HOODZ

What HOODZ does

HOODZ is a franchise-based commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning and maintenance service provider operating across North America under the parent company Belfor Franchise Group, LLC. Founded in 1972 and nationally expanded beginning in 2008, HOODZ is positioned as the largest commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning service network in the United States, serving restaurants, healthcare facilities, government institutions, educational institutions (e.g., Brigham Young University), and other food service operators across both the US and Canada. The brand is led by Nathan Willard (Brand President), with operational leadership from Ryan Evers (VP of Operations & Franchise Business Coach) and Jason Thomas (Franchise Business Coach).

The company's core product is comprehensive exhaust hood cleaning — including hood canopy, filters, ductwork, and exhaust fan cleaning — built around a proprietary proactive scheduling system that alerts customers when services are due and a customer portal providing before-and-after photo documentation. This is supported by an extended portfolio of add-on modules: Hood Filter Exchange, Grease Trap Cleaning, Exhaust Fan Services and Maintenance, Pollution Control Unit (PCU) Services, Conveyor Oven Cleaning, Pressure Washing, Soak Tank Service Program, and NFPA-compliant installation services (access panels, hinge kits). All work is performed by technicians certified under NFPA 96 and IKECA ANSI C-10 standards, which the company treats as a core differentiator.

HOODZ distributes exclusively through a franchise model: independent franchise owners operate designated local territories and deliver field services directly to commercial kitchen operators, while BELFOR Franchise Group supplies training, equipment, turnkey business models, and ongoing coaching. Revenue is generated per-service under recurring cleaning schedules, with pricing determined on a quote basis that varies by facility size, equipment, and service frequency. In 2025-2026, HOODZ added 12 new franchise units across 8 markets — including first documented expansion into Canada (Ottawa) — and was highlighted as a key growth leader within the BELFOR Franchise Group portfolio.

Name

HOODZ

Legal name

Belfor Franchise Group, LLC

Website

https://hoodzinternational.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1972

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

HOODZ is North America's largest commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning franchise, providing NFPA 96-certified hood cleaning, grease trap, and maintenance services to restaurants, healthcare, government, and institutional food service operators under BELFOR Franchise Group.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Services

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial Kitchen Hood & Exhaust Cleaning (HSAOAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Kitchen & Foodservice Area Cleaning (Hood/Grease Adjacent Janitorial) (BPABABAK), Range Hood, Vent & Appliance Ducting Installation/Repair (HSAGANAF), Commercial Kitchen Ventilation (Hoods/Make-Up Air/Grease Duct) (IMADANAJ)

Keywords

• Commercial kitchen cleaning
• Exhaust hood cleaning
• Grease trap cleaning
• Restaurant maintenance services
• Kitchen exhaust maintenance

Headquarters

HQ city

Ann Arbor

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Commercial Kitchen Cleaning Services: HOODZ franchise owners generate revenue through providing commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning and maintenance services to restaurants, institutions, and other food service operations. Services include exhaust hood cleaning, grease trap services, hood filter exchange, conveyor oven cleaning, exhaust fan maintenance, and pressure washing. Revenue is generated on a per-service basis with recurring service schedules.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

HOODZ is a commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning, maintenance, and inspection franchise brand operating under BELFOR Franchise Group. The company delivers scheduled cleaning of exhaust hoods, ducts, fans, filters, and grease traps, as well as related compliance and fire-prevention services to restaurants, healthcare, government, and educational foodservice facilities across the United States. Founded in 1972 with national franchise expansion beginning in 2008, the brand is headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Product overview

HOODZ is a commercial kitchen cleaning and maintenance service provider offering a comprehensive portfolio of services centered on exhaust hood cleaning and fire prevention. The core offering is Exhaust Hood Cleaning Services, which serves as the foundation for a suite of complementary maintenance modules including Hood Filter Exchange, Grease Trap Cleaning, Exhaust Fan Maintenance, Pollution Control Unit Services, Conveyor Oven Services, Pressure Washing, and specialized installation services for access panels and hinge kits. HOODZ also provides a proprietary Soak Tank Service Program. All services are designed to help commercial kitchens maintain NFPA 96 and IKECA ANSI C-10 compliance while reducing fire risk. The company operates on a franchise model under BELFOR Franchise Group and serves restaurants, healthcare facilities, government institutions, and other food service operations throughout North America.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Exhaust Hood Cleaning Scheduled cleaning of commercial kitchen exhaust hoods to remove grease buildup, reduce fire risk, and maintain NFPA 96 compliance for restaurants, healthcare, government, and education foodservice operators.
• Grease Trap and Interceptor Cleaning Pumping and cleaning of grease traps and grease interceptors to keep commercial kitchen plumbing systems flowing and meet local wastewater and FOG (fats, oils, grease) regulations.
• Filter Exchange Service Recurring exchange of kitchen exhaust hood filters with cleaned or new filters to maintain airflow and capture efficiency between full hood cleanings.
• Conveyor Oven Cleaning Specialized cleaning of commercial conveyor ovens to remove carbonized grease and food residue, supporting food safety and oven performance.
• Exhaust Fan Maintenance Inspection, cleaning, and servicing of kitchen exhaust fans and motors to maintain airflow and reduce mechanical failure risk.
• Pressure Washing Commercial pressure washing of kitchen floors, walls, and exterior surfaces to support sanitation and appearance standards.
• Soak Tank Services Soak tank cleaning of commercial kitchen parts, utensils, and components to remove baked-on grease and carbon.
• Pollution Control Unit (PCU) Services Cleaning and maintenance of kitchen exhaust pollution control units to keep emissions within environmental and fire code limits.
• Access Panel and Hinge Kit Installation Installation of access panels and hinge kits on ductwork to enable compliant and efficient recurring cleaning of the exhaust system.

Quantifiable outcome

• NFPA 96 Standard compliance and certification for all technicians
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• BELFOR Franchise GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHOODZ is a brand within the BELFOR Franchise Group portfolio, the world's largest residential and commercial services franchisor. BELFOR provides franchise owners with industry-leading training, support, equipment, turnkey business models, ongoing coaching, and business development assistance.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Restaurant Technologies: Provider of commercial kitchen services including oil management and hood cleaning solutions. Directly adjacent to HOODZ's kitchen exhaust and grease management services with overlapping restaurant customer base.

Broad incumbents

• Stanley Steemer: National franchise system delivering commercial and residential cleaning services. Operates on a comparable franchise model serving commercial customers, though anchored in carpet and floor care rather than kitchen exhaust.
• ServiceMaster Clean: Large national franchise system offering commercial janitorial and specialty cleaning services to businesses. Comparable franchise-based go-to-market model serving commercial customers, though broader in scope than HOODZ's kitchen exhaust focus.
• Coverall Cleaning Concepts: Commercial cleaning franchise system serving offices, restaurants, and other businesses. Comparable franchise model and customer overlap with restaurants and food service operators.
• Cintas: Major commercial services provider offering facility services, uniform rental, and cleaning programs to businesses. While not focused on kitchen exhaust, it competes for commercial services spend at the same customer accounts.
• Jani-King: One of the largest commercial cleaning franchise systems in the world. Competes for the same commercial customer relationships through franchise-based service delivery, though focused on general janitorial rather than kitchen exhaust specialty.
• Chem-Dry: Large commercial and residential cleaning franchise network. Uses a similar franchise-based service delivery model and overlaps with HOODZ in serving commercial accounts, though focused on carpet and upholstery cleaning.

Others

• ZIPS Dry Cleaners (and BELFOR peer franchise brands): Sibling franchise brand within the BELFOR Franchise Group portfolio under the same parent as HOODZ. While not a direct competitor in services, shares franchisor infrastructure and strategic positioning with HOODZ and serves as a relevant comparable for franchise unit economics.

Direct peers

• Mahoney Environmental: Listed alongside HOODZ as one of the major players in the global grease trap cleaning service market. Directly competes with HOODZ's grease trap and commercial kitchen cleaning services for restaurant and food service accounts.
• DAR PRO Solutions: Named alongside HOODZ as a key competitor in the grease trap and used cooking oil collection market. Offers overlapping services to restaurant and food service operators that compete with HOODZ's grease trap and exhaust cleaning offerings.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/hoodz_int

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about HOODZ