Discovery Day at a Pet Franchise: Agenda, What to Bring, and Questions to Ask

Top TLDR: Discovery Day at a pet franchise is the in-person visit where you meet the franchisor's team, walk an operating location, and decide whether to move forward with the franchise agreement. Expect a one to two-day agenda mixing brand tour, operations review, and direct Q&A with leadership. Bring your FDD questions, your spouse or business partner if relevant, and notes from existing franchisee calls.

By the time you've been invited to Discovery Day, you've already moved through the franchise inquiry process, received the Franchise Disclosure Document, and probably talked to at least a few existing franchisees. Discovery Day is where the brand stops being slides and starts being real people, real operations, and real questions you can ask face-to-face.

This walkthrough covers what the day looks like, what to bring, and the specific questions worth asking the franchisor's team and existing franchisees you meet during the visit.

What Discovery Day Actually Is

Discovery Day is the in-person visit between a prospective franchisee and the franchisor, usually scheduled after FDD review and before the franchise agreement is signed. For pet franchises, it typically takes place at the franchisor's headquarters, an operating flagship location, or both.

The purpose is mutual final evaluation. By the time both sides agree to schedule the visit, the franchisor has qualified you financially and reviewed your background; you've read the Franchise Disclosure Document and talked to at least a few current franchisees. Discovery Day is where the people, the operation, and the model become tangible. It's also where the last unanswered questions get asked.

For Wagbar, Discovery Day takes place in Asheville, North Carolina, at the original Weaverville location. Most pet franchises run a similar structure, though location, length, and format vary. The plain-language walkthrough of the Franchise Disclosure Document is worth re-reading the week before your visit so the document is fresh in your mind when you arrive.

The Typical Discovery Day Agenda

Most pet franchise Discovery Days run one or two days. A common agenda looks like this:

Day 1 morning. Welcome, brand overview presentation, founder or executive team introduction.

Day 1 mid-morning to lunch. Walk-through of the operating location. For an off-leash dog park bar, that means seeing the dog floor, bar setup, customer flow, and back-of-house operations.

Day 1 afternoon. Operations and training program review, financial overview, marketing program, technology and systems demonstration.

Day 1 evening. Dinner with the franchisor team or current franchisees (varies; sometimes optional).

Day 2 morning. Territory and timing conversation, Q&A with operations and finance leads, sometimes time with current franchisees.

Day 2 afternoon. Wrap-up conversation, agreement on next steps, departure.

Length depends on the franchisor. Some Discovery Days are condensed into a single 6 to 8-hour day. Others extend to two or even three days for buyers considering multi-unit development. Confirm the agenda in advance so you can plan travel and time off work appropriately. Reviewing the pet franchise investment numbers walkthrough before the financial overview session helps you ask sharper questions when the numbers come up.

Where Discovery Day Takes Place

Most pet franchise Discovery Days happen at one of three locations:

Franchisor headquarters. Common for franchisors with corporate offices separate from operating units. You meet the leadership team, review the support systems, and tour offices.

Flagship operating location. Common for owner-operator franchises where the founders still run an active unit. You see the actual customer experience instead of a slide deck.

Combination. Larger franchisors sometimes mix headquarters meetings with a tour of an operating location nearby.

For Wagbar, Discovery Day visitors come to Asheville and spend most of their time at the Weaverville flagship location, where the off-leash dog park bar concept originally launched. The format leans hands-on rather than presentation-heavy. You'll see the dog floor in operation, talk to staff, and get a feel for what the customer base actually looks like on a normal weekday or weekend afternoon.

What to Bring to Discovery Day

Concrete preparation matters more than personality at Discovery Day. Bring:

The FDD. A printed or digital copy you've marked up with questions. Items 7, 19, 20, and 21 are usually the most useful to have annotated.

Your written question list. Three categories: questions for the founders, questions for the operations team, and questions for any existing franchisees you meet.

Notes from prior franchisee calls. Bring the specific things you heard from Item 20 calls so you can ask the franchisor about anything that surfaced.

Your spouse or business partner. If anyone else will share decision-making or ownership of the business, they should attend. Two sets of ears catch more, and the franchisor will want to meet them anyway.

A laptop or notebook. You'll be taking a lot of notes. The financial overview alone is usually 30 minutes of dense numbers.

Your calendar. Territory and timing conversations sometimes lead to "when could you sign?" questions. Knowing your real availability matters.

Comfortable shoes and weather-appropriate clothing. If the franchise involves an outdoor component (Wagbar's off-leash floor, for example), you'll be outside for at least part of the day.

What not to bring: a franchise attorney. Attorneys review documents and contracts, not Discovery Days. Bringing one signals adversarial framing before either side has agreed to terms. Ensuring your financial runway is mapped out before the visit means you can answer territory and timing questions confidently when they come up.

Questions to Ask the Franchisor's Team

The franchisor will spend most of Discovery Day answering questions. The questions worth asking cluster into five areas:

Unit performance. What's the average revenue ramp by month for the first 24 months? What's the difference between top-quartile and bottom-quartile units, and what drives it? How many units have closed, and why?

Operations. What's the daily owner workload, hour by hour? What does the staffing model look like? How does the franchisor handle the operational issues that come up most often?

Support after opening. What's included in ongoing support beyond the royalty? How fast does the franchisor respond when something breaks? What does the quarterly business review process look like, and what topics does it cover?

Territory and growth. How exclusive is my territory? Can I expand into adjacent territory if a neighbor doesn't develop? What's the franchisor's growth plan for my region over the next five years?

Franchise agreement specifics. What's negotiable in the agreement and what isn't? What's the typical transfer or resale timeline? What happens at renewal?

How a franchisor answers tells you almost as much as what they answer. Vague responses, deflection, or pushy redirects to "we can talk about that later" are all signals worth weighing. The validation walkthrough for franchise opportunities covers what good answers tend to look like.

Questions to Ask Existing Franchisees You Meet

If existing franchisees are part of Discovery Day (they often are, especially at lunch or during a separate session), the conversations they have with you are more valuable than any presentation.

Questions worth asking franchisees directly:

• How does your actual unit revenue compare to the franchisor's projections at this stage?

• What was the hardest thing about the first year that the franchisor didn't prepare you for?

• How responsive is the support team when something breaks at 6pm on a Saturday?

• What would you do differently if you were starting over?

• If a friend asked you whether to buy this franchise, what would you tell them?

• How have your relationships with other franchisees in the system played out?

Pay attention to body language and pauses. Franchisees who hesitate before answering or who carefully word their responses are often signaling something even when their answers sound positive. The 10 questions to ask current franchisees page expands on the questions worth working into the conversation.

What to Watch For During the Visit

Most Discovery Days are well-run and reveal a healthy franchise. The patterns worth paying attention to:

Green flags. The franchisor walks you through the financials without flinching. Existing franchisees speak candidly, including about challenges. The operations team can answer specific questions without checking with leadership first. Numbers stated verbally match the FDD's Items 7 and 19. The franchisor asks you almost as many questions as you ask them.

Yellow flags. The agenda is mostly presentations rather than operational time. Existing franchisees seem coached. Specific revenue questions get redirected to "the FDD covers that." The founders aren't present or available. There's pressure to make decisions before you've left the visit.

Red flags. Numbers stated verbally contradict the FDD. Existing franchisees can't or won't be made available for direct conversation. There's a contract presented for signature during the visit. Staff at the operating location seem uncomfortable or untrained. The franchisor avoids questions about closed units.

If you spot red flags, slow down. There's no rule that says Discovery Day has to lead to signing an agreement. The pet franchise agreement red flag review covers patterns worth pushing back on once a contract is in front of you.

After Discovery Day: Next Steps

The day or two after Discovery Day matters as much as the visit itself. Most decisions made in the immediate excitement of a good visit need a sober second look.

A reasonable post-visit sequence:

1. Same evening. Write down everything that happened while it's fresh, including specific quotes, things you noticed, and concerns you didn't fully address.

2. Day 2. Compare your notes to what the FDD says. Flag any inconsistencies for follow-up.

3. Days 3 to 7. Have your franchise attorney review the franchise agreement against your Discovery Day notes. Ask the franchisor any follow-up questions in writing.

4. Days 7 to 14. Make a go or no-go decision with your spouse or business partner. If go, request the next steps for signing. If no-go, communicate that respectfully and move on.

If you don't have a franchise attorney lined up yet, hiring a franchise attorney is the next concrete task. Franchise law is a separate practice area from general business law, and the right attorney makes the agreement review much faster.

Wagbar's Discovery Day Specifically

Wagbar's Discovery Day in Asheville runs one to two days depending on the depth of conversation needed. Visitors typically spend time at the Weaverville location, meet the founders Kendal and Kajur Kulp, walk through the off-leash dog floor and bar setup during real customer hours, and have time with the operations team.

The financial overview covers Wagbar's franchise economics in detail: the $50,000 franchise fee, 6 percent royalty on adjusted gross sales, 1 percent marketing fund contribution, and the 50 percent franchise fee discount for buyers committing to three or more locations. Estimated total initial investment for a Wagbar location runs $470,300 to $1,145,900, an estimate required by the FTC franchise rule that is not a guarantee of profitability or earnings.

Discovery Day visitors often have time with current franchisees. Wagbar's franchisees, including AJ Sanborn in Richmond, Dianna in Phoenix, Jennifer in Los Angeles, Liz and Shelby in Knoxville, Brandi and Denise in Charlotte, and Matt and Taylor in Myrtle Beach, all moved through Discovery Day before signing. Their backgrounds, covered in the Wagbar franchise owner profiles, span financial services, IT sales, restaurant operations, and corporate roles.

Frequently Asked Questions About Discovery Day at a Pet Franchise

Do I have to attend Discovery Day to buy a pet franchise?

In most cases, yes. Discovery Day is part of the franchisor's qualification process and signals serious interest from both sides. Some franchisors will sell to qualified buyers without an in-person visit, especially for multi-unit deals where the buyer has prior franchise experience, but for first-time franchisees an in-person Discovery Day is typically required.

Who pays for travel and lodging?

The buyer typically pays. Most pet franchisors will help with hotel recommendations and ground transportation logistics, but the airfare, hotel, and meals are your expense. Plan to spend $1,000 to $2,500 depending on travel distance and how long you stay. Some franchisors cover dinner during the visit; most don't cover anything else. The walkthrough of corporate-to-pet-franchise career change costs covers the diligence-stage expenses that come up before signing.

Should my spouse or business partner attend Discovery Day?

If they'll share decision-making or ownership of the business, yes. Most franchisors expect spouses to attend at least part of Discovery Day, especially the financial overview and territory conversations. Their presence also tells the franchisor you're treating this as a household decision, which signals seriousness.

Can I sign the franchise agreement during Discovery Day?

You can, but most franchise attorneys recommend not doing so. The 14-day FDD waiting period has to have passed before you can sign anyway, and there's almost never a reason to commit during the visit itself. Take the agreement home, review it carefully, and sign in the next 1 to 4 weeks if everything checks out.

What if Discovery Day goes well but I'm not ready to sign?

That's normal and expected. Most pet franchise buyers take 2 to 6 weeks after Discovery Day to make a final decision. Communicate honestly with the franchisor about your timeline. A good franchisor won't pressure you, and if they do, that itself is information.

What if Discovery Day doesn't go well?

You're under no obligation to continue. Tell the franchisor honestly that you're not moving forward and the reason if you're comfortable sharing it. Most franchisors appreciate the feedback. Walking away from Discovery Day after recognizing a poor fit is a much better outcome than signing and regretting it later.

Can I attend Discovery Day at multiple pet franchises?

Yes, and many active buyers do exactly this. Comparing two or three Discovery Days head-to-head is the most effective way to evaluate brands at the same depth. Be transparent with each franchisor that you're evaluating multiple options. Most expect this and respect it.

Bottom TLDR

Discovery Day at a pet franchise is mutual final evaluation before either side commits. The franchisor confirms you're a fit; you confirm the model, the people, and the support system are real. Walk the floor, talk to the operations team, ask specific questions about ramp time and unit performance, and treat the visit as the last gate before you sign anything binding.