New "State of the Franchise Operator Report" reveals industry hidden gaps

879 Franchise operators surveyed by the American Franchise Academy uncover the realities of running a franchise business.

ATLANTA, July 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Franchise Academy (AFA) released today the 2026 State of the Franchise Operator Report — the most comprehensive ground-level look at the franchise operator experience ever assembled in a single publication. The report is available at www.FranchiseOperatorReport.com.

⇒ Download the free report here

Drawn from AFA's program enrollment profiles and four waves of employee engagement surveys conducted between October 2024 and October 2025, the report profiles 879 franchise professionals — 54 multi-unit franchisees, 421 district managers, 248 unit managers, and 155 frontline team members — across brands and markets nationwide. All data was captured before participants underwent the AFA training, providing an unfiltered snapshot of the operator landscape.

Key findings include:

• Financial visibility is the #1 challenge for franchisees — cited by nearly half of all respondents.
• 57% of district managers have less than two years of experience in their role and lack professional training, yet they are expected to lead districts and drive results.
• 36% of unit managers have been in their roles for less than one year, which means they learn the job without a formal framework for leading, managing costs, or developing their teams.
• Only 59% of frontline employees know how or when they can get a raise — the lowest-scoring engagement metric, every single survey wave.

"The franchisor teaches operators how to run the brand. We teach franchisees and their leaders how to run the business. This report aims to show these professionals they are not alone, to empower them, and to provide the industry with the data needed to start closing the gap."
—Aicha Bascaro, Founder & CEO, American Franchise Academy

Released to celebrate AFA's 10th anniversary, the report will be published annually to track how the franchise operator landscape evolves over time. Download the 2026 edition at www.FranchiseOperatorReport.com.

ABOUT THE AMERICAN FRANCHISE ACADEMY

The American Franchise Academy (AFA) is the premier independent business management academy for franchisees and their teams. Founded July 18, 2016, by Aicha Bascaro — a 2022 NRN Power List honoree, Trailblazer Award recipient, and CFE Instructor for the IFA. AFA's programs (MANAGE, LEAD & COMMAND) have trained 700+ franchise professionals.
americanfranchiseacademy.com

SOURCE American Franchise Academy