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    Franchise opportunities compared

    A&W Restaurants, Inc. vs Donatos Pizza

    Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.

    A&W Restaurants, Inc.2026 FDDDonatos Pizza2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    A&W Restaurants, Inc.

    $424,130 – $1,640,034

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Donatos Pizza

    $546,637 – $1,090,537

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    A&W Restaurants, Inc.

    $30,000

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 9

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    A&W Restaurants, Inc.

    Not available

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • A&W Restaurants, Inc. and Donatos Pizza disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
    • Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (A&W Restaurants, Inc.: 11, Donatos Pizza: 11). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    A&W Restaurants, Inc.

    $424,130 – $1,640,034
    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Donatos Pizza

    $546,637 – $1,090,537
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    A&W Restaurants, Inc.

    $30,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 9

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified
    Royalty (Item 6)

    A&W Restaurants, Inc.

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    A&W Restaurants, Inc.

    5%
    tive agreements entered into with A&W or any affiliate. Advertising Fee 1, 2, 3 — 5 — 5%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 11

    Donatos Pizza

    1%
    Nationalmarketingcurrent NetSales — 1%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 18

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    A&W Restaurants, Inc.

    Not available
    No reviewed outlet counts

    Donatos Pizza

    179
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 79
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    A&W Restaurants, Inc.

    Not available
    Only one year reported

    Donatos Pizza

    +52
    Calculated: 127 at end of 2023 → 179 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    A&W Restaurants, Inc.

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)

    A&W Restaurants, Inc.

    1925
    From a verified franchisor listing

    Donatos Pizza

    1991
    From a verified franchisor listing
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    A&W Restaurants, Inc.

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    A&W Restaurants, Inc.
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Freestanding drive-thru Second Quartile (15 Restaurants)
    $1,537,678
    other Freestanding drive-thru Second Quartile
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 47
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Freestanding drive-thru All Reporting Freestanding Restaurants (59 Restaurants)
    $3,035,900
    other Freestanding drive-thru All Reporting Freestanding Restaurants
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 47
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Freestanding drive-thru Third Quartile (15 Restaurants)
    $1,214,671
    other Freestanding drive-thru Third Quartile
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 47
    +8 more groups in the full report
    Donatos Pizza
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — All covered
    $2,492,132
    other All covered High
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 73
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Company-owned
    $2,384,141
    other Company-owned High
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 73
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchise-owned
    $2,476,922
    other Franchise-owned High
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 74
    +8 more groups in the full report

    Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.

    A&W Restaurants, Inc. vs Donatos Pizza: common questions

    Which costs less to open, A&W Restaurants, Inc. or Donatos Pizza?
    A&W Restaurants, Inc.: $424,130 – $1,640,034 (2026 FDD · Item 7); Donatos Pizza: $546,637 – $1,090,537 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for A&W Restaurants, Inc.. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    Do A&W Restaurants, Inc. and Donatos Pizza disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    A&W Restaurants, Inc. has reviewed Item 19 figures for 11 location groups; Donatos Pizza has reviewed Item 19 figures for 11 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

    Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

    How Franopolis reviews FDD figures

    Keep researching

    Full A&W Restaurants, Inc. report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

    Full Donatos Pizza report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

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