Quick Verdict · who it fits
Little Caesars fits owner-operators looking for a mature food & beverage concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$377K - $1.8M
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$20K
Royalty (Item 6)
6% + 7% ad
System size (Item 20)
3,788 +109
Years in business
64+ yrs
Company-owned units
586
Model Little Caesars's costs in the investment calculator → Prefilled from this filing — startup cost, cash flow and break-even.
Data extracted from the 2026 FDD filed with state regulators. Fees and terms may have changed since filing — request the current FDD from the franchisor before deciding. Not legal, financial, or investment advice. Full disclaimer.
Drag to your projected annual sales. Royalty 6% + ad fund 7% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$500,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (6%)
—
Ad fund (7%)
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Total / year
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▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
4,374
Total units open
109 franchised, 6 company-owned
Units opened last year
22 franchised ceased operations
Units closed last year
93 units
Net unit growth
87 franchised, 6 company-owned
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
4
Risks to review
3
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Little Caesars ranks against 753 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
53rd pct · of 753 peers
Franchise fee
7th pct · of 753 peers
System size
98th pct · of 753 peers
Food & Beverage industry averages
Avg investment
$589K - $1.4M
Avg franchise fee
$37K
Avg system size
261
Franchises analyzed
753
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Little Caesars | None | $20K | $377K - $1.8M | 6% | 3,788 |
| SurcherosSimilar price | None | $40K | $301K - $1.8M | 5% | 17 |
| Doctor's AssociatesBiggest system | None | $15K | $227K - $630K | 8% | 18,773 |
| Vintage Hospitality GroupTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $50K | $3.5M - $6.4M | 5.5% | 33 |
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Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Brand Analysis
Chipotle reported 4,186 company-operated restaurants and 15 international licensed restaurants as of June 30, 2026. None are franchised, there is no FDD, and there is nothing to apply for. Qdoba is the franchised version of the same order line, and its 12/25 FDD puts a traditional restaurant at $548,100 to $1,294,000.
Brand Analysis
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc. reported 656 company-operated stores in 43 states as of January 30, 2026, and the brand has never sold a franchise. Huddle House and Another Broken Egg cover the same daypart with filed FDDs, at $555,375 to $1,715,275 and $792,500 to $1,804,000.
Brand Analysis
The Häagen-Dazs Shoppe Company franchises the ice cream shops on a $30,000 fee and a 4% royalty, with a 2026 Item 7 range of $213,329 to $591,579. The trademark belongs to a different company, and the ice cream you are required to buy comes from a third.
Little Caesars requires a $20,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $376,500–$1,769,200, per the most recent FDD on file.
Little Caesars is franchised by Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. d/b/a "Little Caesars", the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the franchisor's corporate history, parents, and predecessors.
No. Little Caesars does not include a financial performance representation in its FDD. Prospective buyers should rely on validation calls with existing franchisees and benchmark against industry medians.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 6% and an advertising fund contribution of 7% on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Little Caesars has 3,788 total locations, with 109 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
This page is part of VetMyFranchise. View all pages: llms.txt · llms-full.txt