Godfather's Pizza franchise
2026 filing · January 16, 2026
Godfather's Pizza at a glance
A pizza restaurant serving thick-crust pizzas, buffets and carryout for families. At the end of 2025 there were 606 Godfather's Pizza locations in the US, 592 franchised and 14 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Godfather’s Pizza, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 1974
- 52 years of selling franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $711K–$1.34M
- Traditional restaurant
- Franchise fee
- $25,000
- Up to $25,000 for a traditional restaurant; less for delivery/carryout and non-traditional locations.
- Royalty
- 3.25% + 3.25% service fee
- 3.25% of net sales (at least $175 a week) as a royalty, plus a service fee of 3.25% of net sales (at least $175 a week), paid weekly
- Brand fund
- Yes
- Up to 2% of net sales, paid weekly
- Agreement length
- 5 years
- Franchisor financing
- Some financing offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 606
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 592
- Company-owned
- 14
- States
- 38
- Most in Iowa, Illinois and Oklahoma
Support and records
- Initial training
- 2 programs
- Quick-service restaurant training: 17 hours in class and 29 on the job; Full-service restaurant training: 30 hours in class and 100 on the job
- Lawsuits disclosed
- Yes
- Bankruptcy disclosed
- None
- Franchisor revenue, 2025
- $24.1M
- The company, not one location
- Franchisor net income
- $2.15M
- Latest filing
- Jan 16, 2026
- 2026 filing
From Godfather’s Pizza, Inc’s 2026 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 148; 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
Godfather's Pizza among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Godfather's Pizza | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $1,027,895 | Costs more than 84% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $25,000 | Lower than 82% of franchises |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 606 | More than 95% of franchises |
How much a Godfather's Pizza franchise costs
Opening traditional restaurant costs an estimated $711,450 to $1,344,340. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($300,000 to $500,000) and equipment ($225,000 to $400,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Fee | $9,000 | ||
| Initial Franchise Fee | $0 | $25,000 | |
| Site Submission Deposit | $3,000 | ||
| Continuing Fee Deposit | $0 | $5,000 | |
| Advertising | $2,000 | $10,000 | |
| Equipment | $225,000 | $400,000 | |
| Opening Inventory | $34,000 | $73,000 | |
| Lease of Real Estate (3 months) | $12,000 | $50,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $300,000 | $500,000 | |
| Insurance | $9,450 | $29,040 | |
| Misc. Opening Costs | $12,500 | ||
| Signs | $10,000 | $20,000 | |
| Initial Training | $4,500 | $7,800 | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $90,000 | $200,000 | |
| Total | $711,450 | $1,344,340 | |
Source: Godfather’s Pizza, Inc, 2026 filing, page 15
Godfather's Pizza franchise fee
The franchise fee is $25,000, Up to $25,000 for a traditional restaurant; less for delivery/carryout and non-traditional locations.. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Godfather’s Pizza, Inc, 2026 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 3.25% of net sales (at least $175 a week) as a royalty, plus a service fee of 3.25% of net sales (at least $175 a week), paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Up to 2% of net sales, paid weekly. |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Godfather’s Pizza, Inc, 2026 filing, page 12
Sales and earnings
No figures Godfather's Pizza does not share sales or profit figures for its locations. Talking to current and former franchise owners is the usual way to learn what a location earns.
Source: Godfather’s Pizza, Inc, 2026 filing, page 46
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1M–$1.8M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Godfather's Pizza franchisees
Lenders approved 60 SBA-backed loans for Godfather's Pizza franchisees from 1990 to 2026, $22M in all: 53 7(a) loans and 7 504 loans. Of the 56 that have ended, 46 were paid in full and 10 were charged off (17.9%). The other 4 haven’t ended yet.
A charged-off loan is one written off as uncollectible. See SBA franchise loans for how 7(a) and 504 loans work.
Source: SBA 7(a) and 504 loan data, as of September 30, 2026
How Godfather's Pizza compares
Of the 122 pizza franchises on this site, Godfather's Pizza is the 97th cheapest to open and the 9th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Godfather's Pizza | Typical pizza brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $711K | $349K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $1.34M | $787K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $25K | $30K | $40K |
| US locations | 606 | 26 | 21 |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | −0.5% | 0% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | No | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 599 (+4) | 9 |
| 2024 | 586 (−13) | 12 |
| 2025 | 592 (+6) | 14 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: pizza franchise costs and franchise failure rates.
Source: Godfather’s Pizza, Inc, 2026 filing, page 46
Where Godfather's Pizza locations are
At the end of 2025, Godfather's Pizza had locations in 38 states. The most are in Iowa, Illinois and Oklahoma.
- Iowa88
- Illinois52
- Oklahoma50
- Nebraska46
- Indiana40
- Missouri38
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iowa | 84 | 4 | 88 |
| Illinois | 52 | 0 | 52 |
| Oklahoma | 50 | 0 | 50 |
| Nebraska | 42 | 4 | 46 |
| Indiana | 40 | 0 | 40 |
| Missouri | 38 | 0 | 38 |
| Kentucky | 34 | 0 | 34 |
| Texas | 33 | 0 | 33 |
| South Dakota | 24 | 1 | 25 |
| Minnesota | 24 | 0 | 24 |
All 38 states
Source: Godfather’s Pizza, Inc, 2026 filing, page 49
Who owns Godfather's Pizza?
Godfather's Pizza franchises are sold by Godfather’s Pizza, Inc.
From Godfather’s Pizza, Inc’s 2026 filing.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | Yes. The filing describes past or pending cases involving the franchisor, its affiliates or its executives on pages 9–10. |
|---|---|
| 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: Godfather’s Pizza, Inc, 2026 filing, litigation on pages 9–10, bankruptcy on page 10
Godfather's Pizza filings
The figures on this page come from Godfather’s Pizza, Inc’s 2026 filing, issued January 16, 2026, on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | January 16, 2026 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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