Franchise opportunities compared

    Donatos Pizza vs Little Caesars

    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.

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Donatos Pizza

    $546,637 – $1,090,537

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Little Caesars

    Not available

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available

    Little Caesars

    $20,000

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 15

    Royalty · Item 6

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available

    Little Caesars

    6%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 18

    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.
    • Only Donatos Pizza has reviewed Item 19 figures here.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Donatos Pizza

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

    Little Caesars

    Not available
    No reviewed Item 7 total
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified

    Little Caesars

    $20,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 15
    Royalty (Item 6)

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available
    No reviewed royalty record

    Little Caesars

    6%
    Weekly royalty greater of 6% of Gross Sales or $300
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 18
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Donatos Pizza

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

    Little Caesars

    7%
    Advertising fee up to 7% of Gross Sales — 7%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 18

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Donatos Pizza

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

    Little Caesars

    4,374
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 74
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Donatos Pizza

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

    Little Caesars

    +3,799
    Calculated: 575 at end of 2023 → 4,374 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Little Caesars

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

    Donatos Pizza

    1991
    From a verified franchisor listing

    Little Caesars

    1962
    From a verified franchisor listing
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    Donatos Pizza

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Little Caesars

    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
    Little Caesars

    Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation

    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 Little Caesars: common questions

    Which has more locations, Donatos Pizza or Little Caesars?
    Donatos Pizza: 179 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 79); Little Caesars: 4,374 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 74). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Donatos Pizza and Little Caesars disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Donatos Pizza has reviewed Item 19 figures for 11 location groups; Little Caesars makes no Item 19 financial performance representation. 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

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