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DONATOS PIZZA

DONATOS PIZZA

Donatos Pizza franchises operate brick-and-mortar restaurants featuring fresh, high-quality pizzas, sandwiches, and other foods in a distinctive setting, offering dine-in, carry-out, pick-up window, curbside delivery, and delivery services. The business model grants franchises to develop and operate these restaurants under strict operating standards, targeting the general public in competitive pizza markets with a focus on multi-unit development territories. They serve customers year-round, competing with other pizza chains and restaurants.

128locations
$250K–$750K
Since 2005
Food & BeverageColumbus, OHDestiny Investment Holdings, LLCwww.donatos.comDisclaimer

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Franchise Costs

Franchise Fee
$30,000
Initial Investment
$250,000 – $750,000
Royalty Rate
4.00%
Brand Fund
1.00%
Fixed Monthly Fees
$215 – $255

4% royalty + up to 4% (currently 1%) ad fund + $185-$225/mo software maintenance

Financial Performance


Item 19 Financial Performance

Average Gross Revenue
$977,213
Median Gross Revenue
$882,923
EBITDA Margin
9%
Average Net Profit
$88,401.12
Average Gross Profit
$702,035.3
Average EBITDA
$88,401.12

Data Based On: Net Sales data is provided for 116 franchisee-owned covered restaurants for 2025. Expense and EBITDA data is provided for 101 franchisee-owned covered restaurants for 2025, categorized into four weekly sales tiers.

* Average gross revenue and median gross revenue are directly from Table 3: Net Sales of Franchisee Covered Restaurants for the 2025 fiscal year (Page 4), based on a sample of 116 units. For EBITDA, gross profit, and net profit (operating profit), data is from Section II, Table 'Sales Ranges', for 101 Franchisee-Owned Covered Restaurants in the 2025 fiscal year (Page 5). Unit counts for each sales tier were extracted from subsequent paragraphs (Page 6): - Tier 1 ($10,001 - $15,000): 27 units - Tier 2 ($15,001 - $20,000): 42 units - Tier 3 ($20,001 - $25,000): 15 units - Tier 4 (Over $25,000): 17 units Total units for Section II = 27 + 42 + 15 + 17 = 101 units. Average weekly sales for each tier were estimated using midpoints for the first three tiers, and a conservative estimate for the highest tier: - Tier 1: $12,500.5 - Tier 2: $17,500.5 - Tier 3: $22,500.5 - Tier 4: $35,000 These weekly sales estimates were annualized by multiplying by 52 weeks. Weighted average annual net sales for the 101 units = (($12,500.5 * 27) + ($17,500.5 * 42) + ($22,500.5 * 15) + ($35,000 * 17)) * 52 / 101 units = $1,032,298.85. Weighted average EBITDA (dollar) was calculated by summing the total EBITDA dollars for each tier and dividing by the total 101 units: Total EBITDA = (($12,500.5 * 27 * 52 * -0.028) + ($17,500.5 * 42 * 52 * 0.077) + ($22,500.5 * 15 * 52 * 0.124) + ($35,000 * 17 * 52 * 0.139)) = $8,928,512.79 Average EBITDA = $8,928,512.79 / 101 = $88,401.12. EBITDA margin percentage = Average EBITDA / Average annual net sales (101 units) = $88,401.12 / $1,032,298.85 = 0.0856 (8.56%). Weighted average Cost of Goods Sold percentage was calculated similarly: Total COGS = (($12,500.5 * 27 * 52 * 0.323) + ($17,500.5 * 42 * 52 * 0.319) + ($22,500.5 * 15 * 52 * 0.317) + ($35,000 * 17 * 52 * 0.321)) = $33,026,057.99 Weighted average COGS % = $33,026,057.99 / ($1,032,298.85 * 101) = 0.3199 (31.99%). Average gross profit = Average annual net sales (101 units) * (1 - Weighted average COGS %) = $1,032,298.85 * (1 - 0.3199301745300098) = $702,035.30. Average net profit is considered equivalent to average EBITDA ($88,401.12) as per the provided cost structure, which defines EBITDA as Net Sales minus Cost of Goods Sold, Labor Costs, and Controllable Costs. Best guess profit low and high are estimated using the average annual sales of the 101 units multiplied by the lowest (-2.8%) and highest (13.9%) EBITDA percentages observed across the tiers: Low estimate = $1,032,298.85 * -0.028 = -$28,904.37. High estimate = $1,032,298.85 * 0.139 = $143,409.54.

Extracted Item 19 Section

Avg. Revenue: $977,213

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How DONATOS PIZZA Compares

Key Insights

  • Lower investment than 80% of Fast Casual franchises
  • Higher than average SBA loan default rate in Fast Casual
FranchiseInvestmentFeeRoyaltyLocations
DONATOS PIZZA
Current
$250K – $750K$30K4.0%128
Tropical Smoothie Cafe$276K – $771K$35K6.0%1,650
TROPICAL SMOOTHIE CAFÉ$300K – $721K$35K6.0%1,371
FIREHOUSE SUBS RESTAURANTS (UNIT)$405K – $1.6M$20K6.0%1,249
Zaxby's$1.4M – $3.8M$35K6.0%826
Qdoba$548K – $1.3M$40K5.0%652
Fast Casual Average
112 franchises
$521K – $1.2M$38K5.6%

* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 112 Fast Casual franchises by location count.

Locations & Growth


Outlet Growth Over Time

Total outlets at end of each year

Geographic Distribution (2025)

Outlets by state across the United States

Top States
1OH
62
2IN
21
3KY
18
4SC
4
5GA
4
6FL
4
7AL
3
8TN
3
9TX
3
10OK
2
11PA
2
12VA
2
13WV
0

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SBA Loan History


Historical SBA 7(a) loan data for DONATOS PIZZA franchisees (20132023)

Total Loans
23
Average Loan
$441,548
Total Volume
$10.2M
Default Rate
0.0%

Loans by Year

SBA 7(a) loan activity over time

* Data sourced from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan records. Default rate calculated from charged-off loans.

23 SBA loans on record

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Franchisee Contacts

143 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.

143 Contacts Available

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Due Diligence


Litigation (Item 3)

Franchisee Cases1

Primarily misrepresentation claims related to financial performance and local marketing obligations, breach of contract, and violations of the Washington Franchise Investment Protection Act.

Bankruptcy (Item 4)

Bankruptcy HistoryNo
No bankruptcy history reported

System Health (Item 20)

Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year

Terminations
0
Non-Renewals
0
Reacquired
0
Ceased Ops
1
Transfers
7
Sold to Franchisees
0
Projected New
10

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Frequently Asked Questions

The total initial investment to open a DONATOS PIZZA franchise ranges from $250,000 to $750,000. This includes a franchise fee of $30,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 4.0% of gross sales.