Earnings per share - Schedule of Basic and Diluted Loss Per Share (Details) $ / shares in Units, $ in Thousands			3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
		Jan. 14, 2021	Sep. 25, 2021 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Sep. 26, 2020 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Sep. 25, 2021 USD ($) $ / shares shares	Sep. 26, 2020 USD ($) $ / shares shares
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Net income attributable to Driven Brands Holdings Inc.			$ 33,124	$ 4,079	$ 48,389	$ 3,289
Basic earnings per share:
Less: Net income attributable to participating securities, basic			709	0	1,057	0
Net income after participating securities, basic			$ 32,415	$ 4,079	$ 47,332	$ 3,289
Weighted-average common shares outstanding (in shares) | shares	[1]		162,635,000	111,950,000	160,030,000	96,643,000
Basic earnings per share (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	[1]		$ 0.20	$ 0.04	$ 0.30	$ 0.03
Diluted earnings per share:
Less: Net income attributable to participating securities, diluted			$ 632	$ 0	$ 942	$ 0
Net income after participating securities, diluted			$ 32,492	$ 4,079	$ 47,447	$ 3,289
Dilutive effect of share-based awards | shares			3,995,000	0	3,938,000	0
Weighted-average common shares outstanding, as adjusted (in shares) | shares	[1]		166,630,000	111,950,000	163,968,000	96,643,000
Diluted earnings per share (in dollars per share) | $ / shares	[1]		$ 0.19	$ 0.04	$ 0.29	$ 0.03
Stock split		88,990

[1] Shares and earnings (loss) per share for 2020 have been adjusted to reflect an implied 88,990-for-one stock split that became effective on January 14, 2021. See Note 1 for additional information.