Franchise Overview
Own the Place Every Dog Lover Wishes Their City Had
A unique, joyful dog park bar franchise with community impact.
Wagbar is a focused, experience-driven franchise that brings together off-leash dog play, drinks, events, and community in one memorable neighborhood destination.
At Wagbar, dogs get room to run and play while their people relax, meet friends, enjoy events, and become part of a welcoming neighborhood gathering place.
Wagbar is not just another pet business. It is a community hub, a social destination, and a place built around the bond between dogs and the people who love them.
Together, We Celebrate the Bond Between Dogs and Their People
We're bringing dogs and people together in a new way.
Wagbar was created for people who want to include their dogs in more of everyday life.
Traditional dog parks can feel unsupervised, disconnected, or unsafe. Dog-friendly bars and restaurants often treat dogs as an afterthought. Many pet businesses focus on services like grooming, boarding, daycare, or retail.
Wagbar is different.
We bring dogs and people together in a way that feels joyful, social, and memorable.
“DOG PARKS ARE ALREADY GOOD FOR THE SOUL BUT THEN ADD A BAR… AND IT IS THE MOST ENJOYABLE PLACE EVER.” -J TARYN W.
Lots of places allow dogs. Wagbar is built around them.
At Wagbar, dogs are not an afterthought on a patio. They are part of the entire experience. Dogs get space to run, play, socialize, and burn energy while their people relax, meet friends, enjoy events, and become part of a welcoming community.
That is what makes Wagbar different from a traditional bar, restaurant, dog park, or pet-care business.
A Focused Alternative to Traditional Pet Franchises
The pet industry is full of opportunity, but many pet businesses come with complicated operations: boarding, grooming, daycare, walking, retail, veterinary-style care, or full restaurant requirements.
Wagbar offers a different path.
Franchisees are not trying to operate several businesses under one roof. Wagbar is centered around facilitating a great shared experience for dogs and people.
No boarding facility.
No grooming salon.
No daycare operation.
No full-service restaurant.
Instead, Wagbar franchisees get to build a lifestyle-driven business around hospitality, local events, community relationships, and the joy of creating a place where dogs and people genuinely love spending time.
A Streamlined Process to Opening Your Wagbar Location
> GUIDED PROCESS > IN PERSON TRAINING > ON-SITE HELP
Opening a Wagbar involves big steps: finding the right site, navigating buildout, coordinating vendors, preparing the team, launching marketing, and creating the customer experience.
Franchisees are not expected to figure everything out alone.
Wagbar works directly with franchisees throughout the process — from early site planning and pre-opening preparation to buildout, training, launch support, marketing, operations, and ongoing guidance after opening.
Our franchisees work directly with the people building and operating the brand — not a distant support team reading from a manual.
Support may include:
Site selection guidance
Territory planning
Buildout guidance and vendor coordination
Pre-opening timelines and launch preparation
Opener app and training manual support
One week of in-person training in Asheville, North Carolina
Operations, bar, membership, and dog-park process training
Brand standards and customer experience guidance
Local marketing and community outreach guidance
Event planning and promotional ideas
Staff training and customer service standards
On-site opening support
Ongoing franchisee communication and support
Our goal is to help franchisees open with clarity, confidence, and a strong understanding of what makes the Wagbar experience work.
Flexible Buildout Support and Modular Container Options
Wagbar offers a modular container approach that may help streamline parts of the opening process, but modular containers are not required for every location.
For franchisees who choose this option, ready-to-go containers can be designed for core infrastructure such as bar and restroom functions. This can help create a more consistent brand experience and reduce some of the guesswork that comes with traditional buildouts.
For franchisees pursuing a different buildout approach, Wagbar can work with them on layout, design, brand standards, and key operational considerations so the space still feels and functions like a true Wagbar.
Our systems, training, and buildout guidance are designed to reduce guesswork and help franchisees move through the opening process with more clarity and confidence.
A Passion for Dogs, Turned Into a Business
Wagbar began with a simple belief: dog parks could be better.
Founder Kendal Kulp first had the idea after a bad dog park experience in 2014. With his father, Kajur, as co-founder, he turned that idea into a place where dogs could play freely and people could enjoy being together.
Wagbar officially opened in Asheville, North Carolina in 2019. Since then, it has grown into a community-centered concept built around dogs, people, hospitality, and connection.
The heart of Wagbar is simple: create a place where dogs are happy, people feel welcome, and the community becomes part of the experience.
Now, franchisees have the opportunity to bring that same passion for dogs and people to their own markets.
As a Wagbar Franchisee, You Build More Than a Business
As a Wagbar franchisee, you have the opportunity to use your love for dogs, people, and community to create something meaningful.
You get to build a place where dogs get excited to visit, friends meet after work, locals bring out-of-town guests, events bring people together, and customers feel like they belong.
Wagbar gives franchisees the opportunity to build a business with emotional meaning, strong local appeal, and a clear brand identity.
Even in markets with dog-friendly bars, dog parks, or pet businesses, Wagbar can stand apart by combining off-leash play, hospitality, events, memberships, and community into one clear, memorable experience.
Who Makes a Great Wagbar Franchisee?
Wagbar is a strong fit for people who love dogs, enjoy community, and want to build a business with personality and purpose.
We are looking for franchise partners who:
Love dogs and understand the bond people have with their pets
Want to create a fun local gathering place
Enjoy building community and forming local relationships
Want a business they can feel passionate about
Care about safety, cleanliness, and customer experience
Are excited about events, local marketing, and hospitality
Can lead a team and manage daily operations
Value systems, training, and brand standards
Have the financial ability to open and operate responsibly
You do not need to be a groomer, veterinarian, restaurant owner, or pet-care expert to be interested in Wagbar. You need to care about dogs, people, community, and execution.
INVESTMENT INFORMATION
The initial franchise fee is $50,000 with an overall estimated initial investment between $470,300 - $1,145,900.
Your investment includes access to licensing, training, support, systems, brand standards, and resources designed to help you launch your Wagbar location.
The royalty fee for Wagbar is 6% of adjusted gross sales. Franchisees also contribute 1% of adjusted gross sales to the Wagbar marketing fund to help grow the brand.
We will provide full investment details to interested and qualified candidates through the Franchise Disclosure Document.
Multi-unit discount: Wagbar may offer a multi-unit discount of 50% if you commit to opening three or more units.
For additional information please fill out the application below
Wagbar does not make earnings claims on this website or in any marketing materials. What a franchise location actually earns depends on the market, the operator, and dozens of factors that no webpage can account for. The only place you will find verified financial performance data is Item 19 of our Franchise Disclosure Document, which we provide to qualified candidates during the formal disclosure process.
The cost figures listed on this page, including the franchise fee, the 6% royalty, the 1% marketing fund contribution, and the estimated initial investment range, are the figures the FTC requires us to publish in the FDD. That investment range is an estimate required by federal franchise rules. It is not a guarantee of what you will spend or what you will earn. For real financial insight, read Item 19 and talk with current franchise owners during the validation stage.
Disclaimer: This information is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for information purposes only. An offer is made only by Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). Currently, the following states regulate the offer and sale of franchises: California, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. If you are a resident of, or wish to acquire a franchise for a Wagbar to be located in one of these states or a country whose laws regulate the offer and sale of franchises, we will not offer you a franchise unless and until we have complied with applicable pre-sale registration and disclosure requirements in your jurisdiction. Wagbar Franchising LLC, (828) 554-1021, 7 Kent Place, Asheville, NC, 28804
THESE FRANCHISES HAVE BEEN REGISTERED UNDER THE FRANCHISE INVESTMENT LAW OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA. SUCH REGISTRATION DOES NOT CONSTITUTE APPROVAL, RECOMMENDATION OR ENDORSEMENT BY THE COMMISSIONER OF FINANCIAL PROTECTION AND INNOVATION NOR A FINDING BY THE COMMISSIONER THAT THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HEREIN IS TRUE, COMPLETE AND NOT MISLEADING.
CONTACT: FRANCHISING@WAGBAR.COM
Franchising: 828-554-1021