Hot Box Pizza franchise
2026 filing · April 13, 2026Growing
Hot Box Pizza at a glance
A pizza store offering dine-in, takeout and delivery of specialty and custom pizzas, breadstix and dipping sauces. At the end of 2025 there were 21 Hot Box Pizza locations in the US, 16 franchised and 5 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Hot Box Pizza Franchising, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Typical size
- 1,400–2,600 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $223K–$613K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $35,000
- $28,000 for a second or later franchise
- Royalty
- 4.5%
- 4.5% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 2.5% to the marketing fund and at least 1.5% on local advertising
- Brand fund
- 2.5%
- 2.5% of gross sales, paid weekly
- Agreement length
- 5 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 21
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 16
- Company-owned
- 5
- Change in 2 years
- +1
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 1
- Most in Indiana
From Hot Box Pizza Franchising, LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Hot Box Pizza among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Hot Box Pizza | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $417,725 | Costs more than 56% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $35,000 | Lower than 61% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 4.5% | Lower than 92% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 21 | More than 50% of franchises |
How much a Hot Box Pizza franchise costs
Opening one Hot Box Pizza costs an estimated $222,725 to $612,725. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
Source: Hot Box Pizza Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 12
Hot Box Pizza franchise fee
The franchise fee is $35,000, $28,000 for a second or later franchise. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Hot Box Pizza Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 8
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 4.5% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 2.5% to the marketing fund and at least 1.5% on local advertising. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 2.5% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
| Technology Fee | Currently, $225 |
| Transfer Fee | $10,000 |
| Substitute or New Manager Training/Additional Training | Currently, $600 per day, plus your expenses in attending |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Hot Box Pizza Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 9
Other fees as filed, from pages 9–10. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Hot Box 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: Hot Box Pizza Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 34
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $700K–$1.3M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
SBA loans to Hot Box Pizza franchisees
Lenders approved 2 SBA 7(a) loans for Hot Box Pizza franchisees from 2015 to 2016, $560K in all. All 2 that have ended were paid in full; none was charged off.
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 Hot Box Pizza compares
Of the 122 pizza franchises on this site, Hot Box Pizza is the 30th cheapest to open and the 60th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Hot Box Pizza | Typical pizza brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $223K | $349K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $613K | $787K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $35K | $30K | $40K |
| Royalty | 4.5% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 2.5% | 1.9% | 2% |
| US locations | 21 | 26 | 21 |
| Closed or left per year | 3.1% | 3.1% | – |
| Change in franchised locations, 2 yrs | +6.7% | 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 | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 16 (+1) | 7 | – | – |
| 2024 | 15 (−1) | 7 | 0 | −1 |
| 2025 | 16 (+1) | 5 | +1 | 0 |
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: Hot Box Pizza Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 35
Where Hot Box Pizza locations are
At the end of 2025, Hot Box Pizza had locations in 1 state. The most are in Indiana.
- Indiana21
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indiana | 16 | 5 | 21 |
Source: Hot Box Pizza Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, page 36
Who owns Hot Box Pizza?
Hot Box Pizza franchises are sold by Hot Box Pizza Franchising, LLC.
From Hot Box Pizza Franchising, LLC’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 page 8. |
|---|---|
| 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: Hot Box Pizza Franchising, LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 8, bankruptcy on page 8
Hot Box Pizza filings
The figures on this page come from Hot Box Pizza Franchising, LLC’s 2026 filing, issued April 13, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | April 13, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other pizza franchises
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Hot Box Pizza is also on these lists: restaurant franchises, food franchises.