Franchise opportunities compared
Donatos Pizza vs FIREHOUSE SUBS Restaurant
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.
Before you compare
- Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
- Donatos Pizza and FIREHOUSE SUBS Restaurant 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 (Donatos Pizza: 11, FIREHOUSE SUBS Restaurant: 40). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure |  Donatos Pizza | FSFIREHOUSE SUBS Restaurant |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $546,637 – $1,090,537 2026 FDD · Item 7 | $405,350 – $1,577,750 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | Not available No single standard fee identified | $20,000 2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 24 |
| Royalty (Item 6) | Not available No reviewed royalty record | 6% Royalty 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 29 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | 4% Cooperativemarketing maximum — 4% 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 19 | Not available No reviewed brand or advertising fund fee |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 179 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 79 | 1,291 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 81 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | −75 Calculated: 254 at end of 2023 → 179 at end of 2025 | +82 Calculated: 1,209 at end of 2023 → 1,291 at end of 2025 |
| Outlet exits (Item 20) | Not available No complete exit records for a year | Not available No complete exit records for a year |
| Franchising since (Item 1) | 1991 From a verified franchisor listing | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | 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 | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Firehouse Subs franchised Restaurants in the 2025 Section B sample, categorized… $288,440 other COGS · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 77 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Firehouse Subs franchised Restaurants in the 2025 Section B sample, categorized… 9.7 percent other Occupancy % · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 77 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Firehouse Subs franchised Restaurants in the 2025 Section B sample, categorized… 7.7 percent other Occupancy % · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 77 +37 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.
Donatos Pizza vs FIREHOUSE SUBS Restaurant: common questions
- Which costs less to open, Donatos Pizza or FIREHOUSE SUBS Restaurant?
- Donatos Pizza: $546,637 – $1,090,537 (2026 FDD · Item 7); FIREHOUSE SUBS Restaurant: $405,350 – $1,577,750 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for FIREHOUSE SUBS Restaurant. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
- Which has more locations, Donatos Pizza or FIREHOUSE SUBS Restaurant?
- Donatos Pizza: 179 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 79); FIREHOUSE SUBS Restaurant: 1,291 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 81). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
- Do Donatos Pizza and FIREHOUSE SUBS Restaurant disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
- Donatos Pizza has reviewed Item 19 figures for 11 location groups; FIREHOUSE SUBS Restaurant has reviewed Item 19 figures for 40 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.