The Zorzee Report

One franchise. Both sides of the story. Every Tuesday.

Independent franchise research for people putting real capital on the line. Free readers get the Tuesday breakdown. Pro readers get the Signal Tracker, the Inversion Brief, and the Owner Brief when a brand is worth a closer look.

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No commissions. No franchisor revenue. No paid rankings. Unsubscribe anytime.
Independent franchise research. Built to help you decide what earns more of your time.

Four Months of
Research. No Closer
to Clarity.

Every option sounds like the right one when someone gets paid for the click. No franchisor pays Zorzee anything. One weekly read gives you what the documents say, what the numbers imply, and whether the brand earns more of your time.

650+Franchise brands tracked
$0Earned from franchisors. Independent analysis only.
$321KOmitted from the founder's own FDD.
TuesdayNew Report, every week

Read the sources.
Run the numbers.
Validate the story.
Decide with clarity.

Each issue turns a heavy franchise search into four steps: source the documents, run the numbers, validate the story, and decide what comes next.

Step 01

Sources

FDDs, public filings, fee tables, litigation notes, outlet counts, and category signals. The facts come before anyone’s opinion.

Step 02

Numbers

Fees, royalties, startup costs, working capital, and Item 19 data get turned into the buyer-level questions that drive a real investment decision.

Step 03

Validation

The franchisor’s story gets checked against owner conversations, public reviews, forums, ratings, and market signals.

Step 04

Clarity

You leave each Report knowing whether the brand earns more time, deeper validation, or a clean pass.

Four Reports a month. One clear path through a subindustry.

The Zorzee Report follows a simple monthly rhythm. The first Tuesday opens a subindustry. The next three Tuesdays go brand by brand inside it. Pro readers also get the monthly Inversion Brief and the Owner Brief.

First Tuesday

Market Map

A subindustry overview before any single brand. Market size, operator profile, common tradeoffs, and the numbers that decide whether the category fits your goals.

Next three Tuesdays

Brand Reports

One franchise at a time. What the filing discloses, what the fee stack implies, what the model needs from you to work, and the questions that show whether the brand fits your capital, your lifestyle, and your goals.

Pro only

Invert the Case

A Charlie Munger style check that flips the case both ways. What has to go right. What could go wrong. What the math shows when you read it without the pitch.

Pro only

Owner Brief

A monthly Pro read on franchise industry movement, funding changes, legal updates, ownership shifts, and the broader business context that affects serious buyers.

Turn franchise research into a decision you can defend.

Every Tuesday, Zorzee reads the filings, the fees, the economics, and the operator questions behind one subindustry or brand. Free gives you the weekly breakdown. Pro adds the Signal Tracker, the Inversion Brief, and the Owner Brief when a brand is worth a closer look.

Free Weekly Newsletter

The Zorzee Report

Free. Every Tuesday.
  • One franchise covered in plain English, every Tuesday
  • FDD fees, cost ranges, and Item 19 numbers in context
  • Filing signals, deal flow, and market moves worth tracking
  • Operator-level questions worth asking as you research
  • Full archive access plus the Zorzee Portal public pages
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Recent Reports

One franchise, read straight from its filing, every Tuesday. What it costs, what it earns, where it bites, and the one question most buyers never ask. Pick the brand you're weighing and see what its FDD gives away.

Aug 25, 2026
Chicken Salad Chick

Chicken Salad Chick: The Franchise That Shows You Its Whole P&L

Every chicken franchise hides its numbers. Chicken Salad Chick's 2026 filing opens the whole book, and there's one catch buried inside.

Read Issue
Aug 18, 2026
Church's Texas Chicken

Church's Texas Chicken: New Private Money, an 885-Store System, and a $1.1M Question

Church's Texas Chicken's average store sells $1,115,007, and more than half sell less. The 2026 FDD read like an investor: 10% fees, 885 units, new PE money.

Read Issue
Aug 11, 2026
Dave's Hot Chicken

Dave's Hot Chicken: The Loudest Numbers in Franchising, and the One It Doesn't Print

The Dave's Hot Chicken 2026 FDD read like an investor: an $823,800 to $4.1M build, 11% ongoing fees, 358 units, and no Item 19.

Read Issue
Aug 4, 2026
Chicken QSR

The Three Hottest Chicken Brands of 2026. Only One Shows You the Money.

Three 2026 hot chicken filings, read like an investor: a $777K to $4.1M startup cost spread and one brand that discloses no Item 19 at all.

Read Issue
Jul 21, 2026
Boutique Fitness

F45: When Things Get Tight, Whose Side Is the Math On?

A Zorzee read of the 2026 F45 franchise FDD: a royalty floor that climbs as sales fall, 54 terminations in one year, and nine disclosed lawsuits.

Read Issue
Jul 14, 2026
Boutique Fitness

Same Brand, Same Year: One Studio Keeps 31%, the Next Loses Six Figures

A Zorzee read of the 2026 Sweat440 franchise FDD, the only boutique fitness brand that prints a full P&L: a 31% margin at the top, a $112,347 loss at the...

Read Issue
FAQ

Questions before you subscribe.

Straight answers on researching a franchise, finding independent analysis, and what Zorzee Pro includes.

How do you research a franchise before you buy one?

Start with the Franchise Disclosure Document, not the brand's brochure. The FDD carries the fee structure (Item 6), the investment range (Item 7), any earnings figures (Item 19), and the outlet and closure counts (Item 20). Read what it discloses, turn the fees into a monthly burden, validate the story against current owners, and decide whether the numbers fit your capital. The Zorzee Report does exactly this on one franchise every Tuesday, free, with no franchisor revenue.

Where can I find independent, unbiased franchise research?

Most franchise ranking lists and portals earn money from the brands they cover, so their coverage cannot tell a serious buyer to walk away. The Zorzee Report is independent franchise research funded by readers, not franchisors: no commissions, no placement fees, no paid rankings. It reads one brand's filing every Tuesday and says what the numbers show, whoever it helps or hurts.

What questions should you ask before buying a franchise?

The ones the filing answers and the pitch skips: What is the full ongoing fee burden, royalty plus brand and ad funds, as a percentage of revenue? What does Item 19 actually disclose, and what does it leave out? How many units closed, transferred, or were not renewed in Item 20? And does the model fit your capital and the hours you want to work? The Zorzee Report ends every issue with the operator-level questions to bring to your next conversation.

How much does Zorzee Pro cost?

Zorzee Report Pro is $9 a month or $90 a year at the founding rate, locked for life. The founding rate closes October 1, 2026, and after that the price steps up to $12, then $19, then $29 and up. Anyone who joins before the deadline keeps the founding rate for as long as they stay subscribed.

What is the difference between the free Report and Zorzee Pro?

Free readers get the full weekly Tuesday breakdown, the archive, and the Portal public pages. Pro adds the Signal Tracker, a running list of green flags, red flags, and item-level notes across covered brands; the monthly Inversion Brief for shortlist-stage decisions; the Owner Brief on industry and ownership shifts; and 10% off everything in the Zorzee Files.

Questions answered. Start with this Tuesday's read.

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