Godfather's PizzaFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Godfather's Pizza franchise requires a total initial investment of $711K – $1.3M, including a $25K franchise fee. The 2025 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). SBA 7(a) loans show a 18.4% charge-off rate across 51 loans[1]. Verdict grade: F. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $711K – $1.3M
- 91st pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 59th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 606
- 90th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- 18.4%
- 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
Franchising since 1974. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 599 to 592 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $711K – $1.3M including a $25K franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict F (Bottom Quintile) with a risk score of 88/100. SBA loan charge-off rate of 18.4% across 51 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2024).
- No Item 19 financial performance representation. Without franchisor-disclosed revenue data, you'll need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Godfather’s Pizza, Inc.
- Parent company
- Godfather’s Pizza, Inc.
- Predecessor
- or affiliate of GPI has offered franchises in any other line of business
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 2808 North 108th Street, Omaha, Nebraska 68164
- Auditor
- Lutz & Company, PC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $23.5M
- vs $24.1M prior year
Affiliated brands
- of GPI has offered franchises in any other line of business
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Franchisees operate traditional or non-traditional pizza restaurants (delivery, carryout, dine-in) under the Godfather's brand. Day-to-day operations include managing kitchen staff, managing inventory, handling customer orders, marketing locally, and maintaining food safety standards. Non-traditional models may operate in limited formats (kiosks, delivery-only) with lower overhead.
- CEO
- Ronald B. Gartlan
- Headquarters
- NE
- Founded
- 1973
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 38
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing · 14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Fee Area Agreement | $9K | $9K | |
| Initial Franchise Fee | $0 | $25K | |
| Site Submission Deposit | $3K | $3K | |
| Continuing Fee Deposit | $0 | $5K | |
| Advertising | $2K | $10K | |
| Equipment | $225K | $400K | |
| Opening Inventory | $34K | $73K | |
| Lease of Real Estate (3 months) | $12K | $50K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $300K | $500K | |
| Insurance | $9K | $29K | |
| Misc. Opening Costs | $13K | $13K | |
| Signs | $10K | $20K | |
| Initial Training | $5K | $8K | |
| Additional Funds (3 months) | $90K | $200K | |
| Total initial investment | $711K | $1.3M |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $711K – $1.3M
- Below avg, review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $90K – $200K
- Below avg, review vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- Greater of 6.5% of net sales or $350/week for Traditional…
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.5%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Training fee | $1K |
| Transfer fee | $5K |
| Renewal fee | $2K |
| Inventory (initial) | $34K – $73K |
| Total fee load | 8.5% of rev |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Godfather's Pizza Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 606
- Opened
- 27
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 21
- Turnover rate
- 3.5%
- Company-owned
- 14
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 98%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +1.0%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -1.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 2
- Closed (3yr)
- 12
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 7
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Ceased ops
- 2.0%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 20 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- California
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- New York
- North Dakota
- Rhode Island
- South Dakota
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 51
- Loan volume
- $14.5M
- Median loan
- $184K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 18.4%
- 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)
- 81.6%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 39
- Defaults
- 9
Vintage analysis
Godfather's 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 Godfather's 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 15 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 25-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
Godfather's Pizza presents meaningful risk: stagnant system growth, undisclosed financials, recent labor violations, and high capex with no earnings transparency.
Litigation (Item 3)
5 case reference(s): 0 pending, 4 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $24,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Lutz & Company, PC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 88 / 100 rating
- 01MINORStagnant unit growth (1.0% YoY on 606 units indicates system contraction, not expansion)
- 02MINORNo Item 19 disclosure (average revenue and net income withheld — prevents ROI validation)
- 03MEDHigh initial investment range ($711k-$1.34M) with no disclosed profit benchmarks to justify cost
- 04HIGHRecent labor litigation (2022 FLSA class action settled Aug 2025 for $24k — suggests systemic compliance issues with wage/reimbursement practices)
- 05MINORUnprotected territory (franchisees compete directly with other Godfather's locations; no exclusivity)
- 06MINORWeak royalty floor ($150-350/week minimum may indicate struggling franchisees below threshold)
- 07MINOR5-year term only (shorter commitment period suggests franchisor expects higher turnover)
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 | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Protected territory | No |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 9 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | Nebraska |
| Litigation count | 1 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
5 case reference(s): 0 pending, 4 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 47 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 129 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Site selection
- franchisor
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
82 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Godfather's Pizza · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Godfather's Pizza franchise?
The total investment to open a Godfather's Pizza franchise ranges from $711K – $1.3M, with an initial franchise fee of $25K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Godfather's Pizza franchise owners earn?
Godfather's Pizza does not disclose average franchise owner earnings in their FDD Item 19. Not all franchisors are required to make financial performance representations. We recommend asking existing franchisees directly about their financial experience.
What is Godfather's Pizza's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Godfather's Pizza has a charge-off rate of 18.4% across 51 loans, meaning 18.4% 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 Godfather's Pizza franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Godfather's Pizza has 606 total units in the United States, including 599 franchised units and 14 company-owned units. 27 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Godfather's Pizza a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Godfather's Pizza as a F-grade franchise with a risk score of 88 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.
For franchisors
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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.