Quick Verdict · who it fits
Papa John's Franchising, LLC 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 - $853K
Franchise fee (Item 5)
$5K
Royalty (Item 6)
5–6% + 1.5–6% ad
System size (Item 20)
2,752 +90
Years in business
6+ yrs
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 John's ranks against 607 Food & Beverage peers we've analyzed.
Initial investment
25th pct · of 607 peers
Franchise fee
1st pct · of 607 peers
System size
97th pct · of 607 peers
Food & Beverage industry averages
Avg investment
$460K - $1.5M
Avg franchise fee
$43K
Avg system size
322
Franchises analyzed
607
Closest concepts by category and investment.
| Brand | Item 19 | Fee | Investment | Royalty | Units |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Papa John's | Disclosed | $5K | $125K - $853K | 5–6% | 2,752 |
| ShipleySimilar price | Disclosed | $40K | $517K - $855K | 5% | 381 |
| Doctor's AssociatesBiggest system | Disclosed | $15K | $227K - $630K | 8% | 18,773 |
| Vintage Hospitality GroupTop-rated in category | Disclosed | $50K | $3.5M - $6.4M | 5.5% | 33 |
Free explainers to go deeper before you sign.
Papa John's Franchising, LLC requires a $5,000 initial franchise fee and a total initial investment range of $125,000–$853,365, per the most recent FDD on file.
Yes. Papa John's Franchising, LLC 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 John's Franchising, LLC has 2,752 total locations, with 90 new locations opened in the most recent reporting year. This information comes from Item 20 of the FDD.
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