Why Pigtails & Crewcuts Is Prioritizing Franchise Infrastructure for Growth
Franchise brands often focus heavily on how many locations they can sell. Pigtails & Crewcuts has been spending considerable effort on a different question: what infrastructure needs to be in place to support those locations after they open?
That approach is becoming increasingly visible as the children’s hair salon franchise enters another phase of U.S. expansion.
With more than 85 salons in its system, new development agreements underway and additional territories available, Pigtails & Crewcuts has been adding people, technology and training resources intended to help franchisees operate more consistently.
The changes illustrate an important franchise growth principle: development and support eventually have to scale together.
Growth Created a Need for More Franchisee Resources
Pigtails & Crewcuts serves a defined consumer niche by offering salon services in an environment created specifically for children and families.
Its development strategy has produced steady expansion, including a record franchise sales year in 2024.
Fourteen franchise agreements were awarded during that year, and roughly half involved existing franchise owners adding locations.
That repeat-unit activity strengthened the case for continued development, but an expanding franchise base also increased the workload on the support organization.
The company responded by building out its Franchise Support Specialist team. Those specialists provide owners with additional access to operational coaching, training, mentorship and assistance with challenges inside their businesses.
Instead of leaving franchisees to navigate performance issues independently after opening, the structure creates a more direct connection between local operators and the franchisor.
Pigtails University Creates Continuous Training
The company has since moved further toward systemized education.
Pigtails & Crewcuts University was introduced as a dedicated learning management system for franchise owners and salon employees.
The platform includes training designed for multiple roles within the business rather than applying the same curriculum to everyone.
Owners can access franchise and operational education, managers can develop leadership skills, and salon employees can receive training related to their responsibilities and the customer experience.
This approach can become increasingly valuable as a franchise expands.
Every new location creates another group of employees who need to understand brand standards. Every additional manager needs to know how the business is expected to operate. And every franchisee needs the ability to develop new people without relying entirely on corporate personnel to deliver training in person.
Digital education gives the franchisor a scalable method of reinforcing those standards.
Better Technology Supports Both Operators and Customers
The brand’s technology stack is evolving alongside its training strategy.
Pigtails & Crewcuts has been transitioning locations to improved point-of-sale and appointment technology while introducing a new customer booking experience.
Families using participating salons can find services, review stylist availability, schedule appointments, manage future bookings and access previous appointment information.
From a growth perspective, technology such as this serves two audiences.
For customers, it reduces friction around booking a recurring service.
For franchisees, centralized scheduling and customer information can create a stronger operating environment and provide more opportunities to maintain relationships with existing guests.
Pigtails & Crewcuts has also discussed integrating improved marketing initiatives with its point-of-sale environment, which could make local customer engagement more data-driven over time.
Franchise Expansion Continues in 2026
The brand is not slowing franchise development while making these internal investments.
Pigtails & Crewcuts entered 2026 after reporting double-digit year-over-year growth in 2025.
During the first six months of 2026, four additional franchise agreements were signed.
New development is planned for East Hanover, New Jersey; Snellville, Georgia; Odessa, Florida; and Nashville, Tennessee.
The Nashville deal includes three locations, providing the brand with additional multi-unit growth in Tennessee.
Several other markets remain priorities for franchise recruitment, particularly metropolitan areas where the company sees room for a specialized children’s salon concept.
Existing Franchisees Are Part of the Expansion Story
One of the more interesting elements of the Pigtails & Crewcuts growth strategy has been participation from current owners.
When an existing franchisee decides to open another unit, the decision comes with more operational knowledge than that of a first-time buyer.
They already understand hiring, staffing, local marketing, customer demand, royalty obligations and the franchisor relationship.
That does not guarantee future performance, but repeat investment can provide meaningful validation of a franchise model.
Pigtails & Crewcuts has increasingly attracted owners interested in building beyond a single salon, creating another potential avenue for system growth alongside recruitment of new franchisees.
A Focused Business Model Creates Market Differentiation
Pigtails & Crewcuts is not attempting to compete with every salon for every customer.
The concept is centered largely around children aged zero to 12 and seeks to transform an experience that can sometimes be difficult for parents into something enjoyable and predictable.
Salons are designed around young customers, while the service model gives stylists experience working specifically with children.
That niche positioning provides the franchise with a clear consumer proposition while also giving franchise owners a defined target audience.
The company has further extended that positioning through family-oriented initiatives, including its first children’s book designed to help young customers feel more comfortable about getting a haircut.
Scaling Support Alongside Franchise Sales
Pigtails & Crewcuts provides a useful example of the infrastructure required as an emerging franchise system becomes a larger network.
Selling franchises is one part of franchise development. Helping those operators build healthy businesses after signing the agreement is another.
The company’s recent investments suggest it understands that connection.
Additional support personnel, centralized learning, upgraded technology and stronger operational tools are creating a foundation intended to support a broader franchise footprint.
If Pigtails & Crewcuts continues adding territories while maintaining that emphasis on franchisee infrastructure, its next stage of expansion could be driven not simply by the number of salons it opens, but by how effectively the system performs after those doors open.
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