East of Chicago PizzaFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A East of Chicago Pizza franchise requires a total initial investment of $218K – $701K, including a $20K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $675K[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 18.5% charge-off rate across 70 loans[1]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $218K – $701K
- 37th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $675K
- 19th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 13th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 66
- 68th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 18.5%
- system-wide median varies by category
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Quick-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchised units fell from 66 to 60 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $218K – $701K including a $20K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $675K/year (median $686K).
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 55/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 18.5% across 70 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- East of Chicago Pizza, LLC
- CEO title
- President
- Anthony Collins
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- OH
- HQ
- 121 West High Street, 12th Floor, Lima, OH 45801
- Auditor
- Reese CPA LLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $4.6M
- vs $4.6M prior year
Overview
About
Franchisees operate pizza restaurants offering dine-in, carryout, and delivery service, managing food inventory, kitchen staff, and customer service in their protected territory. Day-to-day operations include food preparation, point-of-sale management, staffing, and local marketing within territorial boundaries.
- CEO
- Anthony Collins
- Headquarters
- OH
- Founded
- 2010
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 6
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $20K | $20K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $20K | $35K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $178K | $646K |
| Total initial investment | $218K | $701K |
Source: East of Chicago Pizza 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$94K
14.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
19%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
5.2 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $218K – $701K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $20K – $35K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 3.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 3.0% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $2K |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $675K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $686K
- Item 19 type
- Average and Median Annual Sales
- Sample size
- 63 units
- vs category median 28 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $176K→$1.4M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $333K→$1.0M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · typical
Compared against 453 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How East of Chicago Pizza Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 66
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 1
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 1.5%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 97%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +1.6%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- +6.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 5
- Projected new
- 4
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 7.6%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Ceased ops
- 1.5%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 18 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 70
- Loan volume
- $9.4M
- Median loan
- $100K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 18.5%
- rates vary by category · see methodology
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- 81.1%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 0.0%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 19
- Defaults
- 10
Vintage analysis
East of Chicago Pizza charge-off rate by loan vintage
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into East of Chicago Pizza's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 10 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 4 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 20-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Stagnant growth, undisclosed profitability, recent competitive litigation, and vague financial metrics create meaningful execution risk for new franchisees.
Litigation (Item 3)
East of Chicago Pizza LLC v. EOC Pizza, LLC (3:22-cv-01604-JZ, U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio Toledo Division). Filed September 9, 2022. Franchisor sued franchisee for breach of franchise agreement, unauthorized competitive operation, and misuse of confidential information. Sought injunctive relief and monetary damages. No counterclaims filed. Settled April 10, 2023 requiring menu revision and cessation of similar signage/marketing.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Reese CPA LLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 55 / 100 rating
- 01MINORMinimal system growth (1.6% YoY) with only 66 units suggests market saturation or brand weakness
- 02MINORNo Item 19 (average net income) disclosure limits ability to assess true profitability despite $674K avg revenue
- 03HIGHRecent litigation (2022-2023) involving former franchisee operating competitive business raises IP protection and enforcement concerns
- 04MINORWide investment range ($217.5K–$701.2K) suggests inconsistent buildout costs or undefined support structure
- 05MINOR5% royalty on adjusted gross revenues creates ambiguity about what deductions are permitted before royalty calculation
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Lima, Ohio |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Ohio |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
East of Chicago Pizza LLC v. EOC Pizza, LLC (3:22-cv-01604-JZ, U.S. District Court Northern District of Ohio Toledo Division). Filed September 9, 2022. Franchisor sued franchisee for breach of franchise agreement, unauthorized competitive operation, and misuse of confidential information. Sought injunctive relief and monetary damages. No counterclaims filed. Settled April 10, 2023 requiring menu revision and cessation of similar signage/marketing.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 19 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 40 hrs
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 80 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 5 mo
- From signing to launch
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
80 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
East of Chicago Pizza · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a East of Chicago Pizza franchise?
The total investment to open a East of Chicago Pizza franchise ranges from $218K – $701K, with an initial franchise fee of $20K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do East of Chicago Pizza franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the East of Chicago Pizza FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $675K. The median is $686K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is East of Chicago Pizza's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, East of Chicago Pizza has a charge-off rate of 18.5% across 70 loans, meaning 18.5% of franchise loans were charged off. Charge-off rates are one proxy for franchise risk, though they do not capture all closures. This data comes from FOIA-sourced SBA lending records.
How many East of Chicago Pizza franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, East of Chicago Pizza has 66 total units in the United States, including 66 franchised units and 2 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is East of Chicago Pizza a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates East of Chicago Pizza as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 55 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.