Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff KitchenFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen franchise requires a total initial investment of $63K – $173K. The 2024 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). Verdict grade: D. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2024 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $63K – $173K
- 2nd pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- 28th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 752
- 48th pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Full-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 1994. Systems this mature have refined operations and brand recognition.
Franchised units fell from 903 to 752 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $63K – $173K including a $0 franchise fee.
- No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. The franchisor chose not to publish revenue figures.
- Verdict D (Below Average) with a risk score of 77/100.
- System contracting at -16.7% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- ORION FOOD SYSTEMS, LLC
- Parent company
- Performance Manufacturing, LLC
- Predecessor
- is Orion Food Systems
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- SD
- HQ
- 2930 West Maple Street, Sioux Falls, South Dakota 57107
- Auditor
- Deloitte & Touche LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $58.3B
- vs $57.3B prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Independent Franchisee Association
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Overview
About
Hot Stuff Pizza franchisees operate quick-service or casual pizza restaurants, managing daily food prep, customer service, delivery logistics, and staffing. Operators handle order fulfillment, quality control, and local marketing with minimal ongoing franchisor fees or support infrastructure.
- CEO
- Raden Smith
- Headquarters
- SD
- Founded
- 1993
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 39
FDD Item 7 · 2024 filing · 10 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Training Expenses | $6K | $11K | |
| Leasehold Installation | $2K | $7K | |
| Equipment, Fixtures and Furnishings including OLM Installation Assistance | $20K | $72K | |
| Opening Inventory | $5K | $16K | |
| Security Deposits, Utility Deposits, Business Licenses and other Prepaid Expenses | — | — | |
| Insurance | $2K | $5K | |
| Additional Funds (for the first three months' of operations) | $26K | $51K | |
| Contractor Expenses | $3K | $10K | |
| Grand Opening Kit | $500 | $500 | |
| RightBytes Essentials License Fee | $597 | $597 | |
| Total initial investment | $63K | $173K |
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
- $63K – $173K
- Better than avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $26K – $51K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- N/A
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- no royalty or other continuing fee is required
- Ad fund
- -n/d
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Technology fee | $199 |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $16K |
Financial Performance
This franchisor did not disclose financial performance representations in Item 19, or our extractor could not parse them.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 752
- Opened
- 24
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 95
- Turnover rate
- 12.6%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -8.6%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -16.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 30
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 2,011
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 12 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
- Indiana
- Michigan
- 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 loan disclosures. This brand has only 7 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 7
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Hot Stuff Pizza presents HIGH RISK due to system contraction, missing financial performance data, lack of territorial protection, and unclear franchisor financial health, despite low entry cost.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Deloitte & Touche LLP
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: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 77 / 100 rating
- 01MINORSystem declining 8.6% YoY with 752 units suggesting market saturation or franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02MINORNo financial disclosure (Item 19) — average revenue and net income not provided, making ROI assessment impossible
- 03MINORZero franchise fee with no royalties is unusual and may indicate weak franchisor support model or inability to enforce standards
- 04MINORNo protected territory combined with declining unit count creates oversaturation risk and direct franchisee competition
- 05MINOR5-year term is shorter than industry standard (10 years), limiting franchisee ability to recoup $63K-$173K investment
- 06HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE — ambiguous language suggesting potential financial instability of franchisor
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 |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Protected territory | No |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Termination notice | 60 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | South Dakota |
| Litigation count | 0 |
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 8 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 39 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Franchisor financing
- Offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- RightBytes System
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: RightBytes System
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
99 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen · FDD (2024) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen franchise?
The total investment to open a Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen franchise ranges from $63K – $173K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen franchise owners earn?
Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen 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 Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen has 752 total units in the United States, including 903 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 24 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen as a D-grade franchise with a risk score of 77 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
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Claim this brandOther Full-Service Restaurants franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Full-Service Restaurants category
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.