Franopolis
    vs

    Franchise opportunities compared

    Donatos Pizza vs Hardees Restaurants

    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.

    Donatos Pizza2026 FDDHardees Restaurants2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Donatos Pizza

    $546,637 – $1,090,537

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Hardees Restaurants

    $198,000

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 39

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available

    Hardees Restaurants

    $25,000

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 28

    Royalty · Item 6

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available

    Hardees Restaurants

    3% · i) — 3%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 38

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Donatos Pizza discloses 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, Hardees Restaurants: 2). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Donatos Pizza

    $546,637 – $1,090,537
    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Hardees Restaurants

    $198,000
    00 $250,000 As arranged As incurred Vendors, HR Total Preliminary Operating Expenses — 198000
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 39
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    Hardees Restaurants

    $25,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 28
    Royalty (Item 6)

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record

    Hardees Restaurants

    3% · i) — 3%
    ment and Franchised Agreement, we will reduce each of the royalty fee and APO by
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 38
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Donatos Pizza

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

    Hardees Restaurants

    4.25% of “hnaf”) currently, — 4.25%
    d by the Franchise Agreement. Hardee’s National Advertising Fund
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 31

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Donatos Pizza

    179
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 79

    Hardees Restaurants

    198
    Outlets at end of 2026
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 77
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Donatos Pizza

    +52
    Calculated: 127 at end of 2023 → 179 at end of 2025

    Hardees Restaurants

    −6
    Calculated: 204 at end of 2024 → 198 at end of 2026
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Hardees Restaurants

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

    Donatos Pizza

    1991
    From a verified franchisor listing

    Hardees Restaurants

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Hardees Restaurants

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    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
    Hardees Restaurants
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — USfreestandingHardee’s
    88 restaurants
    other Company-owned
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 75
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — USfreestandingHardee’s
    50.1 percent
    other Franchised
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 75

    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 Hardees Restaurants: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Donatos Pizza or Hardees Restaurants?
    Donatos Pizza: $546,637 – $1,090,537 (2026 FDD · Item 7); Hardees Restaurants: $198,000 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 39). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Hardees Restaurants. 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 Hardees Restaurants?
    Donatos Pizza: 179 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 79); Hardees Restaurants: 198 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 77). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Donatos Pizza and Hardees Restaurants disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Donatos Pizza has reviewed Item 19 figures for 11 location groups; Hardees Restaurants has reviewed Item 19 figures for 2 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 Donatos Pizza report

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

    Full Hardees Restaurants report

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

    Compare Donatos Pizza with

    Compare Hardees Restaurants with

    Add a third brand

    Compare up to four side by side

    Explore by brand

    Filter every published report

    FDD glossary

    Plain-language meaning of each Item