Papa John's franchise research

Investment by format

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

Investment sourceFDD p.23 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$5,000 to $25,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

5% · 5% of Net Sales per accounting Period (Traditional and Non-Traditional); Small-Town 6% of Net Sales (includes marketing fund contribution); can be raised up to 6% of Net Sales

Marketing contribution

6% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

Software Maintenance $375/month; Help Desk $80/month; PapaNet (network/internet) $400-$450/month; Digital Fee 1.75% of online/digital Net Sales

Other fees

Digital Fee 1.75% of digital/online Net Sales; Hot Schedules $33-$55/month; Training fee $150/year per restaurant

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

Additional Funds - 3 months: $20,000 to $50,000 (all formats); covers startup expenses incl. manager and staff payroll at maximum monthly rent, not owner draw, royalty or advertising

Fees sourceFDD p.15 ↗

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.23 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Average and median annual Net Sales (with quartile breakdowns) and weekly per-store Net Sales, for standard/traditional U.S. restaurants only; no profit data

Reporting period

Fiscal year ended December 28, 2025 (weekly averages shown for 2021-2025)

Sample

2,389 standard franchised restaurants open the full year 2025 (system table: 2,837 franchised and company-owned; company-owned: 448); excludes 152 Non-Traditional, 154 Small-Town and 137 partial-year standard franchised restaurants

Reported average

$1,097,987

Reported median

$1,043,433

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.72 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

2752

Year-end outlets

2832

Net change

+80

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

162

Terminations

0

Non-renewals

0

Other closures

82

Reacquisitions

0

Transfers

125

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.78 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

45 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$365,000

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

25 loans

Historical charge-off share

16.53%

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

20 / 121

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 Papa John's franchise cost?

Standard and Small-Town restaurant: $281,485 to $890,267; Non-Traditional restaurant: $125,000 to $423,302 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $5,000 to $25,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.23 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do Papa John's owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: Average and median annual Net Sales (with quartile breakdowns) and weekly per-store Net Sales, for standard/traditional U.S. restaurants only; no profit data. Sample: 2,389 standard franchised restaurants open the full year 2025 (system table: 2,837 franchised and company-owned; company-owned: 448); excludes 152 Non-Traditional, 154 Small-Town and 137 partial-year standard franchised restaurants. Period: Fiscal year ended December 28, 2025 (weekly averages shown for 2021-2025).

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.72 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for Papa John's?

16.53%; numerator / denominator: 20 / 121. 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: $365,000; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 25 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗