Pizza Franchise Cost 2026: Startup Costs, Fees, Royalty by Brand

Pizza franchise cost depends on the format and the agreement. The initial franchise fee buys entry into the system; total investment includes the much larger opening budget. This comparison uses twelve brands’ 2026 Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs), with separately labeled website figures for Your Pie and PizzaForno.

For a ranking of standard restaurant formats by their published investment floor, see the cheapest pizza franchise guide. The table below also distinguishes nontraditional openings, an existing-restaurant acquisition and a licensing offer, so their lower floors do not imply the same purchase.

Pizza franchise cost comparison

FDD rows use Item 5 initial fees, Item 7 investment estimates and Item 6 royalties. They are ordered by standard new-restaurant investment floor, with Domino’s and the website-only rows separate. Advertising obligations follow below. “Yes” means the dated source offers franchises, subject to approval and market availability, not that every applicant or territory qualifies. Multi-unit development commitments are separate from these restaurant budgets.

Brand	Franchise fee	Total investment	Royalty	Sells to new operators?	Source, date
Hungry Howie’s (low-cost ranking)	$25,000; $12,500 qualified veterans	$238,982 to $697,322	5.5% of gross sales; minimum $360 per reporting period	Yes, subject to approval	2026 FDD, Apr. 15, 2026
Papa John’s	Standard: $5,000 to $25,000, depending on incentives; nontraditional: $5,000	Standard: $281,485 to $890,267; nontraditional: $125,000 to $423,302	5% of net sales for these formats	Yes; site asks for operations experience and multi-unit ability	2026 FDD, Mar. 31, 2026; site checked 2026-10-13
Marco’s Pizza	$25,000 standard	$286,477 to $811,186	5.5% of Net Royalty Sales; adjustable up to 6%	Yes, subject to approval	2026 FDD, Apr. 18, 2026
Mountain Mike’s	$30,000 first unit; $15,000 for a controlling owner of another restaurant	$356,000 to $993,946, excluding real estate purchase	5% of gross sales; $500 weekly minimum if opening is late	Yes, subject to approval	2026 FDD, Apr. 13, 2026
Little Caesars	$20,000 standard	$376,500 to $1,769,200	Greater of 6% of gross sales or $300 per week	Yes, subject to approval	2026 FDD, Mar. 27, 2026
Toppers Pizza	New restaurant: $30,000 standard; company-restaurant acquisition: waived	New restaurant: $420,700 to $732,684; existing company restaurant: $124,100 to $2,188,000	5.5% of gross sales	Yes; new development and company-restaurant purchases	2026 FDD, Apr. 13, 2026
Papa Murphy’s	$25,000 first store; $15,000 subsequent stores	$450,330 to $693,450	5% of net sales	Yes, subject to approval	2026 FDD, Mar. 27, 2026
Donatos	$30,000 standard	$546,637 to $1,060,537	4% licensing fee on net sales	Yes, subject to approval	2026 FDD, Apr. 29, 2026
Pizza Hut	$25,000	Inline/endcap Delco: $670,000 to $960,000; freestanding Delco: $816,000 to $1,900,000; Fast Casual Delco: $818,000 to $2,130,000; RBD/DBR: $846,000 to $2,130,000; excludes real property	6% of gross sales; 6.5% in certain circumstances	Site invites applicants; confirm current terms following sale	2026 FDD, Mar. 25, 2026, before sale closed; site checked 2026-10-13
Blaze Pizza	$30,000	$757,000 to $1,297,100	5% of gross sales, plus currently 2% Creative Fund	Yes; primarily multi-unit, single units in some circumstances	2026 FDD, Apr. 30, 2026
MOD Pizza	$30,000	$924,732 to $1,220,633 for a new restaurant	5% of weekly Revenues	Selective partners; single units subject to consent	2026 FDD, Apr. 20, 2026; site checked 2026-10-13
Domino’s	Initial Fee $0 to $10,000	Traditional: $231,450 to $743,500; nontraditional: $107,450 to $709,500	5.5% of royalty sales	Internal candidates only, per site	2026 FDD, Apr. 1, 2026; site checked 2026-10-13
Your Pie	$35,000	$404,750 to $1,249,000, excluding real estate	5% of net sales	Yes, per its franchise site	Its franchise site, checked 2026-10-13
PizzaForno	$0 licensing fee, per site	$75,000 to $109,000 USD startup estimate	0% per its licensing pages; its FAQ describes a 1% marketing fee and 2% licensing fee (checked 2026-10-14)	Licensing offer, described by company as not a franchise	Its licensing description, checked 2026-10-13

Website figures versus FDD figures, checked 2026-10-13:

• Mountain Mike’s site lists $356,000 to $994,000 and a $15,000 to $30,000 fee range. Its FDD gives $356,000 to $993,946 and a standard first-unit fee of $30,000.
• Papa Murphy’s FAQ lists $367,428 to $733,124; its March 2026 FDD gives $450,330 to $693,450.
• Papa John’s site lists a $25,000 standard fee; Item 5 gives $5,000 to $25,000 depending on incentives. The website investment ranges match the FDD ranges shown above.
• Pizza Hut’s site lists $579,000 to $2,053,500 for traditional restaurants and $46,000 to $453,000 for nontraditional locations. The table uses the traditional FDD’s separate format estimates; the website’s nontraditional figure is not an Item 7 figure from that FDD.
• Blaze’s site displays $757K to $1.297M; Item 7 gives the exact range as $757,000 to $1,297,100. Its $30,000 fee, 5% royalty and current 2% fund contribution match the FDD. Toppers’ website new-restaurant investment and $30,000 standard fee also match its FDD.

Shortlisting pizza brands?

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What a pizza franchise package covers

A “pizza franchise package” generally means the initial fee for entering the system and its specified startup support, such as training and opening assistance; Item 5 identifies the initial charges, while Item 11 defines the support and any separate costs.

The fee is not the opening budget. Compare it with the Item 7 total investment, then check the underlying rows for buildout, equipment, inventory and additional funds. Use the stated period and exclusions rather than assuming every range pays for the same premises or months of operation. The guide to how much money you need to start a franchise explains how to turn those estimates into a budget.

Which pizza brands sell to new operators?

Domino’s: Its franchising page, checked 2026-10-13, states: “At this time, Domino’s is only considering internal franchisee candidates.” It requires at least one year of experience as a Domino’s general manager or supervisor. Its lower investment floors therefore belong in a separate eligibility category.

Papa John’s: Its site, checked 2026-10-13, invites inquiries and lists prior operations experience and the ability for multi-unit ownership among its requirements. That supports an invitation to qualified applicants, not an assurance that any first-time buyer qualifies.

Blaze and MOD: Blaze’s April 30, 2026 FDD primarily offers multi-unit development but allows single restaurants in some circumstances. MOD’s April 20, 2026 FDD permits qualified single-unit applicants subject to consent. MOD’s site, checked 2026-10-13, describes a small network of partners with successful multi-unit restaurant experience and substantial capital resources. Its selective-partner framing and its published FDD costs address different questions: eligibility and investment.

Pizza Hut: Yum! Brands announced on September 1, 2026, that it completed the sale of Pizza Hut, excluding Mainland China, to LongRange Capital. The release is titled “Yum! Brands completes sale of Pizza Hut to LongRange Capital”. The March 25, 2026 FDD predates that closing. Pizza Hut’s site still invites applicants as checked 2026-10-13; obtain the current disclosure and terms directly.

Toppers and PizzaForno: Toppers’ April 2026 FDD offers both new restaurants and purchases of existing company restaurants, with distinct Item 7 tables. PizzaForno describes its offer as a technology licensing model. Its own startup estimate belongs beside the franchises only with that distinction visible; see the PizzaForno franchise-or-license guide for the agreement questions.

Advertising funds and other ongoing fees

The royalty column is not the complete recurring cost. These advertising figures come from Item 6 of the same dated FDDs. Sales bases, minimums, potential increases and required local spending matter as much as the headline percentage.

Brand	Item 6 advertising or marketing obligations
Hungry Howie’s	7% of gross sales, minimum $721 per reporting period
Marco’s Pizza	Brand Development Fund currently 1% of Net Royalty Sales, may rise to 1.5%; national fund 4%, plus regional obligations (national and regional combined cap 5.5%); local spending requirement 7% less credited fund and cooperative contributions
Mountain Mike’s	Marketing fund up to 1% of gross sales; advertising cooperative up to 2%, with higher cooperative contributions possible by agreement
Little Caesars	Advertising up to 7% of gross sales
Toppers Pizza	Brand Development Fund 3% of gross sales; fund, local and cooperative obligations together capped at 6.5% unless 80% of active franchisees agree otherwise; cooperative members may also elect contributions above the cap
Papa Murphy’s	Brand fund 2% of net sales, plus local/cooperative advertising at the greater of 5% of net sales or $2,000 per month; cooperatives can require more
Donatos	National fund currently 1% of net sales, up to 4%; total marketing spending minimum 5% of net sales
Papa John’s	Standard national fund currently 6% of net sales; nontraditional 1.5%
Pizza Hut	System Advertising Fund 4.75% of gross sales; IPHFHA dues credited against the fund obligation while the Advertising Committee Agreement is in effect
Blaze Pizza	Creative Fund currently 2% of gross sales, up to 4% on 60 days’ notice; local advertising requirement 2% of gross sales
MOD Pizza	Marketing fund 2% of weekly Revenues, up to 3% on 90 days’ notice; local marketing minimum 2% of Revenues (1.5% aggregate for multi-restaurant operators); local association contributions up to 2% count toward the local requirement
Domino’s	National advertising 4% of royalty sales (reductions possible for nontraditional stores), plus local advertising cooperative contributions of 1% to 4%

Papa John’s separate Small-Town format has the same Item 7 investment range as its standard restaurant, a $5,000 initial fee and a 6% royalty that includes its Marketing Fund contribution. It should not be modeled with the standard restaurant’s 5% royalty plus separate 6% fund contribution.

Your Pie’s website figures differ in their advertising descriptions, checked 2026-10-13: its cost page states 2% of net sales, while its FAQ states 2% national plus 2.5% local advertising based on gross sales. Confirm the applicable structure in its current FDD. PizzaForno’s quoted 0% royalty does not establish that all other operating charges are zero.

Read Item 6 for the complete fee schedule, including local spending, technology charges and any incentive conditions. A percentage of “net sales,” “gross sales,” “royalty sales” or “Revenues” must be applied to that agreement’s definition, not a generic sales number.

What to do next

Shortlist by format, available capital and eligibility. Request each brand’s current FDD, compare Items 5, 6, 7 and 11, and verify that the territory and agreement you want are available. Review the documents with a franchise attorney and accountant; the FDD reading guide gives the comparison framework.

Use the cheapest pizza franchise guide for the standard-format cost ranking. Use the food franchise vertical cost comparison to compare across categories.

For other food concepts, the food franchises under $100K guide separates fees from full opening budgets.

Turn one brand's Item 7 into your own budget

Our free startup-cost worksheet follows the Item 7 rows, so you can replace the FDD's estimates with your own quotes. Plus the due-diligence kit.

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