Kitchen Guard

What Kitchen Guard does

Kitchen Guard is a PE-backed, franchised commercial services company specializing in kitchen exhaust and hood cleaning performed to NFPA 96 standards. Originally founded in 2009 in San Diego as Green Guard Services by Nathan Leathers, the business was acquired in 2023 by EverSmith Brands (a Riverside Company portfolio company alongside US Lawns, Prism, Clintar, and Millicare) and rebranded to Kitchen Guard in 2024, at which point it pivoted into a national franchise model. The company is led by Brand President Tim Breen, with franchisor functions spanning franchise sales support, onboarding, training, brand marketing, and franchise advising.

The core offering is full-system commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning — hood canopy, ductwork, rooftop fans, and grease-bearing surfaces — packaged with documented before-and-after photo inspection reports, a 30-minute response-time guarantee, and 24/7 same-day emergency service. Adjacent recurring and project revenue lines include Filter Exchange Programs (subscription-style recurring service), Grease Containment System installation and maintenance, Pollution Control Unit (PCU) servicing, Exhaust Fan Service and Replacement, Commercial Pressure Washing, and UL-listed Commercial Kitchen Repairs. Technology is operational rather than AI-driven: mobile photo documentation, online scheduling, and quote-based service delivery; the company does not maintain an API, SDK, or app.

Kitchen Guard goes to market through a 50+ U.S. franchise network covering West Coast, Mountain West, Midwest, Southwest, Southeast, and Northeast territories. End customers span restaurants and restaurant groups (TenderGreens, Carl's Jr., Verant Group, Karl Strauss), sports venues (SoFi Stadium), hospitality (Hilton, Holiday Inn, The Seneca), healthcare and education facilities, corporate cafeterias, and one-off attractions such as the San Diego Zoo. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is quote-based, with recommended cleaning cadence ranging from monthly (solid-fuel cooking) to annually (low-volume operations). A structured referral partnership with fire-suppression companies functions as a secondary B2B channel, and a October 2025 national Grease Goblin awareness campaign with ToriStar Media supports top-of-funnel demand.

Name

Kitchen Guard

Legal name

Kitchen Guard, Inc.

Website

https://kitchenguard.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kitchen Guard is a PE-backed franchise company providing commercial kitchen exhaust and hood cleaning services to NFPA 96 standards for restaurants, hotels, hospitals, sports venues, and corporate cafeterias across 50+ U.S. franchise territories.

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 industry

Specialty Deep Cleaning (Duct/Kitchen Exhaust/Pressure Washing) (IMAIADAN)

Keywords

• Commercial kitchen cleaning
• Exhaust hood cleaning
• NFPA 96 compliance
• Fire safety services
• Commercial kitchen maintenance

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices47 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Commercial Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning Services: Kitchen Guard generates revenue through providing professional commercial kitchen hood and exhaust cleaning services to restaurants, corporate cafeterias, sports venues, hospitals, educational institutions, and hotel chains. Services include recurring scheduled cleanings as well as emergency same-day service. The company operates as a franchise business model with multiple franchise locations across the United States.
2. Filter Exchange Programs: Ongoing filter exchange programs where dirty filters are removed and replaced with professionally cleaned filters on a defined schedule, providing recurring revenue from multi-location restaurant groups and single-location operators.
3. Grease Containment System Installation & Maintenance: Installation and ongoing maintenance of rooftop grease containment systems to capture grease discharge from exhaust fans, protecting roof membranes and supporting NFPA 96 compliance.
4. Exhaust Fan Service and Replacement: Maintenance, repair, and replacement services for rooftop exhaust fans including belt inspection/replacement, access panel installation, hinge kit installation, and full-system maintenance.
5. Commercial Pressure Washing: Exterior surface cleaning services for restaurants using high heat and controlled pressure to clean dumpster pads, walkways, parking lots, patios, and other high-traffic areas around food-service facilities.
6. Pollution Control Unit (PCU) Services: Specialized cleaning and maintenance services for pollution control units including filter replacement, internal chamber cleaning, and performance evaluation for multi-stage filtration systems.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kitchen Guard provides NFPA 96-compliant commercial kitchen exhaust and hood cleaning services delivered through a U.S. franchise network. The core service cleans the entire kitchen exhaust system (canopy, ductwork, rooftop fans) and is bundled with Smart Photo Inspection Reports documenting compliance for fire inspections and insurance. Supporting offerings include filter exchange programs, exhaust fan service and replacement, grease containment system installation, pollution control unit servicing, commercial pressure washing, and technical repairs using UL-listed components.

Product overview

Kitchen Guard is a B2B franchise business providing comprehensive commercial kitchen exhaust cleaning and maintenance services. The core offering centers on Commercial Kitchen Hood Cleaning with supporting services including Filter Exchange, Commercial Pressure Washing, Commercial Kitchen Repairs, Exhaust Fan Service, Grease Containment System Installation, Pollution Control Unit (PCU) Services, and Exhaust Fan Replacement. All services adhere to NFPA 96 standards for fire safety and compliance. The company operates on a franchise model under EverSmith Brands and serves diverse industries including restaurants, corporate cafeterias, sports venues, hospitals, educational institutions, and hotel chains.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Kitchen Hood Cleaning Full-system commercial kitchen exhaust hood cleaning covering hood canopy, ductwork, and rooftop exhaust fans, performed to NFPA 96 standards with before-and-after photo documentation for compliance verification and fire inspection readiness.
• Filter Exchange Customized filter exchange program for commercial kitchen exhaust and ventilation systems, replacing dirty filters with professionally cleaned filters on a defined schedule to support recurring revenue and ongoing NFPA 96 compliance.
• Commercial Pressure Washing High-heat commercial pressure washing for restaurant exteriors including dumpster pads, walkways, parking lots, patios, and other high-traffic areas, removing grease and organic buildup using wet steam technology and vacuum reclaiming.
• Commercial Kitchen Repairs Technical repair services for kitchen exhaust systems including access panels, fan replacement, belt replacement, curb extensions, hinge kits, and roof repair, using UL-listed components to maintain NFPA 96 compliance.
• Exhaust Fan Service & Full-Service Maintenance Exhaust fan maintenance service including hinge kit installation, access panel installation, belt inspection and replacement, and performance checks to NFPA 96 standards.
• Grease Containment System Installation & Maintenance Installation and ongoing maintenance of rooftop grease containment systems that capture grease discharge from exhaust fans, protecting roof membranes and supporting NFPA 96 compliance and fire-risk reduction.
• Pollution Control Unit (PCU) Services Cleaning, filter replacement, and maintenance services for pollution control units and multi-stage filtration systems including electrostatic precipitators, carbon filtration, and catalytic converters.
• Exhaust Fan Replacement & Full-Service Maintenance Rooftop exhaust fan replacement and comprehensive maintenance services for fans that are worn, out of balance, or no longer performing reliably, restoring NFPA 96-compliant exhaust performance.
• Fire Suppression Partnerships Referral partnership program for fire suppression companies, positioning Kitchen Guard as the comprehensive hood cleaning complement to suppression system maintenance and inspections, enabling a one-stop fire-prevention offering for shared customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90%+ customer retention rates
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• ToriStar MediacoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 October 2025ToriStar Media partnered with Kitchen Guard in October 2025 to launch a nationwide 'Grease Goblin' awareness campaign. The campaign uses creative visuals and storytelling to raise awareness about fire safety by portraying 'Grease Goblins' as villains attacking kitchen exhaust systems. The campaign includes educational and promotional outreach efforts targeting industry professionals and promoting fire prevention practices.
• EverSmith Brands (Parent Company)flagshipOthersKitchen Guard is a franchise of EverSmith Brands, a B2B commercial facilities brands company. The company was purchased in 2023 by EverSmith Brands and is currently being franchised throughout the United States. EverSmith Brands is part of the larger family including US Lawns, Prism, Clintar, and Millicare.
• US LawnsminorOthersUS Lawns is part of the EverSmith family of B2B Commercial Facilities Brands alongside Kitchen Guard, offering commercial lawn care and grounds maintenance services.
• PrismminorOthersPrism is part of the EverSmith family of B2B Commercial Facilities Brands alongside Kitchen Guard.
• ClintarminorOthersClintar is the parent company doing business as EverSmith Brands, which owns Kitchen Guard and other commercial facilities brands.
• MillicareminorOthersMillicare is part of the EverSmith family of B2B Commercial Facilities Brands alongside Kitchen Guard, offering commercial textile and floor care services.
• Fire Suppression CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKitchen Guard partners with fire suppression companies as a complementary service provider. Fire suppression companies focus on maintenance, inspections, and servicing extinguishers and automatic fire protection systems, while Kitchen Guard provides comprehensive kitchen exhaust system cleaning. This partnership enables fire suppression companies to offer clients a one-stop shop for fire prevention, reduce liability tied to grease-related fire incidents, and build stronger customer relationships without adding staff or overhead.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Market position

Competitive moat5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KitchenGuardUSA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kitchen-guard

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Kitchen Guard