Papa Saverio’s Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Papa Saverio's is a pizzeria franchise serving pizza, pasta, and Italian fare for dine-in, carryout, and delivery. Franchisees run the restaurants, managing food prep, staffing, and service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A PAPA SAVERIO’S franchise requires a total initial investment of $144K – $1.2M, including a $30K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2023 FDD does not disclose unit-level revenue (no Item 19). FranchiseVerdict grade: B (Above average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2023 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $144K – $1.2M
- 5th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 7th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 15
- 17th 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 avg · 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 $144K – $1.2M including a $30K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSRoyalty Fees $313,970; License Fees $9,280; Marketing Co-op Income $55,443 (FY2022). Franchisor is Vive Bene Enterprises, Inc.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 49/100 (higher is better).
- DATANo 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
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Vive Bene Enterprises, Inc.
- Parent company
- None
- Predecessor
- Papa Saverio's Development Corp.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President and Director
- Michelle Fortin
- CEO experience
- 24 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- IL
- HQ
- 1010 Harvest Ct., Woodstock, IL 60098
- Auditor
- Eder, Casella & Co.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $379K
- vs $344K prior year
Overview
About
- CEO
- Michelle Fortin
- Headquarters
- IL
- Founded
- 2002
- FDD year
- 2023
- States available
- 1
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 41% below the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown13 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $30K | $30K | |
| Travel and Living Expenses During Training | $3K | $11K | |
| Office Equipment and Supplies | $1K | $3K | |
| Insurance Premiums | $2K | $3K | |
| Professional Fees | $3K | $5K | |
| Initial Inventory | $5K | $15K | |
| Lease, Utility and Security Deposits | $1K | $8K | |
| Initial Rent | $3K | $15K | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $25K | $150K | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment | $60K | $150K | |
| Signage | $5K | $15K | |
| Business Licenses and Permits | $2K | $20K | |
| Additional Funds for First 3 Months | $5K | $30K | |
| Total initial investment | $144K | $454K |
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
- $144K – $1.2M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $5K – $75K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $30K – $30K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 0.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 5.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 0.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $5K |
| Inventory (initial) | $5K – $30K |
| Total fee load | 5.0% of rev |
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
PAPA SAVERIO’S did not disclose financial performance in FDD Item 19. The ROIC and return models require Item 19 revenue. Without it all inputs are estimates. You can still run the calculator with your own assumptions by entering an expected revenue figure.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one PAPA SAVERIO’S unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
13%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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: 2023 FDD
Financial Performance
Royalty Fees $313,970; License Fees $9,280; Marketing Co-op Income $55,443 (FY2022). Franchisor is Vive Bene Enterprises, Inc.
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 5.0% — below the Full-Service Restaurants average of 7.6%.
Disclosure
Franchisor chose not to disclose financial performance representations. You will need to gather unit economics directly from existing franchisees.
Operator retention
System contracting at -6.2% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven consolidation or franchisee exits.
Multi-unit rate
41% of franchisees own multiple units, a moderate multi-unit rate.
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 averages
How Papa Saverio’s Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2023 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 15
- 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
- 26.7%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Multi-unit owners
- 40.6%
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -6.2%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -6.2%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 4
- Closed (3yr)
- 4
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 9
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 33.3%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Ceased ops
- 6.7%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 1 state 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.
1
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 1 7(a) loan on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 1
- Loan volume
- $133K
- Median loan
- $133K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (1 loan) — rate not shown below 10
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
- 1
- 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
Papa Saverio's presents meaningful risk due to financial opacity (no Item 19), questionable franchisor stability (Going Concern = False), anemic growth (7.1% YoY, 15 units), and inability to forecast franchisee profitability.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Eder, Casella & Co.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- 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 49 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDNo Item 19 financial disclosure (revenue and net income not disclosed) — impossible to validate ROI claims
- 02HIGHGoing Concern status is FALSE, indicating potential financial instability or structural issues with franchisor
- 03MINORSlow unit growth of only 7.1% YoY with just 15 total units suggests weak system momentum and franchisee recruitment challenges
- 04MEDWide investment range ($143.7K–$1.24M) with no disclosed profitability metrics creates unpredictable breakeven scenarios
- 05MED5% royalty on undisclosed revenue model prevents accurate cash flow projections for franchisees
- 06MINORMinimal franchisee base (15 units) limits peer network for support and validation; high failure risk if even 2-3 units close
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 5.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2023 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 20 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 4 mi |
| Online sales rightsℹ | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 20 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 4 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Arbitration location | Illinois |
| Jury trial waiver | No |
| Governing law | IL |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 8 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 232 hrs
- Training location
- Chicago, Illinois area (franchisee's location for pre-opening)
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 7 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Arrow
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Arrow
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
21 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
PAPA SAVERIO’S · FDD (2023) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a PAPA SAVERIO’S franchise?
The total investment to open a PAPA SAVERIO’S franchise ranges from $144K – $1.2M, with an initial franchise fee of $30K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do PAPA SAVERIO’S franchise owners earn?
PAPA SAVERIO’S 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 Item 19 in the PAPA SAVERIO’S 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 PAPA SAVERIO’S FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is PAPA SAVERIO’S's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for PAPA SAVERIO’S (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 PAPA SAVERIO’S franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, PAPA SAVERIO’S has 15 total units in the United States, including 15 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is PAPA SAVERIO’S a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates PAPA SAVERIO’S as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 49 out of 100 (higher is better), 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 PAPA SAVERIO’S, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
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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.