The best pizza franchises offer attractive returns and incredible brand power for their owners to capitalize on. Thinking about becoming a franchisee in the pizza industry but are unsure of which companies you can franchise?
We have chosen companies that are well known and allow the franchisee to build from the ground up.
If you're looking for a slice of the $46B pizza industry, here are the 11 best pizza franchises to own:
If you have arrived here and don’t know precisely how franchises work, we researched for you here: How do Franchises Work
1. Blaze Pizza
Blaze Pizza is a Pasadena, California-based chain within the fast-casual dining restaurants category. Founded in 2012 and franchising since then, the number of locations has grown rapidly to more than 300 restaurants in 42 states and five countries. It was the first of the new fast-casual pizza chains to hit 50 locations at the end of 2014 and then went on to be the first to hit 100 units and $100 million in sales.
Franchise Fee: $30,000
Blaze Pizza is expanding quickly and now is the time to start your franchise. The initial franchise fee is $30,000 per restaurant ($20,000 per restaurant if you operate a certified training store). The continuing royalty fee is 5% of gross sales and the advertising fee is 2% of gross sales. Opening a Blaze Pizza Franchise will get you access to the brand, recipes & procedures, vendors, training, store build-out & trade dress, website, social media, online ordering, gift card program, etc. Most importantly, you will get to be a part of a dynamic organization dedicated to serving artisanal pizza in a completely new way.
How much does a Blaze Pizza franchise owner make?
With the average Blaze franchise totaling $930,000 in revenue last year, Blaze Pizza is a serious option when it comes to opening a pizza franchise. If you can overcome the rumored “moody management,” the next step towards opening your Blaze Pizza is to send them a message through their website.
Because of the tremendous growth and average yearly revenue, Blaze Pizza tops our list of best pizza franchises to own.
2. Jet’s Pizza
Founded in 1978 and franchising since 1990, Jet’s Pizza has been a mainstay in Michigan, although its presence in 20 other states has more people saying the company motto, “Let’s get Jet’s!” The company was founded by brothers Eugene and John Jetts when they decided to bring Detroit-style pizza (square deep-dish) further north of the city to Sterling Heights. Nearly half of the chain’s locations are in Michigan. There are currently 388 locations, 37 of which are company-owned and all of which are located in the US.
Franchise Fee: $20,000
The franchise fee to open a Jet's Pizza restaurant is a fair $20,000, with a total estimated startup investment ranging from $365,000 to $425,000. The Term of Agreement is ten years, with a renewal fee of $2,000. A royalty fee of 8-10% of gross monthly receipts is paid to the company.
How much does a Jet's Pizza franchise owner make?
With only a couple hundred franchise locations, Jet’s is a smaller company that is limited to the United States. The average franchise had total revenue of $1.34 million last year. Considering Jet’s has a cheaper franchise fee, and the average revenue is $1.34 million, Jet’s pizza is a high return option for people looking to open a franchise. To start, visit the Jet’s Pizza website, and follow the prompts.
3. Cici’s Pizza
Cici’s Pizza is an American buffet restaurant chain based in Irving, Texas, specializing in pizza. The company was founded in 1985 and started franchising by 1987. There are over 450 franchised and corporately owned restaurants in 32 states.
Franchise Fee: $30,000
Cici’s Pizza Franchise fee is $30,000 (and $25,00 for each subsequent restaurant), although the total initial investment ranges from $446,000 to $715,000. Franchisees must allocate 4-6% of their net sales (depending on the rate of profitability of the store) to an ongoing royalty fee. They also must contribute 3% of sales to advertising efforts, a rate in which CiCi’s Pizza reserves the right to raise this rate. To purchase a CiCi’s Pizza franchise, owners should have a credit score of at least 720, liquid assets over $250,000, and net worth at least three times that amount.
How much does a Jet's Pizza franchise owner make?
Cici’s Pizza may seem like a good option when opening a franchise. The numbers and supporting information regarding Cici’s and the amount of money they make can be difficult to find and misleading. That being said, the average Cici’s franchise is believed to total $780,000 in revenue. This lower revenue not only comes with a higher initial investment but also has limited publicly available information. If you do choose to open up a Cici’s, you can do so by filling out the form on Cici’s “Join the Family” page.
4. MOD Pizza
Founded in 2008 by husband-and-wife Scott and Ally Svenson in Seattle, Washington, MOD Pizza calls itself a “purpose-led” chain with a focus on paying livable wages to employees, including those who have backgrounds that include incarceration, substance abuse, and mental health challenges. MOD Pizza is known for its artisan pizzas with 3-minute bake times in 800-degree ovens. The number of locations has grown rapidly to the current total of 433 locations in 28 states and the United Kingdom.
Franchise Fee: $30,000
MOD Pizza is expanding at a rapid rate, now is the best time to open your franchise. The initial franchise fee is up to $30,000 per restaurant. The ongoing royalty fee is 5% of gross sales and the advertising fee is 3% of gross sales. Opening a MOD Pizza franchise will allow you access to recipes, training, vendors, social media, website, gift card program, online ordering, and more.
How much does a MOD Pizza franchise owner make?
If you plan to open a franchise and want to be involved in the company, MOD Pizza is your best option. MOD is known for its relations within the company, this is from top management to store employees. The average MOD Pizza totals around $600,000 in revenue. Are these lower numbers worth a strong community within the company? If so, fill out the form on MOD’s website to open a franchise.
5. Hungry Howie’s Pizza
Founded in 1973 and franchising since 1982, Hungry Howie’s Pizza is an oldtimer. Hungry Howie’s claims to be the “Home of the Flavored Crust Pizza” as it was one of the first pizza chains to create flavored crusts, which it launched back in 1985 with eight different flavors. The number of locations has held mostly steady in recent years and currently stands at 551, 30 of which are company-owned and all of which are located in the US.
Franchise Fee: $25,000
If you’re a veteran, you may want to consider owning a Hungry Howie's franchise. Hungry Howie’s offers a 50% discount for qualifying owner/operator veterans to thank them for their service. The normal franchise fee is $25,000. The ongoing royalty fee is 5.5% of gross sales. You will contribute an additional 6% of your gross sales for marketing and advertising fees for your franchise. 1% of your gross sales are allocated for national marketing and 5% for local marketing. You’re encouraged to spend an additional 1% on community marketing.
How much does a Hungry Howie's Pizza franchise owner make?
If you’re knowledgeable within this company, give them your money now, but if you’re not, Howies may not be for you. When researching Howie’s pizza and their numbers, it is difficult to find anything current or accurate. Even on the Hungry Howies website, there are numbers and statistics from 2014 and 2015. To my knowledge, the average Hungry Howies totals about $500,000 in revenue every year. This is pretty low, especially if you’re going to have a difficult time finding accurate information about the company. To open a Hungry Howie’s of your own, follow the application process on their website.
6. Marco’s Pizza
Marco’s Pizza was recently named “Pizza Chain of the Year” in a Harris Poll EquiTrend survey of more than 77,000 people. Marcos was founded in 1978 and has been franchising since 1979. The company was founded by Italian immigrant Pasquale “Pat” Giammarco and is the only major American pizza chain to be started by a native Italian.
Franchise Fee: $25,000
Marco’s Pizza Franchise fee is $25,000 with a potential $10,000 – $25,000 off the franchise fee for veterans or persons with service-related disabilities. The total initial investment ranges from $383,780 to $528,330. Franchisees must allocate 5.5% of their net sales to an ongoing royalty fee. They also must contribute 1.5% of sales to advertising efforts.
How much does a Marco's Pizza franchise owner make?
As we move closer to more well-known companies, you will notice differences in these numbers. Marco’s, as a company, does almost $400 million in total revenue every year, but between 800 locations, this ends up being less than $500,000 per the average franchise. If you’re ready to take the next step with Marco’s, and start a franchise of your own, visit their website and fill out the form.
7. Papa Murphy’s
Founded in 1985 and franchising since 1986, Papa Murphy’s has over 1500 franchise locations. Papa Murphy’s claim to fame is the only national-scale pizza chain based solely on “take and bake” pizzas assembled in the store and baked by customers at home. Also, Papa Murphy’s emphasizes the freshness of its ingredients, noting its stores do not have freezers, the dough is made fresh from scratch daily, 100% whole-milk mozzarella cheese is grated daily, and veggies are hand-sliced.
Franchise Fee: $25,000
The franchise fee to open a Papa Murphy’s restaurant is a reasonable $25,000. This comes with a total estimated startup investment ranging from $280,000 to $520,000. A royalty fee of 5% of gross sales is taken monthly, and an additional 2% of gross sales are taken monthly for advertisement royalty.
How much does a Papa Murphy's Pizza franchise owner make?
Individual store earnings vary greatly depending on location and owner/manager. According to Papa Murphy's, more than 1,500 franchises average $586,229 in annual net sales, with the top third averaging $870,188. If you’re confident in your ability to run a Papa Murphy’s better than 70% of the other franchisees, you should probably open a Papa Murphy's. To get started with your Papa Murphy's franchise, visit their website to submit an inquiry.
8. Papa John’s
With over 5,000 establishments, Papa John’s had a gross profit margin of over 33% in 2019. Founded in 1985 and franchising since 1986, the number of locations has expanded continuously for over 30 years. Papa John’s is focused more on takeout and delivery than in-store dining. It was also one of the first national chains to make online ordering available chain-wide in 2002.
Franchise Fee: $25,000
To open a Papa John's restaurant, potential franchisees must have at least $250,000 in net worth and have the ability to obtain financing of up to $275,000. The company also charges a one-time franchise fee of $25,000 for new restaurants. Franchisees also have to pay the company two ongoing monthly fees (royalty fees). The standard royalty fee is equal to 5% of net sales and an additional 3% for advertising.
How much does a Papa John's Pizza franchise owner make?
According to Papa John’s franchise disclosure document (FDD), you can pull in an average of $781,202 in revenue from your Papa John's franchise. A company-owned location brings in a slightly higher average of $966,460 in annual revenue. If you're serious about making some money and have a lot of it to spend, Papa John’s is a potential company you want to franchise with. Follow the directions on their website for more information.
9. Little Caesars
Founded in 1959 by Mike Ilitch, and franchising since 1962, is Little Caesars. The company recently built a 9-story $150 million headquarters building in Detroit.
In addition to its well-known catch-phrase of “Pizza! Pizza!” and square pies, Little Caesars broke new ground with the introduction of its “Hot-N-Ready” concept, offering carryout pizzas at surprisingly low prices during certain hours of the day, 4 pm – 8 pm.
Franchise Fee: $15,000-$20,000
The cost to open a Little Caesars franchise depends on the type of unit. Applicants must have a net worth of at least $250,000 and at least $100,000 in liquid assets. Furthermore, they must be able to obtain financing to cover the costs of starting the business. The initial investment ranges from $334,000 to over $1.3 million. This includes the initial $15,000 – $20,000 franchise fee. An ongoing royalty fee of about 6% of net sales and an additional advertising fee of up to 7% of net sales, make this franchise one of the more expensive ones we have looked at.
How much does a Little Caesars Pizza franchise owner make?
Little Caeser’s Pizza is said to make over $3.3 billion in revenue every year. This averages out to just over $600,000 in total revenue per each franchise location. This seems like something that may interest a lot of people. However, it is said that the average franchise owner makes less than $40,000 a year. Little Caeser’s Pizza brings in a lot of money with their notorious, “Pizza Pizza” if you would like to join, you can follow the application process on their website.
10. Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut was founded in 1958 and started franchising in 1959. The number of locations has continued to expand to a current total of over 15,000. To not fall further behind Domino’s, the company recently announced it would close about 500 dine-in locations to better focus on the more popular delivery and carryout segment.
Franchise Fee: $25,000
Pizza Hut has a franchise fee of $25,000 for a 20-year agreement, although the total initial investment ranges between $297,000 and $2,109,000. Additionally, franchisees must pay the company an ongoing royalty fee of 6% on all sales, as well as an additional 3% to be applied toward national advertising efforts. To purchase a franchise, interested parties must have a net worth of at least $700,000, with at least half of that amount available in liquid assets.
How much does a Pizza Hut franchise owner make?
With over 15,000 franchise locations, the average store totals almost $400,000 in revenue. Although this doesn't seem like a lot of money, there are other benefits to working with such a big company. Pizza Hut has a good reputation for taking care of its employees and store owners. If you're interested in opening a pizza hut franchise, visit the website and click on the “Join The Family” page.
11. Domino’s Pizza
Domino’s is the king of pizza, both in terms of global sales ($13.5 billion) and the number of locations (over 17,000). Founded in 1960, the chain was among the first to popularize home delivery and now delivers more than a million pizzas every day. The secret to Domino’s success has a lot to do with ordering technology. The company’s new digital ordering platform allows customers to place orders on smart speakers (Amazon Echo/Alexa), smart TVs, smartwatches, and social media platforms along with the usual array of desktops, tablets, and mobile phones.
Franchise Fee: $25,000
Domino’s Pizza offers franchises for a surprisingly low cost. This is why Domino’s Pizza is the best pizza franchise to buy. An initial franchise fee of $25,000 is in place through the total initial investment ranges from $119,950 to $461,700. The franchise agreement lasts for ten years and is renewable at a cost. The royalty fee is 5.5% of gross sales, with an additional 1%-4% for advertising efforts. Franchisees should have at least $75,000 in liquid cash available and must have a net worth of at least $250,000.
How much does a Domino's Pizza franchise owner make?
So, how much does a franchisee of the biggest pizza company in the world make? The amount that Domino's franchise owners make varies from location to location. Several reports show that an annual salary range between $107,000 to $116,000 can be expected. Many people believe that owning and operating a Domino's franchise is your best option in the pizza industry. To open your Domino’s pizza store now, visit Dominos’ “Achieve The Dream” page on their website.
There are plenty of franchise options for entrepreneurs wanting a piece of the pizza business. Do you currently own a one on the list? Have another you think we should add to the list of best pizza franchises? Leave a comment below…
Post by Sawyer Radermacher
Christ-Follower, Student at UMN’s CSOM, Intern @ Rob LeMay Consulting, Chef at Crave, Urban Exploration Lover, Car Enthusiast.
