Franchise opportunities compared
Donatos Pizza vs Shahs Halal
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 Shahs Halal 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, Shahs Halal: 4). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure |  Donatos Pizza |  Shahs Halal |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $546,637 – $1,090,537 2026 FDD · Item 7 | $192,000 – $450,000 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | Not available No single standard fee identified | Not available No single standard fee identified |
| Royalty (Item 6) | Not available No reviewed royalty record | 5% Royalty rate 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 17 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | 4% Cooperativemarketing maximum — 4% 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 19 | 1% Proprietary marketing fund — 1% 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 17 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 179 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 79 | Not available No reviewed outlet counts |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | −75 Calculated: 254 at end of 2023 → 179 at end of 2025 | Not available Only one year reported |
| 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 — 73 Shah’s Halal-branded U.S. restaurants, not owned in whole or in part or mana… $942,333 other Table 1 franchised U.S. restaurants not owned or managed · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 55 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Bottom 10 Shah’s Halal-branded restaurants operating in 2025 $440,120 other Table 3 bottom 10 restaurants average gross sales · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 55 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 15 Shah’s Halal-branded U.S. restaurants owned in whole or part or managed by S… 33.33 percent other Table 4 owned/managed restaurants · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 55 +1 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 Shahs Halal: common questions
- Which costs less to open, Donatos Pizza or Shahs Halal?
- Donatos Pizza: $546,637 – $1,090,537 (2026 FDD · Item 7); Shahs Halal: $192,000 – $450,000 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Shahs Halal. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
- Do Donatos Pizza and Shahs Halal disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
- Donatos Pizza has reviewed Item 19 figures for 11 location groups; Shahs Halal has reviewed Item 19 figures for 4 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.