12 hours |
| On-the-Job Training | 20 hours |
| Training Location | Woodbury, Minnesota and online |
| Additional Training | Additional training programs may be required if the franchisee or personnel cannot complete initial training to satisfaction, or if deemed necessary to keep the Franchise System competitive. These include Coaching & Evaluation (annual fee $650), other training fees ($150 per hour plus travel/expenses), and mandatory Conferences (currently $439-$659 fee plus travel/expenses). |
Territory Rights (Item 12)
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Territory Type | Protected |
| Exclusive Territory | Yes |
| Territory Size | Typically a circle with a radius of 3 miles, but can range from one-half mile in densely populated areas to 3 miles in small towns. |
| Description | When a site is approved, the franchisor grants a protected territory, typically a 3-mile radius from the studio's main entrance, but variable based on market characteristics like population density, traffic flow, and natural boundaries. Minimum population of 50,000 and 7,500 qualifying households (annual average income over $75,000) are generally required. The protected territory is exclusive, meaning no other Bar Method Studio will be physically located within it. However, the franchisor and its affiliates can operate or license other fitness businesses under different trademarks within this territory and can operate Bar Method Studios outside the protected territory, even if they compete for customers. Territory boundaries may overlap with other franchisees' territories as long as no other Bar Method Studio is physically located within the protected area. |
Renewal, Termination & Transfer (Item 17)
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Initial Term | 6 years |
| Renewal Term | 5 years |
| Renewal Fee | $10,000 |
| Renewal Conditions | To renew, the franchisee must be in good standing, the franchisor must still be offering new Bar Method Studios, and the franchisee must provide written notice 90-180 days before the term ends. Conditions include signing the then-current franchise agreement (which may have materially different terms and fees), remodeling/upgrading the Studio to current standards for new studios, paying a $10,000 renewal fee, and signing a general release of claims (if state law allows). |
| Transfer Fee | $7,500 or $15,000 |
| Transfer Conditions | Approval for transfer requires the franchisee to be in full compliance with all agreements, provide written notice and information about the transferee, and the transferee must meet current standards (no ownership in competitive business, sufficient business experience/aptitude/financial resources). The transferee and its management must satisfactorily complete initial training. The franchisee and owners must sign new agreements and a general release. A transfer fee of $15,000 applies if the studio is not yet open, or $7,500 if it is open. The purchase price and payment terms must not adversely affect studio operation, and any financing by the franchisee must be subordinate to obligations owed to the franchisor. Transferring owners must comply with post-transfer non-compete and confidentiality clauses. |
| Termination for Cause | The franchisor may terminate the agreement for various reasons, including material misrepresentation or omission, failure to complete training, failure to open the studio on time (within 12 months), abandonment or failure to actively operate the studio for specified periods, unauthorized transfer of control or allowing uncertified teachers to lead classes, conviction of a felony or pleading no contest to a felony, dishonest/unethical/illegal conduct adversely affecting the brand, failure to maintain required insurance, interference with inspections, unauthorized transfers, termination of other franchise agreements, breach of non-compete/confidentiality, failure to pay taxes/suppliers/lenders, repeated defaults, and bankruptcy-related events. Cure periods vary from 72 hours for legal violations, 5 days for payment defaults, and 20 days for other curable defaults. |
| Non-Compete Period | 2 years |
| Non-Compete Details | Upon expiration or termination (except for franchisor's material breach), for two years, the franchisee and its owners (and immediate family) cannot have any direct or indirect ownership interest in, or perform services for, any Competitive Business located at the former site, within a 5-mile radius of the former site, or within a 5-mile radius of any other Bar Method Studio operating or under construction at the time of termination/expiration. This restriction does not apply to ownership of less than 3% of publicly traded securities in a competitive business. |
Operations & Supply (Items 8 & 15)
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Owner-Operator Required | Yes |
| Participation Details | The franchisee is required to faithfully, honestly, and diligently perform obligations and fully exploit the granted rights. A 'Principal Operator' must serve as the on-premises manager at all times and complete the New Owner Training program. If the franchisee is an entity, the 'Principal Owner' (individual owning more than 20% of ownership interests) must also sign a Guaranty and Assumption of Obligations, binding them personally to the agreement. All owners and their spouses must sign this personal guaranty. |
| Required Suppliers | You currently must buy all of the mat covers, logo’d balls and stretching straps needed to operate your Studio only from us. You must purchase the Retail Package from us, which includes opening retail inventory such as socks, shirts, towels, water bottles, logoed apparel and/or other retail products. We are currently the sole provider of coaching and evaluation services for you and certification services for your teachers. You must obtain a Compliance Drawing from us. ProVision, an affiliate of ours, is currently the sole supplier for certain technology services, technology, network hardware, and security systems, including tablet and mobile devices, computers, audio and video systems, software and other related components which you must purchase to operate your Studio. We currently have a designated architectural vendor who provides the Construction Documents. |
| Supply Restrictions | You must purchase or lease all Operating Assets and other products and services for the Studio only according to our System Standards and, if we require, only from suppliers or distributors that we designate or approve (which may include or be limited to us and/or our affiliates). |
| Franchisor Revenue from Suppliers | During our predecessor’s last fiscal year, which ended December 31, 2020, it received $756,703 in revenue from the sale of goods or services to its franchisees, or 19% of its total revenues of $4,064,640. The only one of our affiliates that received any revenues for the sale of goods and services to franchisees for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2020 was the predecessor of our affiliate ProVision, which received $27,153. |
Financing (Item 10)
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Financing Available | Yes |
| Description | We have an arrangement with Geneva Capital, LLC, a third-party equipment lender, to provide financing up to $100,000 for new locations, including tangible equipment, security systems, and signage (excluding initial franchise fee and working capital). Financing is offered as a lease, typically requiring 1 advance payment of up to 20% and a security deposit equal to 1 month's lease payment. Lease terms vary from 12 to 36 months with fixed interest rates from 7.99% to 11.99% per annum. A personal guaranty from all owners and their spouses is required. The franchisee has the right to purchase equipment at the end of the lease at fair market value (capped at 10% of original cost) if not in default. Default terms include late charges (15% of payment or $25, whichever is greater), accelerated balance, and repossession costs. The franchisor assumes certain obligations if the franchisee defaults, including assisting Geneva in remarketing equipment and guaranteeing certain losses, receiving a 1.5% referral fee and 1.5% for the guaranty pool. |
The Bar Method Franchise Earnings — Item 19
The Bar Method does not make an Item 19 financial performance representation in their FDD. This means they do not disclose revenue, profit, or earnings data for franchised locations. Before investing, ask the franchisor directly for franchisee contact information so you can speak with existing owners about their actual financial performance.
The Bar Method does not include an Item 19 financial performance representation in their FDD. Contact information for current and former franchisees is listed in Item 20 of the FDD.
The Bar Method Litigation & Risk Flags
Clean Litigation RecordThe Bar Method has no pending litigation actions listed in their FDD.
Bankruptcy History DisclosedA bankruptcy disclosure is present in this FDD.
Litigation and bankruptcy data is sourced from Items 3 and 4 of the FDD. Always verify current status directly from the most recent FDD.
The Bar Method System Growth
Total Units
84
Franchised
83
Company-Owned
1
The Bar Method currently operates 83 franchised locations and 1 company-owned units. Unit count data is sourced from Item 20 of the FDD.
Unit History (Item 20)
| Year | Opened | Closed | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 14 | 5 | 116 |
| 2019 | 8 | 6 | 118 |
| 2020 | 3 | 30 | 91 |
| 2021 | 3 | 11 | 83 |
Transfers: 3 | Closures: 11
State Registrations
Registered in 14 states: CA, HI, IL, IN, MD, MI, MN, NY, ND, RI, SD, VA, WA, WI
Franchisor Financials (Item 21)
Total Assets
$5.0M
Audited by REDPATH AND COMPANY, LTD. for year ending November 24, 2021.
The Bar Method Franchise — FAQ
The total investment to open a The Bar Method franchise ranges from $226,616 to $482,736, per their Franchise Disclosure Document. This includes the initial franchise fee of $42,500. The investment covers build-out, inventory, equipment, signage, working capital, and other startup costs.
The Bar Method charges a royalty fee of 6% of Studio’s Gross Revenue of gross sales, plus a 2% of Studio’s Gross Revenue contribution to the marketing/advertising fund. These fees are paid on an ongoing basis.
You can download the The Bar Method Franchise Disclosure Document free on this page. The FDD is a public document filed with state franchise registries. Always also request the current FDD directly from The Bar Method to ensure you have the most up-to-date version.
The Bar Method does not provide an Item 19 financial performance representation in their FDD, which means they do not disclose franchisee revenue or earnings data. Prospective investors should contact existing franchisees directly (listed in Item 20 of the FDD) to gather real-world financial performance information.
The Bar Method has been franchising since 2021. The FDD shows an investment range of $226,616-$482,736, a 6% of Studio’s Gross Revenue royalty, and no Item 19 earnings disclosure. There is no pending litigation. Review the full FDD and contact current franchisees listed in Item 20 before making any investment decision.
The franchise fee is $42,500 and the total investment ranges from $226,616 to $482,736 depending on location size and market. A minimum of $64,935 in liquid capital is required. Contact the franchisor directly for current net worth and liquid capital requirements, territory availability, and application details.
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Data Source & Disclaimer: This website is for informational purposes only. It is not an offer to sell or buy a franchise. This profile is based on publicly available FDD data sourced from state franchise registry filings. All information is for research purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or investment advice. Data may be outdated or contain errors. Always obtain the current FDD directly from The Bar Method and consult a qualified franchise attorney before making any investment decision. FranchiseOverview.com is operated by Franchising Compliance, LLC and is not affiliated with The Bar Method or any of its subsidiaries. To report an inaccuracy: info@franchiseoverview.com