There are a lot of pizza franchises available for purchase, but we will mention only the ones that are considered as best. We will outline their initial investment cost with an initial fee and ongoing franchisor royalties that owners must pay regularly!
Key Takeaways:
- There are more than 75 thousand pizza restaurants currently present in the U.S, and most of them are franchised ones.
- Launching a new pizza franchise will not be cheap, so investors must be aware that they will need to have some funds available in liquid assets (cash).
- The Pizza industry is highly developed, especially in the U.S., which means that yours business will have a lot of competition as a new restaurant.
Best U.S Pizza Franchises
Domino’s Pizza Franchise
- Domino’s Initial franchise fee: $25,000
- Estimated total initial investment cost: $119,700 – $461,450
- Ongoing Royalty Fee: 5% of Gross Revenue
- Ad Royalty Fee: 3% of the Gross Revenue
- Net-worth Requirement: $100,000
- Liquid Cash Requirement: $100,000
Domino’s is a massively successful enterprise. They ranked as the fifth-most valuable quick-service restaurant brand; only better are behemoths like McDonald’s, Starbucks, and KFC.
Suppose you want a piece of this pizza pie. In that case, you need to know that Domino’s strongly prefers their franchise owners to have previous experience operating or managing an existing Domino location.
If you already have working experience with this brand, you’re in a good position to become a franchise owner. If not, your best path forward is to work as a manager at a Domino’s restaurant first and then apply to open your franchise.
Pizza Hut Pizza Franchise
- Initial franchise fee: $25,000
- Estimated total initial investment cost: $302,000 – $2,185,500
- Ongoing Royalty fee: 6% of Gross Sales
- Ongoing Ad Fund Fee: 4.75% of Gross Sales
- Net-worth Requirement: $700,000
- Liquid Cash Requirement: $350,000
Pizza Hut has the most locations of any pizza chain in the United States, so if you consider opening this pizza outlet, you’re in good company!
This franchising corporation mentions on its website that they’re looking for franchisees with previous experience owning or managing a retail or restaurant business, so if that’s you, you’re in good shape.
Note that you’ll need a net worth of at least $700,000—half of which must be liquid—for your application to become a Pizza Hut franchisee to be considered.
If you don’t meet those requirements, don’t despair; we have more options for you on our list of the best pizza franchise opportunities in the U.S!
Papa John’s Pizza Franchise
- Initial franchise fee: $25,000
- Estimated total initial investment cost: $200K – $789K
- Ongoing Royalty Fee: 5% of Gross Sales
- Ongoing Ad Royalty Fee: 8% of Gross Sales
- Net Worth Requirement: $750,000
- Cash Requirement: $250,000
Another pizza franchise powerhouse player is Papa John’s. Papa John’s has an initial franchise fee of $25,000 per unit, and the total investment cost is between $200K and $789K per franchise unit.
This is not so high a barrier if we see how much it costs to open a pizza restaurant of their main competitors in the market. Even Shaquille O’Neal owns 9 Papa John’s franchises, so you will be in good company by investing in this franchising chain!
Little Caesars Pizza Franchise
- Initial franchise fee: $20,000
- Estimated total investment cost: $378,700 – $1,695,500
- Ongoing Royalty fee: 6% of gross sales
- Ongoing Advertising Fee: Up to 7% of gross sales
- Net Worth Requirement: $350,000.
- Liquid Asset Requirement: $150,000
This Detroit-headquartered corporation, famous for its marketing slogans “Pizza! Pizza!” and “Hot-n-Ready,” has more than 5,000 locations across all 50 states, plus locations in over 25 countries. Little Caesars had the third-highest nationwide sales of all pizza chains, which tells a lot about this brand’s popularity!
If you’re interested in pursuing a Little Caesars franchise opportunity, you need to know that the initial franchise fee is $20,000, and the estimated total investment will be between $378,700 and $1,695,500
Little Caesars must be mentioned when we talk about best pizza franchises due to the fact that they are one of the giants of this industry!
Godfather’s Pizza Franchise
- Initial franchise fee: $7,500 – $25,000
- Estimated total initial investment cost: $119,900 and $864,800
- Net worth requirement: $200,000
- Royalty fee: 3% of Gross Revenue
- Marketing/Ad fee: 2% of Gross Revenue
- Net Worth Requirement: $200,000
- Liquid Assets Requirement: $100,000
Godfather’s Pizza has franchise locations in more than 40 states. If you’re interested in joining the family, you need to know certain facts!
Godfathers require their franchise applicants to have a minimum net worth of $200,000 (half of which needs to be liquid) and at least one year of experience managing or operating a restaurant. If you don’t have restaurant management experience, you can hire someone who does to operate your pizza franchise for you.
There are a few different Godfather’s Pizza restaurant models available for franchising, including a “traditional” restaurant, an “express” restaurant, and a “delivery/carryout” model. The exact initial investment costs outlay will depend on the type of location that you opt for purchase!
Cicis Franchise
- Initial franchise fee: $30,000
- Estimated total investment cost: $688K – $1M
- Royalty Fee: 5% of Gross Sales
- Ad Royalty Fee: 6% of Gross Sales
- Net Worth Requirement: $500,000
- Liquid Assets Requirement: $250,000
Buffet pizza chain Cicis isn’t as widespread as some of the other options on this our list, with just approximately 290 restaurants across the U.S.
While this means that Cicis doesn’t have the level of name-brand recognition as Pizza Hut or Domino’s, the flip side is that as a franchisee, you have the opportunity to enter into a less-saturated market.
You can pursue a Cicis franchise opportunity in any state, so this pizza franchise will be available for all investors who want to become a business partner with this brand!
Uno Pizzeria & Grill Franchise
- Initial franchise fee: $30,000 – $40,000
- Estimated total investment cost: $547K – $2.4M
- Royalty fee: 5% of Gross Sales
- Ad Royalty Fee: to 3% of Gross Sales
- Net Worth Requirement: $250,000 – $750,000
- Liquid Assets Requirement: $150,000 – $750,000
If you’re all about deep-dish Pizza, then an Uno Pizzeria & Grill franchise restaurant may be what you’re looking for. Currently, there are 84 Uno Pizzeria restaurants operating in 21 states.
The brand also has a presence in countries like Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea.
In order to open an Uno Pizzeria restaurant stateside, you’ll need to have a minimum net worth of $250,000 and at least $150,000 of cash (liquid assets).
If you’re interested in pursuing an Uno Pizzeria franchise opportunity, you need to know that the initial franchise fee is min. $30,000, and the estimated total investment will be between $546,500 and $2,410,500!
Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza Franchise
- Initial franchise fee: $25,000
- Estimated total investment: $308K – $558K
- Royalty Fee: 5% of gross sales
- Ad Royalty Fee: 2% of gross sales
- Net worth requirement: $350,000
- Liquid Assets Requirement: $125,000
Founded in 1995, Papa Murphy’s, the Washington-based pizza chain, is one of the newer corporations on this list of the best pizza franchise opportunities.
Papa Murphy’s food model also sets them apart from the other chains on this list. For one, there are no ovens, freezers, or dining on-site. Instead, Papa Murphy’s sells dough topped with ingredients, and customers bake their pizzas at home themselves—something the company refers to as “take ‘n’ bake.”
You’ll need a minimum net worth of $350,000, a liquid cash requirement of $125,000, and a credit score of at least 670 in order to be considered as a Papa Murphy’s franchisee.
Sbarro The Italian Eatery Franchise
- Initial franchise fee: $15,000-$45,000
- Estimated total investment: $186,200-$642,800
- Royalty fee: 7% of Gross Revenue
Started as a salumeria in Brooklyn, New York, in 1956, Sbarro now has an international presence in 28 countries. You can expect to pay between $186,200 and $642,800 to open a new Sbarro pizza franchise.
The figures above include estimated costs for the initial franchise fee, a lease, equipment, a POS system, insurance, initial supplies, legal and accounting fees, and training expenses.
Sbarro is currently looking to expand across several states, including Texas, Florida, Georgia, California, Washington, New York, and New Jersey.
Summary
Hopefully, after reading this list of our best pizza franchises in the U.S., you feel better equipped to decide which franchise opportunity is right for you.
No matter which franchise you choose, it’s important to take the decision to start your own business seriously. You should weigh the pros and cons carefully and consider working with an attorney throughout the process.