Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
- Investment
- $63K – $173K
- Disclosed sales
- not disclosed
- SBA charge-off
- Under 10 loans (7)
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Hot Stuff Pizza is a franchise offering pizza and hot foods, often as a counter inside convenience stores and other host locations. Franchisees run a compact pizza operation managing prep, order fulfillment, and staffing with light franchisor overhead.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen franchise requires a total initial investment of $63K – $173K. This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Sources, dates and evidence
FDD issued: 2024 filing · Data extracted: · Last cited check: · Staleness risk: high - figures are from a filing two or more years old
Evidence: strong✓ Investment (Item 7)✓ Item 19 status✓ Units and owners (Item 20)✗ SBA loan coverage✓ Litigation (Item 3)✓ Financial statements (Item 21)✓ Franchisor identityhow this is scored2 of 2 headline figures on this page cite a page of the filing.
Overview
- Investment
- $63K – $173K
- 2nd pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- Not extracted
- Units
- 752
- 37th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Full-Service Restaurants median · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- COSTTotal investment $63K – $173K.
- RETURNSThis franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 51/100 (higher is better).
- GROWTHNegative: net -71 franchised outlets in the latest year (24 opened, 95 closed); 3 signed but not yet open (Item 20).
- DECLINESystem 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
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- ORION FOOD SYSTEMS, LLC
- Parent company
- Performance Manufacturing, LLC
- FDD Item 1, page 6 of the 2024 FDD
- Ultimate parent
- Performance Food Group Company
- Predecessor
- Orion Food Systems, Inc. (OFSI)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President
- Raden Smith
- 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
- CEO
- Raden Smith
- Headquarters
- SD
- Founded
- 1994
- FDD year
- 2024
- States available
- 39
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 83% below the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown10 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
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $26K – $51K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- N/A
- Paid to franchisor at signing
- Royalty
- No royalty or other continuing fee required under standar…
- Ad fund
- No advertising fund; franchisees pay $150/quarter for mar…
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Technology fee | $199 |
| Training fee | $6K |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $16K |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. The return models need a revenue figure to start from, and the operating costs that turn gross sales into a profit are in no FDD. Enter your own and the calculator runs on your assumptions — nothing here is modelled until you do.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen unit return on the cash you put in?
Illustrative category typicals — not sourced to any filing, survey or sample. Replace them with figures from franchisee validation calls before you rely on the output.
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Your modelled return on total invested capital, before any debt financing.
—
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for annual revenue, royalty rate, ad fund rate, COGS, labour, rent / occupancy and other operating costs, and will not substitute an assumed one. Enter your own and the model runs on your assumptions.
These models are for research and scenario planning only. Not investment advice. Actual results depend on your specific location, management, and market conditions. Consult a franchise attorney and accountant before signing any franchise agreement.
Item 19 · Source: 2024 FDD
Financial Performance
No financial performance representation
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that.
Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Disclosure
This franchisor makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD. Item 19 is voluntary under the FTC Franchise Rule, and this filing states that it makes none, so no revenue or earnings figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Operator retention
System contracting at -16.7% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Full-Service Restaurants medians
How Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen Compares
Category median of published Full-Service Restaurants brands that report the figure; the middle half spans the 25th to 75th percentile and n counts the brands behind it. Medians are used because a few very large systems pull an average far from the typical brand. Revenue is disclosed gross sales, not profit.
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2024 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 752
- Opened
- 24
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 95
- Terminated
- 14
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 17
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 12.6%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -16.7%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -16.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
Last fiscal year · Item 20 exits and transfers
- Terminated
- 14
- Not renewed
- 17
- Signed, not yet open
- 3
- 0.00 per open outlet · Item 20 Table 5
- Projected new
- 45
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 39 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
39
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
A system losing more than 10% of its units year-over-year is a red flag. Check whether closures are concentrated in specific regions.
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
- $3.5M
- Median loan
- $498K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- Under 10 loans (7)
- Insufficient SBA coverage: 7 loans, rate hidden below 10
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- Under 10 loans (7)
- 5-yr charge-off
- Under 10 loans (7)
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 4
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
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.
Why this reads harsher than the B grade: the grade weighs financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency across the whole filing, while this summary lists individual flags without that weighting. The flags are worth checking with current owners; neither is investment advice.
Litigation (Item 3)
Subject: officers or affiliates. The franchisor is not a named party in these cases.
No litigation required to be disclosed.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Deloitte & Touche LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Item 21 statements are the audited consolidated financial statements of the franchisor's ultimate parent and guarantor, Performance Food Group Company, as of June 29, 2024 and July 1, 2023 (FY2024/FY2023), prepared under US GAAP and reported in millions of USD (all figures scaled x1,000,000). Performance Food Group Company guarantees the franchisor's (Orion Food Systems, LLC) performance. No standalone audited statements of the franchisor are provided. Reconciles: assets 13,392.9M = liabilities 9,266.0M + equity 4,126.9M.
ⓘ These are the parent company's consolidated financials (the parent guarantees the franchisor), not this brand's standalone results — the figure reflects the whole corporate group, not this brand alone.
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 51 / 100 verdict
- 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
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Source: FDD 2024 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 5 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | No territory protection |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Right of first refusalℹ | No |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 1 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | SD |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 9 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 30 hrs
- Training location
- At franchisee's Unit site
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 4 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 2 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee with OLM approval/site survey
- 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
674 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
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 makes no financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD - a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule - so no unit revenue figures are disclosed. Declining to publish one is lawful and is not evidence of how the outlets perform. It does mean that less about this brand can be verified from its filing, and the FranchiseVerdict grade - an editorial assessment, not investment advice - reflects that. Item 20 of the FDD lists current and former franchisees; asking them directly is the standard way to fill this gap.
Who owns Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen?
Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen is franchised by ORION FOOD SYSTEMS, LLC. Its parent company is Performance Manufacturing, LLC. The ultimate parent named in the FDD is Performance Food Group Company. Source: FDD Item 1, 2024 filing.
What is Item 19 in the Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen FDD?
The FDD section where a franchisor may disclose financial performance of its outlets. Disclosure is optional and formats vary; figures are typically gross sales, which is revenue before expenses, not profit. FranchiseVerdict extracts these figures directly from the Hot Stuff Pizza / Hot Stuff Kitchen FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
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 752 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 B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 51 out of 100 (higher is better). The grade is a deterministic score built from six weighted dimensions — financial health, unit economics, unit growth, scale, legal, and transparency — then calibrated against SBA loan charge-off rates and FDD age. Transparency is one of the six, so a filing that discloses less scores lower on that dimension than one that discloses more. 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.
Other 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.