Pieology franchise
2024 filing · March 29, 2024Fewer locations
Pieology at a glance
A fast-casual pizza restaurant baking custom-made pizzas to order. At the end of 2023 there were 109 Pieology locations in the US, 101 franchised and 8 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Pieology Franchise, LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2012
- 12 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Irvine, California
- Typical size
- 1,800–3,000 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $304K–$808K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $25,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of weekly gross sales
- Agreement length
- 10 years
- Territory
- Protected
- Protected territory
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2023
- 109
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 101
- Company-owned
- 8
- Change in 3 years
- −15
- Franchised locations, 2021–2023
- States
- 12
- Most in California, Florida and Texas
Support and records
From Pieology Franchise, LLC’s 2024 filing; revenue and net income from its audited financial statements, page 179; 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
Pieology among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Pieology | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $555,750 | Costs more than 68% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $25,000 | Lower than 82% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 109 | More than 78% of franchises |
How much a Pieology franchise costs
Opening one Pieology costs an estimated $304,000 to $807,500. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are construction, remodeling, leasehold ($100,000 to $337,000) and fixed assets, furniture, fixtures, and equipment ($75,000 to $200,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $25,000 | ||
| Initial Training Fee | $15,000 | ||
| Construction, Remodeling, Leasehold | $100,000 | $337,000 | |
| Fixed Assets, Furniture, Fixtures, and Equipment | $75,000 | $200,000 | |
| Signage | $10,000 | $35,000 | |
| Computer System | $15,000 | $20,000 | |
| Three Months’ Rent | $20,000 | $45,000 | |
| Security Deposit | $0 | $30,000 | |
| Opening Inventory and Supplies | $8,000 | $15,000 | |
| Pre-Opening Advertising | $10,000 | $20,000 | |
| Training Expenses (for all trainees) | $6,000 | $15,500 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $20,000 | $50,000 | |
| Total | $304,000 | $807,500 | |
Source: Pieology Franchise, LLC, 2024 filing, page 19
Pieology franchise fee
The franchise fee is $25,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Pieology Franchise, LLC, 2024 filing, page 12
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of weekly gross sales. |
|---|---|
| Transfer Fee | $1,000 for non- |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Pieology Franchise, LLC, 2024 filing, page 13
Other fees as filed, from page 15. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
No figures Pieology 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: Pieology Franchise, LLC, 2024 filing, page 58
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $650K–$900K
Estimated from the royalties the franchisor collected in 2023 at its 5% royalty rate, over about 106 franchised locations.
Source: Pieology Franchise, LLC, 2024 filing, page 179
SBA loans to Pieology franchisees
Lenders approved 23 SBA 7(a) loans for Pieology franchisees from 2014 to 2022, $12.5M in all. All 21 that have ended were paid in full; none was charged off. The other 2 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
Growth and closures
Share of franchised locations, 2023 / 2021–2023. Typical means the median: half of brands are above it, half below.
| Measure | Pieology | Typical pizza brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| GrowthNet change in franchised locations | −8.2% / −13% | 0% / −3% | +1.2% / +10% |
| ClosuresTerminated, not renewed or stopped operating | 10% / 16% | 2.8% / 9.1% | 3.9% / 16% |
| Bought backLocations the franchisor took back | 0% / 5.2% | 0% / 0% | 0% / 0% |
Typical pizza brand is the median of the 49 brands in pizza franchises with three years of counts.
How Pieology compares
Of the 122 pizza franchises on this site, Pieology is the 49th cheapest to open and the 21st largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Pieology | Typical pizza brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $304K | $349K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $808K | $787K | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $25K | $30K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| US locations | 109 | 26 | 21 |
| 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 111 (−5) | 5 | +2 | −7 |
| 2022 | 110 (−1) | 9 | +5 | −6 |
| 2023 | 101 (−9) | 8 | +2 | −11 |
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: Pieology Franchise, LLC, 2024 filing, page 58
Where Pieology locations are
At the end of 2023, Pieology had locations in 13 states and territories. The most are in California, Florida and Texas.
- California69
- Florida7
- Texas7
- Arizona5
- Hawaii5
- Nevada4
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | 62 | 7 | 69 |
| Florida | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Texas | 7 | 0 | 7 |
| Arizona | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Hawaii | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| Nevada | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Alabama | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Connecticut | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Guam | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| North Carolina | 2 | 0 | 2 |
Source: Pieology Franchise, LLC, 2024 filing, page 59
Who owns Pieology?
Pieology franchises are sold by Pieology Franchise, LLC. It is a subsidiary of Little Brown Box Pizza, LLC.
From Pieology Franchise, LLC’s 2024 filing, page 10.
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: Pieology Franchise, LLC, 2024 filing, litigation on page 12, bankruptcy on page 12
Pieology filings
The figures on this page come from Pieology Franchise, LLC’s 2024 filing, issued March 29, 2024, on record with the Minnesota Department of Commerce.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 filing | March 29, 2024 | Minnesota | Costs, fees and locations, 2021–2023 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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