Watch Desk verdict

The verdict combines net unit growth, exit quality, transfer churn, promise-keeping, and transparency, computed from the brand's own filings. Two rules keep it honest: a positive verdict must be earned (at least 25 franchised units and 3 disclosed years — failures take years to surface, so a young system's clean record reads 'Too new to judge,' never 'healthy'), and hard flags outrank fundamentals (going-concern audit language, disclosed bankruptcies, and live distress cap the tier).

It is deliberately categorical rather than a 0–100 score: a number implies precision the underlying disclosures can't support, and it let systems too young to have failed rank as the healthiest in the country. The verdict is the slow, citable layer — updated as brands refile — and distinct from the live distress signals that track fast-moving events between filings.