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Exhibit Index on Page 2

                                   FORM 11-K

                                 UNITED STATES

                       SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                             WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549


Annual Report Pursuant to Section 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act
of 1934




(Mark One)

  [X]   ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES
        EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934.
             For the fiscal year ended:  December 31, 1997

  OR

  [     ] TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES EXCHANGE
        ACT OF 1934.
             For the transition period from       to



Commission file number     1- 3208

  A.    Full title of the plan and the address of the plan, if
        different from that of the issuer named below:

        National Service Industries Retirement and 401(k) Plan

  B.    Name of issuer of the securities held pursuant to the plan and
        the address of the principal executive office:

        National Service Industries, Inc.
        1420 Peachtree Street, NE
        Atlanta, Georgia 30309



Page 2

REQUIRED INFORMATION

The following documents are filed as a part of this report:

1.   Financial Statements


     Plan  financial  statements  prepared  in  accordance  with  the  financial
     reporting requirements of ERISA include the following:

     Report of Independent Public Accountants

     Statements of Net Assets Available for Benefits, with Fund Information,  as
     of December 31, 1997 and 1996

     Statement of Changes in Net Assets Available for Benefits for
     the Year Ended December 31, 1997

     Notes to Financial Statements

2.   Exhibits
                                                             Sequentially
                                                               Numbered
     The following exhibit is filed with this report:            Page

     23     Consent of Arthur Andersen LLP                        12



SIGNATURES

Pursuant  to the  requirements  of the  Securities  Exchange  Act of  1934,  the
trustees (or other persons who administer  the employee  benefit plan) have duly
caused this annual report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto
duly authorized.

                              National Service Industires
                              Retirement and 401(k) Plan

Date: June 30, 1998           By:   National Service Industries, Inc.
                                    Plan Administrator

                              By:    /s/ James S. Balloun
                              Name:  James S. Balloun
                              Title: Chairman and Chief Executive Officer




Page 3

                           National Service Industries
                           Retirement and 401(k) Plan

              Financial Statements as of December 31, 1997 and 1996
                                  Together With
                                Auditors' Report





                    REPORT OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS




To the Plan Administrator of
National Service Industries
Retirement and 401(k) Plan:


We have audited the accompanying statements of net assets available for benefits
of NATIONAL  SERVICE  INDUSTRIES  RETIREMENT  AND 401(k) PLAN as of December 31,
1997 and 1996, and the related  statement of changes in net assets available for
benefits,  with fund  information,  for the year ended December 31, 1997.  These
financial  statements  are the  responsibility  of the  Plan's  management.  Our
responsibility  is to express an opinion on these financial  statements based on
our audits.

We  conducted  our  audits  in  accordance  with  generally   accepted  auditing
standards.  Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain
reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements are free of material
misstatement.  An audit includes examining, on a test basis, evidence supporting
the amounts and disclosures in the financial statements.  An audit also includes
assessing the  accounting  principles  used and  significant  estimates  made by
management,  as well as evaluating the overall financial statement presentation.
We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

In our opinion,  the financial  statements  referred to above present fairly, in
all material  respects,  the net assets available for benefits of the Plan as of
December 31, 1997 and 1996, and the changes in net assets available for benefits
for the year ended  December 31, 1997, in  conformity  with  generally  accepted
accounting principles.

Our audits  were  performed  for the  purpose of forming an opinion on the basic
financial  statements taken as a whole. The fund information in the statement of
changes in net assets  available  for benefits is  presented  for the purpose of
additional  analysis rather than to present the changes in net assets  available
for  benefits  of each fund.  The fund  information  has been  subjected  to the
auditing procedures applied in the audits of the basic financial statements and,
in our opinion,  is fairly  stated in all  material  respects in relation to the
basic financial statements taken as a whole.




Atlanta, Georgia
May 15, 1998



Page 4

                           NATIONAL SERVICE INDUSTRIES

                           RETIREMENT AND 401(k) PLAN


                 STATEMENTS OF NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS

                           DECEMBER 31, 1997 AND 1996







                                                                1997       1996

INVESTMENT IN NSI DC TRUST, at fair value (Note 2):
    Balanced Fund .........................................$  209,107 $ 151,080
    Diversified Equity Fund ...............................   442,215   373,961
    Stable Value Fund .....................................    74,174    51,777
    NSI Stock Fund--participant-directed ..................   169,757    74,366
    Loan Fund .............................................    45,319    18,230
    International Fund ....................................    36,299    25,350
    Index Fund ............................................    45,951         0
    Small Company Fund ....................................    24,290         0
    NSI Stock Fund--nonparticipant-directed ...............   225,092   142,568
              Total investment ............................ 1,272,204   837,332
CONTRIBUTIONS RECEIVABLE:
    Employer ..............................................     3,436     2,076
    Participant ...........................................         0    11,997
              Total contributions receivable ..............     3,436    14,073
REFUNDS PAYABLE TO PARTICIPANTS ...........................         0    (8,250)
NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS .........................$1,275,640 $ 843,155







     The accompanying notes are an integral part of these statements.



Page 5

                           NATIONAL SERVICE INDUSTRIES

                           RETIREMENT AND 401(k) PLAN


           STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN NET ASSETS AVAILABLE FOR BENEFITS,
                             WITH FUND INFORMATION,

                      FOR THE YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31, 1997





                                       Participant-Directed                                       Nonparticipant-
                                  Diversified  Stable     NSI                                 Small   Directed
                         Balance    Equity     Value     Stock     Loan International Index  Company  NSI Stock   Other
                          Fund       Fund      Fund       Fund     Fund     Fund      Fund     Fund     Fund                 Total
                                                                                             
CONTRIBUTIONS:

   Employer ............ $      0  $      0  $      0  $      0  $     0  $      0  $     0  $     0  $ 42,267  $ 1,360  $   43,627

   Participant .........   46,824   108,256    40,565    41,380        0    10,276    9,983    4,457         0   (3,747)    257,994

     Total contributions   46,824   108,256    40,565    41,380        0    10,276    9,983    4,457    42,267   (2,387)    301,621

NET GAIN (LOSS)
   FROM INVESTMENT IN
     NSI DC TRUST ......   40,655   116,479     3,666    33,161        0    (1,042)   2,807       22    56,388        0     252,136

BENEFITS PAID
     TO PARTICIPANTS ...   (4,332)  (70,172)  (19,680)   (4,458)  (1,000)   (5,410)     (44)     (45)  (16,131)       0    (121,272)

INTRAPLAN TRANSFERS ....  (25,120)  (86,309)   (2,154)   25,308   28,089     7,125   33,205   19,856         0        0           0

NET INCREASE (DECREASE)    58,027    68,254    22,397    95,391   27,089    10,949   45,951   24,290    82,524   (2,387)    432,485

NET ASSETS AVAILABLE
   FOR BENEFITS,
     December 31, 1996 .  151,080   373,961    51,777    74,366   18,230    25,350        0        0   142,568    5,823     843,155

NET ASSETS AVAILABLE
   FOR BENEFITS,
     December 31, 1997 . $209,107  $442,215  $ 74,174  $169,757  $45,319  $ 36,299  $45,951  $24,290  $225,092  $ 3,436  $1,275,640






     The accompanying notes are an integral part of this statement.



Page 6

                                                                               
                           NATIONAL SERVICE INDUSTRIES

                           RETIREMENT AND 401(k) PLAN


                          NOTES TO FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

                           DECEMBER 31, 1997 AND 1996



1.   PLAN DESCRIPTION

     The following is a brief  description  of the National  Service  Industries
     Retirement  and 401(k) Plan (the  "Plan") of National  Service  Industries,
     Inc. of Georgia and NSI Enterprises,  Inc. (together, the "Employer"). Both
     National Service Industries, Inc. of Georgia and NSI Enterprises,  Inc. are
     wholly owned  subsidiaries of National Service  Industries,  Inc.  ("NSI").
     This description is provided for informational purposes only.  Participants
     should refer to the plan agreement for more complete information.

     General

     The Plan is a defined contribution plan established under the provisions of
     Section  401(a) of the Internal  Revenue Code ("IRC").  The Plan covers all
     nonunion,  full-time,  salaried employees of the Employer who have attained
     the age of 20.5 with at least six months of service.  Effective  August 31,
     1996, the Plan covers only full-time  salaried employees who are classified
     by  the  Employer  as  corporate  office  personnel  or  treasury  function
     personnel. The Plan is subject to the provisions of the Employee Retirement
     Income Security Act of 1974, as amended.

     Contributions

     Participants  may  elect to  contribute  between  1% and 10% of  before-tax
     compensation,  as defined in the Plan, subject to certain limitations under
     the IRC. Matching contributions are made by the Employer in an amount equal
     to  50%  of  the  participant's  contribution  up to  the  lesser  of 4% of
     compensation or $1,000 in a plan year.  Effective January 1, 1998, matching
     contributions  are made by the  Employer  in an amount  equal to 50% of the
     participant's   contribution   up  to  6%   of   compensation.   Additional
     discretionary  amounts, as determined by the board of directors of NSI, may
     be  contributed  by the Employer and are allocated to  participants  at the
     discretion of the Employer.  No discretionary  contributions  were made for
     the year ended December 31, 1997.

     Vesting

     Participants  are always  fully vested in their  individual  contributions.
     Vesting of employer  contributions  occurs on an increasing scale,  ranging
     from 10% vesting  after two years of service,  as defined,  to 100% vesting
     after seven years of service.  Effective January 1, 1998, vesting occurs at
     20% for each  year of  service,  with  100%  vesting  after  five  years of
     service.   Nonvested   employer   contributions   are   forfeited   upon  a
     participant's  withdrawal  from  the Plan  and are  used to  reduce  future
     employer contributions.

Page 7



     Administration

     All  administrative  expenses of the Plan were paid by the Employer  during
     the year ended December 31, 1997.

     Participants' Accounts

     Individual  accounts are maintained for each of the Plan's  participants to
     reflect that particular  participant's  contributions  and related employer
     contributions as well as the  participant's  share of the Plan's income and
     any related investment management fees and expenses.

     The Plan's investment fund balances are expressed in units. At December 31,
     1997 and 1996,  119,436 and 79,302  units,  respectively,  were assigned to
     plan participants.  Unit values for each investment fund were as follows at
     December 31, 1997 and 1996:

                                                                 1997       1996

                Balanced Fund...............................  $33.18      $26.40
                Diversified Equity Fund.....................   14.04       12.05
                Stable Value Fund...........................   12.07       11.31
                NSI Stock Fund..............................   19.61       14.52
                International Fund..........................    4.82        5.01
                Index Fund..................................   89.56         N/A
                Small Company Fund..........................   11.21         N/A



     Investment in Master Trust

     Under a trust agreement dated September 1, 1993, as amended,  Wachovia Bank
     of Georgia,  N.A.  was  appointed  trustee of the NSI Defined  Contribution
     Plan's  Master  Trust  (the "NSI DC  Trust").  Effective  January  1, 1998,
     INVESCO Trust Company has been appointed trustee of the NSI DC Trust.

     The Plan's  assets are  commingled  in the NSI DC Trust  together  with the
     assets of certain defined  contribution  plans of other NSI divisions.  The
     investments  of the NSI DC Trust  are  subject  to  certain  administrative
     guidelines  and  limitations  as to type and  amount  of  securities  held.
     Certain  fund  assets are  allocated  to  selected  independent  investment
     managers to invest under these general guidelines.

     Investment Options

     The  separate  investment  options  made  available  under  the Plan may be
     changed,  eliminated,  or  modified  from  time to  time by the  investment
     committee of the NSI DC Trust. Participants make their investment elections
     in 5% increments,  with changes allowed on a daily basis.  Participants may
     not  direct  the   investment   of  employer   matching  or   discretionary
     contributions. These are invested in the NSI Stock Fund discussed below.

Page 8



     The separate investment options offered by the Plan are as follows:

     o    Diversified  Equity  Fund.  This  fund  is a  diversified  stock  fund
          designed to invest in a broad range of common stocks providing capital
          growth.

     o    Stable Value Fund.  This is a fixed income fund  designed to provide a
          steady  level of current  income  while  focusing on  preservation  of
          principal.

     o    Balanced Fund. This fund is invested in a changing mix of high-quality
          stocks and bonds.  The fund is designed to provide  capital growth and
          current income while limiting the risk of principal loss.

     o    NSI Stock Fund. This fund is invested in NSI common stock, although it
          may hold other short-term investments from time to time. A participant
          may not direct more than 50% of his/her account balance to be invested
          in this fund.

     o    International  Fund.  This fund is  invested  in the stock of non-U.S.
          companies and is designed to provide long-term growth.

     o    Index Fund. This fund (offered beginning June 1997) is invested in all
          of the  stocks in the  Standard  & Poor's 500  Composite  Stock  Price
          Index.

     o    Small  Company  Fund.  This  fund  (offered  beginning  June  1997) is
          invested  in small or  emerging  companies  that  show  potential  for
          increased size and profitability.  The fund seeks little or no current
          income.

     Loans to Participants

     The Plan  permits  loans to  participants  up to the  lesser  of 50% of the
     participant's  vested account  balance or $50,000.  A participant has up to
     five years to repay the principal and interest,  unless the loan is for the
     purchase of a primary residence, in which case the repayment period will be
     established  at the time the loan is  approved.  Loan  processing  fees are
     charged directly to the participant's  account.  Interest rates on loans to
     participants  are  based  on  market  rates,  as  determined  by  the  plan
     administrator. The interest rate as of December 31, 1997 was 9.5%.

     Loan issuances and  repayments  are included in intraplan  transfers in the
     accompanying  statement of changes in net assets  available  for  benefits.
     Interest on loans is included in the net gain from investment in the NSI DC
     Trust and is  allocated  to each  investment  fund  based on  participants'
     investment elections.

     Benefits

     A participant  is entitled to receive the  distribution  of his/her  vested
     account  balance upon death,  disability,  or  retirement  (age 65).  These
     benefits are payable in a lump-sum amount or can be paid in installments at
     the participant's election if his/her vested balance is greater than $3,500
     and he/she is age 55 or older. A participant who terminates employment with
     the  Employer for reasons  other than these is entitled to receive  his/her
     contributions in a lump sum as soon as administratively feasible.

     Benefits  are payable in cash,  except that any portion of a  participant's
     account  balance which is invested in the NSI Stock Fund may be distributed
     in the form of shares of NSI common stock,  with fractional  shares paid in
     cash.

     Hardship  withdrawals  may be made  upon  proven  financial  hardship  of a
     participant, as defined in the plan agreement and as approved by the Plan's
     retirement committee.

     Plan Termination

     Although  the  Employer  intends  for the  Plan to be  permanent,  the Plan
     provides that the Employer has the right to discontinue contributions or to
     terminate  the Plan at any  time.  In the event of plan  termination,  each
     participant  shall be vested in the balance of his/her  account and his/her
     proportionate share of any future adjustments.


Page 9




2.   SUMMARY OF SIGNIFICANT ACCOUNTING POLICIES

     Basis of Accounting

     The accounts of the Plan are maintained by the trustee on the cash basis of
     accounting.  The accompanying financial statements have been prepared using
     the accrual method of accounting by application of memorandum entries.  The
     preparation of financial  statements in conformity with generally  accepted
     accounting  principles  requires the Plan's management to use estimates and
     assumptions   that  affect  the  accompanying   financial   statements  and
     disclosures. Actual results could differ from these estimates.

     Investment Valuation

     Investments  of the NSI DC  Trust,  except  for the  guaranteed  investment
     contracts ("GICs"),  are stated at fair value, as determined by the trustee
     from quoted market  prices.  Securities  traded on a national  exchange are
     valued at the last  reported  sales price on the last  business  day of the
     plan year;  investments  traded in the  over-the-counter  market and listed
     securities  for which no sale was reported on the last day of the plan year
     are valued at the last reported bid price.

     GICs  included  in the NSI DC Trust  are fully  benefit-responsive  and are
     therefore  carried at contract  value (cost plus  accrued  interest) in the
     accompanying  financial statements in accordance with Statement of Position
     94-4.  At December  31, 1997 and 1996,  contract  value  approximates  fair
     value. At December 31, 1997, the weighted average  crediting  interest rate
     was 7%. For the year ended  December 31, 1997, the annual yield on the GICs
     held by the NSI DC Trust was 6.9%.  For certain of the GICs held by the NSI
     DC Trust,  crediting interest rates may be changed if certain events occur,
     such as  early  retirements,  plant  closings,  etc.,  but in no  case  are
     adjusted to a rate less than 0%.

     GICs are  subject  to credit  risk based on the  ability  of the  insurance
     company to meet  interest or principal  payments,  or both,  as they become
     due.

     Certain GICs included in the NSI DC Trust are  synthetic;  that is, the NSI
     DC Trust owns certain  fixed  income  securities,  and the contract  issuer
     provides a "wrapper"  that  guarantees  a fixed rate of return and provides
     benefit  responsiveness.  At  December  31,  1997,  the  fair  value of the
     underlying  assets of the  synthetic  GICs  (determined  from quoted market
     prices) and the value of the related wrapper contracts were $42,945,334 and
     $(825,875), respectively.

Page 10


3.   NSI DC TRUST

     Investment Income

     Investment  income of the NSI DC Trust for the year ended December 31, 1997
     is summarized as follows:

                Dividends on common stock......................... $    454,559
                Interest income...................................    4,303,571
                Net appreciation in fair value of NSI common stock    4,046,711
                Net income from common/collective trust...........   18,537,212
                Net income from mutual funds......................   14,708,000
                Net loss from pooled separate account.............     (104,200)
                              Total investment income.............  $41,945,853


     The  investment  income of the NSI DC Trust for the year ended December 31,
     1997 is allocated among participating plans as follows:

                National Service Industries
                    Retirement and 401(k) Plan..................... $   252,136
                All other NSI plans................................  41,693,717
                              Total................................ $41,945,853


     Net Assets

     The net assets of the NSI DC Trust are as follows at December  31, 1997 and
     1996:

                                                         1997             1996

                Mutual funds...................... $  79,312,170  $  63,411,122
                Common/collective trust...........    79,112,333     57,558,795
                Guaranteed investment contracts...    52,443,357     55,187,898
                NSI common stock..................    18,045,789     11,279,289
                Loans receivable from participants     7,564,684      6,828,607
                Money market fund.................     1,740,602      3,704,985
                Pooled separate account...........     2,385,857      2,723,094
                                                     240,604,792    200,693,790
                Cash..............................         9,476         13,342
                                                     240,614,268    200,707,132
                Accrued investment income.........       112,870        100,534
                Adjustments for pending trades....      (199,191)      (223,542)
                Other.............................       (47,759)       (54,239)
                Net assets........................  $240,480,188   $200,529,885
                


Page 11



     The allocation of the net assets of the NSI DC Trust to participating plans
     is based on participant units and is as follows as of December 31, 1997 and
     1996:

                                               1997                  1996
                                          Amount   Percent     Amount    Percent
       National Service Industries 
          Retirement and 401(k) Plan  $  1,272,204   0.53%  $    837,332   0.42%
       All other plans                 239,207,984  99.47    199,692,553  99.58
                     Total            $240,480,188 100.00%  $200,529,885 100.00%
     
  
     Investment in NSI Common Stock

     As  of  December   31,  1997  and  1996,   approximately   7.5%  and  5.6%,
     respectively,  of the NSI DC Trust's net assets were invested in the common
     stock of NSI, a party in interest to the Plan.


4.   TAX STATUS

     The Plan has  received a  determination  letter from the  Internal  Revenue
     Service  dated  October  25,  1995  stating  that the Plan was  designed in
     accordance with plan design requirements as of that date. The Plan has been
     amended  since  receiving  the  determination  letter.  However,  the  plan
     administrator  believes  that the Plan is  currently  designed and is being
     operated  in  compliance  with  the  applicable  requirements  of the  IRC.
     Therefore,  the plan administrator believes that the Plan was qualified and
     that the related trust was tax-exempt as of December 31, 1997 and 1996.