Franopolis
    vs

    Franchise opportunities compared

    Papa John’s Pizza vs Wingstop

    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.

    Papa John’s Pizza2026 FDDWingstop2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Papa John’s Pizza

    $125,000 – $890,267

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Wingstop

    $310,400 – $1,048,500

    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 22

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Papa John’s Pizza

    $5,000

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 14

    Wingstop

    $25,000

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 13

    Royalty · Item 6

    Papa John’s Pizza

    5%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16

    Wingstop

    6%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • Papa John’s 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 (Papa John’s Pizza: 15, Wingstop: 5). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Papa John’s Pizza

    $125,000 – $890,267
    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Wingstop

    $310,400 – $1,048,500
    Total initial investment, excluding real estate
    2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 22
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Papa John’s Pizza

    $5,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 14

    Wingstop

    $25,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 13
    Royalty (Item 6)

    Papa John’s Pizza

    5%
    Traditional royalty rate
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16

    Wingstop

    6%
    Royalty
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Papa John’s Pizza

    25%
    Nontraditional/Small-Town marketing fund portion of standard rate — 25%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 17

    Wingstop

    $5,000
    Transfer marketing expenditure
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 19

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Papa John’s Pizza

    3,291
    Outlets at end of 2024
    2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 81

    Wingstop

    2,586
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 67
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Papa John’s Pizza

    +111
    Calculated: 3,180 at end of 2022 → 3,291 at end of 2024

    Wingstop

    +660
    Calculated: 1,926 at end of 2023 → 2,586 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Papa John’s Pizza

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    Wingstop

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

    Papa John’s Pizza

    1986
    From a verified franchisor listing

    Wingstop

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

    Papa John’s Pizza

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Wingstop

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    Papa John’s Pizza
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Standard company-owned restaurants, 2024
    25,338 $
    other Weekly per-store Corporate average
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 74
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Standard franchised restaurants, 2023
    21,411 $
    other Weekly per-store Franchised median
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 74
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Standard franchised restaurants
    19,598 $
    other Weekly per-store Franchised median
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 74
    +12 more groups in the full report
    Wingstop
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — All Wingstop Restaurants in the U.S. open entire 2025 Measured Period, franchis…
    55 restaurants
    other Systemwide WRI-owned count
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 65
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — WRI-owned Wingstop Restaurants open entire 2025 Measured Period
    $4,038,428
    other WRI-owned highest annual net sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 66
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchised Wingstop Restaurants open entire 2025 Measured Period
    $1,890,866
    other Franchised median annual net sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 65
    +2 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.

    Papa John’s Pizza vs Wingstop: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Papa John’s Pizza or Wingstop?
    Papa John’s Pizza: $125,000 – $890,267 (2026 FDD · Item 7); Wingstop: $310,400 – $1,048,500 (2026 FDD · Item 7 · PDF p. 22). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for Papa John’s Pizza. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    How do Papa John’s Pizza and Wingstop royalties compare?
    Papa John’s Pizza: 5% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 16); Wingstop: 6% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 14). Royalties as disclosed in Item 6; other recurring fees are listed separately.
    Which has more locations, Papa John’s Pizza or Wingstop?
    Papa John’s Pizza: 3,291 (2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 81); Wingstop: 2,586 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 67). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Papa John’s Pizza and Wingstop disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Papa John’s Pizza has reviewed Item 19 figures for 15 location groups; Wingstop has reviewed Item 19 figures for 5 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 Papa John’s Pizza report

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

    Full Wingstop report

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

    Compare Papa John’s Pizza with

    Compare Wingstop 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