Pizzeria Uno Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Formerly known as Uno Pizzeria & Grill
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Pizzeria Uno is a casual-dining franchise famous for originating Chicago-style deep-dish pizza. Franchisees run the full-service restaurants, managing kitchen and dining operations, staffing, and bar service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Pizzeria Uno franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.2M – $2.5M, including a $20K – $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $2.3M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 38.5% charge-off rate across 21 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: D (Below average), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.2M – $2.5M
- 34th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $2.3M
- 11th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 8th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 53
- 27th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- 38.5%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
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 $1.2M – $2.5M including a $40K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $2.3M/year (median $2.1M).
- RISKVerdict D (Below average), verdict score 33/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 38.5% across 21 loans (well above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
- DECLINESystem contracting at -35.3% 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
- Pizzeria Uno Corporation
- Parent company
- Pizzeria Uno TopCo, LLC
- Ultimate parent
- Newport Global Opportunities Fund I-A LP
- Predecessor
- offered franchises for the establishment and operation of casual theme restaurants from January
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President / TopCo
- Chuck Buttiglieri
- CEO experience
- 18 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 44 Industrial Way, Norwood, Massachusetts 02062
- Auditor
- PBMares
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $7.9M
- vs $9.3M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
- CEO
- Chuck Buttiglieri
- Headquarters
- Massachusetts
- Founded
- 1943
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 14
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 58% above the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $125K | $200K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $1.0M | $2.2M |
| Total initial investment | $1.2M | $2.5M |
Source: Pizzeria Uno 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $1.2M – $2.5M
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $125K – $200K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $20K – $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- Set by a formula · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 6.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% |
| Technology fee | $318 |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $15K – $30K |
| Total fee load | 6.0% of rev |
A 6.0% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 29% above the full-service restaurants norm.
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · not modelled
Returns at a glance
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit, and the operating costs that turn one into the other are in no filing. We publish no modelled return for Pizzeria Uno until someone supplies them — yours, in the models below.
—
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for 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.
Total invested capital · disclosed
$2.0M
Item 7 initial investment plus working capital, as filed — the one figure here that needs no assumption.
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
What one unit earns on your invested capital
Model A · Single-Unit Return
Computes unlevered return on invested capital (ROIC) for a single franchise unit, read against the 30–60% reference band · Yale SOM, Post-MBA Path Exhibit 2 (2023). Below that band a passive index fund likely outperforms; above it the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses, and it is the top line only — gross sales are not profit. No FDD discloses the operating costs that turn one into the other, so those fields start empty and nothing is modelled until you supply them from your own lease quote, labor market and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Pizzeria Uno 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 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.
What 25 units return when you use SBA financing
Model B · Return on Equity: Debt-Financed Acquisition
Models a 25-unit portfolio acquisition financed with an SBA 7(a) loan. Shows equity IRR (your return on cash invested), DSCR (how safely the cash flow covers debt service), and the capital stack (SBA + seller + equity breakdown).
This is the “search fund” or “entrepreneurship through acquisition” scenario: you buy an existing multi-unit operator, use leverage to amplify returns, and either operate or hire management. The 25-unit size is the typical minimum for an SBA-backed franchise portfolio acquisition to pencil as a full-time income.
What “return on equity” means here: if you put in $500K of your own cash and the business generates enough EBITDA to pay down debt and grow, your equity IRR is the annual return on that $500K, including the value created when you eventually sell. Target IRR for a search fund is typically 25–35%.
Not modelled yet
An FDD discloses gross sales, not profit. We hold no sourced figure for 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.
A 25-unit return is built on a per-unit EBITDA. Fill in the operating costs in Model A above and this model runs on that figure, or take the whole scenario to the full ROI workbench, where the portfolio and LBO models accept your own per-unit economics directly.
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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $2.3M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $2.1M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- sales only
- Sample size
- 29 outlets
- vs category median 18
- Range (low → high)
- $1.3M→$4.7M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 7 / 10
- vs category median 3 / 10 · above
Compared against 802 Full-Service Restaurants brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $2.3M/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.2x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 6.0% — below the Full-Service Restaurants average of 7.6%.
Disclosure
Transparency score 7/10 — this franchisor discloses detailed breakdowns (quartiles, segments, or cohort data). Buyers can model unit economics with higher confidence.
Operator retention
System contracting at -35.3% 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 averages
How Pizzeria Uno Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 53
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 11
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 20.8%
- Company-owned
- 20
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 62%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -35.3%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -35.3%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- Closed (3yr)
- 11
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Termination rate
- 73.6%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
- Ceased ops
- 37.7%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 13 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
- Minnesota
- Wisconsin
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
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 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 21
- Loan volume
- $13.7M
- Median loan
- $650K
- average
- Charge-off rate
- 38.5%
- 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)
- 61.5%
- 5-yr charge-off
- 42.9%
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 12
- Defaults
- 5
- Typical loan rate
- 7.3%
- avg rate to borrowers
- vs industry
- N/A
- Jobs supported
- N/A
- Lender concentration
- 24%
- top lender's share
Vintage analysis
Pizzeria Uno charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Pizzeria Uno franchisees
Showing 3 of 12 lenders. The full breakdown — every lender, state distribution, interest rates & risk ratings — is in the SBA Lending Report below.
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Pizzeria Uno'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 13 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
A 38.5% charge-off rate means roughly 1 in 3 franchisees failed to repay their SBA loan. Investigate what changed.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 38.5% — 140% above the 16.0% national norm, i.e. higher lender-observed risk.
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Pizzeria Uno is a contracting franchise system with opaque profitability, high capital requirements, and no territory protection — indicating elevated risk of unit closures and franchisee failure.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation required to be disclosed in this Disclosure Document.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · PBMares
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Audited statements of Pizzeria Uno Corporation (the franchisor), a wholly owned subsidiary of Uno Restaurants, LLC; figures in whole US dollars for FYE Oct 3, 2023 (yr1) and Oct 4, 2022 (yr2). Statements are derived/carved-out from the consolidated financials of Uno Restaurants Holdings Corporation. Revenue is total revenues $7,948,144 (royalty income franchisee-owned $2,874,677 + parent-owned operations $3,560,132 + franchise fees $70,000 + other revenues $1,443,335). Balance sheet reconciles: liabilities $6,721,665 + shareholder's equity $68,521,276 = $75,242,941 vs total assets $75,285,551 (minor rounding in presentation).
ⓘ 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: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: Yes
Score breakdown · what drove the 33 / 100 verdict
- 01MEDSevere unit decline of 23.3% YoY (from ~69 to 53 units) indicates systemic franchisee distress or brand deterioration
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in FDD Item 19 — cannot assess actual profitability despite $2.3M average revenue
- 03MINORHigh initial investment ($1.2M–$2.5M) paired with declining unit count creates severe recoupment risk
- 04MINORNo protected territory means franchisees compete with each other and company-owned locations
- 05MINORMinimum monthly royalty (amount unspecified) plus 5% of gross sales creates fixed cost burden during revenue downturns
- 06MED10-year term locks franchisee into contract while system contracts; limited exit flexibility
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 6.0% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 10 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | protected |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 10 mi |
| Online sales rights | Granted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 1 year |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 6 |
| Mandatory arbitration | No |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Massachusetts |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation required to be disclosed in this Disclosure Document.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 6 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 200 hrs
- Training location
- Parent-owned Uno Restaurant
- Time to open
- 12 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- Franchisee with franchisor approval
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
- POS system
- Toast
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Toast
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
48 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Pizzeria Uno · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Pizzeria Uno franchise?
The total investment to open a Pizzeria Uno franchise ranges from $1.2M – $2.5M, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Pizzeria Uno franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Pizzeria Uno FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $2.3M. The median is $2.1M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Pizzeria Uno 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 Pizzeria Uno FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Pizzeria Uno's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Pizzeria Uno has a charge-off rate of 38.5% across 21 loans, meaning 38.5% 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 Pizzeria Uno franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Pizzeria Uno has 53 total units in the United States, including 33 franchised units and 20 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Pizzeria Uno a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Pizzeria Uno as a D-grade franchise with a verdict score of 33 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?
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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.