Quick Verdict · who it fits
Papa Johns fits owner-operators looking for a mature food & beverage concept.
The numbers a buyer needs first — straight from the filing.
Initial investment (Item 7)
$125K - $890K
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$5K
Royalty (Item 6)
5–6% + 1.5–6% ad
System size (Item 20)
2,832 +162
Years in business
6+ yrs
Model Papa Johns'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 5–6% + ad fund 1.5–6% on gross sales.
PROJECTED ANNUAL SALES$500,000
$100k$2M
Royalty (5–6%)
—
Ad fund (1.5–6%)
—
Total / year
—
▪ Of-sales fees only · excludes rent, labor, COGS, and one-time costs · for illustration
Free AI summary — the first read on the filing.
3,294
Total units open
162 franchised + 9 company-owned = 171 total
Units opened last year
82
Units closed last year
82 ceased operations—other reasons
89 units
Net unit growth
171 opened − 82 closed
What our analysis flagged across the 2026 filing.
4
Risks to review
3
Strengths identified
5
Questions to ask
How Papa Johns ranks against 811 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
9th pct · of 811 peers
Franchise fee
0th pct · of 811 peers
System size
98th pct · of 811 peers
Food & Beverage industry averages
Avg investment
$528K - $1.3M
Avg franchise fee
$38K
Avg system size
235
Franchises analyzed
811
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Papa Johns | Disclosed | $5K | $125K - $890K | 5–6% | 2,832 |
| ToastiqueSimilar price | Disclosed | $55K | $471K - $891K | 6% | 49 |
| 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
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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.
Papa Johns requires a $5,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $125,000–$890,267, per the most recent FDD on file.
Papa Johns is franchised by Papa John's Franchising, LLC, the franchisor entity of record on its Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 1 of the FDD discloses the franchisor's corporate history, parents, and predecessors.
Yes. Papa Johns discloses Item 19 financial performance representations in its FDD. See the financials sub-page for the disclosed figures.
Franchisees pay a royalty of 5%-6% of Net Sales and an advertising fund contribution of 6% (Traditional); 1.5% (Non-Traditional/Small-Town) on gross sales as defined in Item 6 of the FDD.
As of their 2026 FDD, Papa Johns has 2,832 total locations, with 162 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
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