Donatos Pizza franchise research

Investment by format

Format-specific estimates only. Do not combine one format's minimum with another format's maximum.

Investment sourceFDD p.25 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$15,000 to $30,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

4% · 4% of Net Sales, debited weekly (Licensing Fee)

Marketing contribution

4% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

$0.24 per online order placed, due weekly (Technology Transaction Fee)

Other fees

Proprietary Computer Software Maintenance and Support ~$185/month; Cooperative Advertising 2-4% of Net Sales (if Advertising Cooperative formed); Management Fee up to 8% of Net Sales if franchisor manages restaurant after death/disability

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

$20,000 to $25,000 estimated start-up expenses for the Restaurant's first 3 months of operation, excluding any owner draw or salary.

Fees sourceFDD p.18 ↗

Working capital is drawn from Item 7. The Investment source below locates the investment section, not an independently verified working-capital scalar.

Investment sourceFDD p.25 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

average/median/high/low Net Sales for Covered Restaurants (all, company-owned, and franchisee-owned), plus EBITDA % of Net Sales by weekly average Net Sales tier for franchisee-owned restaurants

Reporting period

2025 fiscal year (Dec 31, 2024 - Dec 29, 2025), compared to 2024 fiscal year

Sample

167 Covered Restaurants (51 company-owned, 116 franchisee-owned) for Section I Net Sales; 101 franchisee-owned Covered Restaurants for Section II EBITDA (of 128 franchisees open at end of 2025, 37 excluded for various reasons)

Reported average

$1,130,267

Reported median

$1,007,952

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Results depend on the disclosed metric, sample and period; consult the full filing.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.73 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

125

Year-end outlets

128

Net change

+3

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

4

Terminations

0

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

1

Reacquisitions

0

Transfers

7

Transfers are not closures. Net change is ending minus starting outlets for the stated scope and year, or complete openings less terminations, non-renewals, other closures and reacquisitions. Missing inputs stay unknown.

Unit growth sourceFDD p.79 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

8 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$524,100

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

2 loans

Historical charge-off share

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

0 / 9

Formula

CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100

This is a historical loan-level share, not a franchise failure probability or location survival rate. Loan size is not total investment. Other loan statuses are excluded from the seasoned denominator. Activity combines 7(a) and 504 approvals, excluding canceled and not-funded records; this is not a rolling five-year count. FY2024-25 franchise tags are sparse after directory suspension; fewer tagged loans do not establish brand decline. Recent charge-off cohorts are immature.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median loan amounts are financing context, not startup cost. The median window is separate from the seasoned charge-off cohort.

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Questions before you invest

How much does Donatos Pizza franchise cost?

standard (single Franchise Agreement): $546,637 to $1,060,537; Development Rights Agreement (first restaurant, assumes 3-unit development): $576,637 to $1,090,537 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $15,000 to $30,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.25 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do Donatos Pizza owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: average/median/high/low Net Sales for Covered Restaurants (all, company-owned, and franchisee-owned), plus EBITDA % of Net Sales by weekly average Net Sales tier for franchisee-owned restaurants. Sample: 167 Covered Restaurants (51 company-owned, 116 franchisee-owned) for Section I Net Sales; 101 franchisee-owned Covered Restaurants for Section II EBITDA (of 128 franchisees open at end of 2025, 37 excluded for various reasons). Period: 2025 fiscal year (Dec 31, 2024 - Dec 29, 2025), compared to 2024 fiscal year.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.73 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for Donatos Pizza?

Suppressed: fewer than 10 seasoned loans; numerator / denominator: 0 / 9. Historical 7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals; CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100, snapshot 2026-06-30. This is not a franchise failure probability. Median SBA loan: $524,100; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 2 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗