Giordano's franchise
2026 filing · April 22, 2026Fewer locationsShares sales figures
Giordano's at a glance
A Chicago-style pizzeria known for stuffed deep-dish pizza, in full-service or limited-service formats. At the end of 2025 there were 56 Giordano's locations in the US, 32 franchised and 24 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- VPC Pizza Franchise, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 1980
- 46 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Chicago, Illinois
- Typical size
- 900–4,500 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.59M–$2.09M
- Full-service restaurant
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 6%
- A continuing license fee of 6% of gross revenues, paid weekly, plus an advertising fee of up to 3% (currently 2%)
- Brand fund
- 2%
- 2% of gross revenue, paid weekly; it can rise to 3%
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- 15% of then-current Initial Franchise Fee.
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 56
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 32
- Company-owned
- 24
- Change in 3 years
- −4
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 8
- Most in Illinois, Indiana and Florida
From VPC Pizza Franchise, LLC’s 2026 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 186; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Franchisor revenue is the company that sells the franchises (royalties, fees and anything else it earns), not what a location makes.
Where it ranks
Giordano's among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Giordano's | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,838,000 | Costs more than 91% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 6% | Higher than 35% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 56 | More than 66% of franchises |
How much a Giordano's franchise costs
Opening full-service restaurant costs an estimated $1,590,000 to $2,086,000. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($868,000 to $1,116,000) and furniture, fixtures, equipment & fees ($566,000 to $727,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $40,000 | ||
| Leasehold Improvements | $868,000 | $1,116,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures, Equipment & Fees | $566,000 | $727,000 | |
| Initial Inventory | $11,000 | $23,000 | |
| Security Deposits and Advance Rent | $20,000 | $30,000 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $20,000 | ||
| Miscellaneous Start-Up Costs | $50,000 | $100,000 | |
| Additional Funds -3 Months | $15,000 | $30,000 | |
| Total | $1,590,000 | $2,086,000 | |
Source: VPC Pizza Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 18
Giordano's franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: VPC Pizza Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 13
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | A continuing license fee of 6% of gross revenues, paid weekly, plus an advertising fee of up to 3% (currently 2%). |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2% of gross revenue, paid weekly; it can rise to 3%. |
| Transfer Fee | 50% of the then-current Initial Franchise Fee. |
| Renewal Fee | 15% of then-current Initial Franchise Fee. |
| Local Advertising | Minimum of $1,000 per month. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: VPC Pizza Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 14
Other fees as filed, from pages 14–15. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Giordano's publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: VPC Pizza Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 46
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1.3M–$2.3M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2025 / 2023–2025. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Giordano's | Typical pizza brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | 0% / −11% | 0% / −3% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 3.1% / 19% | 2.8% / 9.1% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical pizza brand is the median of the 49 brands in pizza franchises with three years of counts.
How Giordano's compares
Of the 122 pizza franchises on this site, Giordano's is the 119th cheapest to open and the 35th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Giordano's | Typical pizza brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.59M | $349K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $2.09M | $787K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $30K | $40K |
| Royalty | 6% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2% | 1.9% | 2% |
| US locations | 56 | 26 | 21 |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 63 of 122 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 122 brands in pizza franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 33 (−3) | 29 | +1 | −4 |
| 2024 | 32 (−1) | 28 | +1 | −2 |
| 2025 | 32 (0) | 24 | +1 | −1 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. Company-owned restaurants are owned and operated by the franchisor's affiliates.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: pizza franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: VPC Pizza Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 50
Where Giordano's locations are
At the end of 2025, Giordano's had locations in 8 states. The most are in Illinois, Indiana and Florida.
- Illinois42
- Indiana4
- Florida3
- Nevada2
- Ohio2
- Colorado1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | 26 | 16 | 42 |
| Indiana | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Florida | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Nevada | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Ohio | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Colorado | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Iowa | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Minnesota | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Source: VPC Pizza Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, page 51
Who owns Giordano's?
Giordano's franchises are sold by VPC Pizza Franchise, LLC. It is a subsidiary of VPC Pizza Intermediate LLC.
From VPC Pizza Franchise, LLC’s 2026 filing, page 8.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: VPC Pizza Franchise, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 12, bankruptcy on page 13
Giordano's filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from VPC Pizza Franchise, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued April 22, 2026; the earlier ones below are on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository and the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 22, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2025 filing | April 25, 2025 | Minnesota | Replaced by the 2026 filing |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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