Round Table Pizza Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Round Table Pizza is a West Coast casual-pizza franchise serving specialty pizzas for dine-in, carryout, and delivery. Franchisees run restaurants managing food prep, staffing, and service in a protected territory.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Round Table Pizza franchise requires a total initial investment of $503K – $2.6M, including a $25K franchise fee and an ongoing 4.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $1.1M[2]. SBA 7(a) loans show a 11.4% charge-off rate across 104 loans[1]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $503K – $2.6M
- 77th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $1.1M
- 18th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- 3rd pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 390
- 88th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- 11.4%
- % of SBA 7(a) loans not repaid · median varies by category
Quick verdict · Quick-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Quick-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 $503K – $2.6M including a $25K franchise fee, 4.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSAverage unit revenue of $1.1M/year (median $1.1M).
- RISKVerdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 59/100 (higher is better). SBA loan charge-off rate of 11.4% across 104 loans (above the 16% franchise average, based on all SBA 7(a) franchise lending, 2010–2025).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- The Round Table Franchise Corporation
- Parent company
- Round Table Pizza, Inc. (RTPI)
- Ultimate parent
- FAT Brands Inc.
- Predecessor
- Round Table Pizza, Inc. (California corporation)
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President and Chief Executive Officer
- Taylor Wiederhorn
- Incorporated in
- Delaware
- HQ
- 9720 Wilshire Boulevard Suite 500, Beverly Hills, California 90212
- Auditor
- Macias, Gini & O'Connell, LLP
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $33.0M
- vs $34.1M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
Overview
About
- CEO
- Taylor Wiederhorn
- Headquarters
- CA
- Founded
- 1962
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 8
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 132% above the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown14 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee (Dine-In Model)not refundable | $25K | $25K | |
| Travel And Living Expenses While Training (Dine-In) | $2K | $4K | |
| Real Estate And Improvements (Dine-In) | $575K | $800K | |
| Furniture, Fixture & Equipment (Dine-In) | $385K | $415K | |
| Point Of Sale Systems and Related Technology (Dine-In) | $35K | $59K | |
| Opening Inventory / Smallwares (Dine-In) | $12K | $15K | |
| Interior Decor Package / Exterior Signage (Dine-In) | $35K | $65K | |
| Grand Opening (Dine-In) | $15K | $15K | |
| Uniforms (Dine-In) | $1K | $2K | |
| Insurance (Dine-In) | $5K | $7K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 Months (Dine-In) | $25K | $50K | |
| Initial Franchise Fee (DCU Model)not refundable | $25K | $25K | |
| Travel And Living Expenses While Training (DCU) | $2K | $4K | |
| Real Estate And Improvements (DCU) | $135K | $195K | |
| Total initial investment | $1.3M | $1.7M |
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
- $503K – $2.6M
- Bottom third — review vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $25K – $50K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $25K – $25K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 4.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 8.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $0 |
| Training fee | $300 |
| Transfer fee | $15K |
| Renewal fee | $40 |
| Total fee load | 8.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 8% below the quick-service restaurants norm.
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$156K
14.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
10%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
10.0 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
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. The target band for an attractive franchise is 30–60% ROIC. Below that and a passive index fund likely outperforms; above that and the franchisor has pricing power you're subsidizing.
Note: Item 19 revenue is what the franchisor discloses. It's the top line only. Operating costs below are category estimates. Override them to match your real lease quote, labor market, and build-out budget.
Returns model · single-unit ROIC
What would one Round Table Pizza unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
10%
Below the 30–60% attractive-franchise band
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%.
Levered LBO scenario · Yale Crease Capital framing
What would 25 Round Table Pizza units return on equity?
Equity IRR · 5-yr
49.9%
7.57× MOIC
Year-1 DSCR
1.88×
EBITDA ÷ debt service
Equity required
$1.6M
on $7.8M purchase
Total debt
$6.3M
SBA $3.9M + senior + seller note
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
- $1.1M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $1.1M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- Average and Median sales/costs
- Sample size
- 310
- vs category median 20 · large
- Range (low → high)
- $261K→$4.2M
- 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 4 / 10 · above
Compared against 782 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
Revenue is only 0.7x the investment. This means each unit may take 5+ years to recoup the initial outlay at typical margins.
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 $1.1M/year in gross sales. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 0.7x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 8.0% (near the Quick-Service Restaurants average).
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 -4.9% 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 Quick-Service Restaurants averages
How Round Table Pizza Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 390
- Opened
- 8
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 21
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 5.4%
- Company-owned
- 1
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -4.9%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- -4.9%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 8
- Closed (3yr)
- 21
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 10
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 12
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Transfer rate
- 2.6%
- Owners selling to other franchisees
- Ceased ops
- 5.4%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 3 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.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA 7(a) and 504 loan disclosures, public data unique to FranchiseVerdict.
- Total loans
- 104
- Loan volume
- $45.8M
- Median loan
- $281K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- 11.4%
- 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)
- 88.6%
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 42
- Defaults
- 8
- Typical loan rate
- 7.2%
- avg rate to borrowers
- Franchised industry avg
- 10.8%
- brand above franchise avg ↑
- Jobs supported
- 2,212
- 4.8 per loan
- Lender concentration
- 24%
- top lender's share
Borrower mix: 31% went to startups / new businesses, 69% to established operators
Franchise vs independent — in limited-service restaurants, franchised businesses charge off at 10.8% vs 10.0% for independents — franchising is associated with 8% higher SBA default risk in this category.
Vintage analysis
Round Table Pizza charge-off rate by loan vintage
Top lenders financing Round Table Pizza franchisees
Showing 3 of 42 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 Round Table 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 9 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 30-year lending trend
- SBA 504 real estate/equipment data
Instant access. No subscription.
What could kill this investment?
SBA loans charge off at 11.4% — 29% below the 16.0% national norm, i.e. lower 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
Parent-level financials (FAT Brands) are solid: net worth $102.7M, net income $6.8M. Eight litigation matters but 7 are concluded/settled; only 1 pending securities class action against parent FAT Brands, not the franchise operation. 390-unit system, slightly declining -4.9%. Litigation exposure is the single notable concern at parent scale.
Litigation (Item 3)
One pending putative class action (Mitchell Kates v. FAT Brands, Inc.) filed June 7, 2024 alleging securities fraud under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the 1934 Act related to false statements about government investigations. One concluded putative class action (Robert J. Matthews v. FAT Brands, Inc.) filed March 18, 2022, and Kerry Chipman filed a second related class action April 25, 2022.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Macias, Gini & O'Connell, LLP
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
ⓘ 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: No
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 59 / 100 verdict
- 01HIGH8 litigations, 7 concluded; 1 pending securities class action vs parent
- 02MINORParent-level net worth $102.7M, net income $6.8M
- 03MINOR390 units, -4.9% net growth
- 04MEDLow 5.4% turnover, Item 19 disclosed
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 8.0% 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 | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 1 mi |
| Territory population | 50,000 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 10 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Los Angeles, California |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | California |
| Litigation count | 8 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
One pending putative class action (Mitchell Kates v. FAT Brands, Inc.) filed June 7, 2024 alleging securities fraud under Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the 1934 Act related to false statements about government investigations. One concluded putative class action (Robert J. Matthews v. FAT Brands, Inc.) filed March 18, 2022, and Kerry Chipman filed a second related class action April 25, 2022.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 3 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 135 hrs
- Training location
- On-site at franchisee's restaurant
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 11 mo
- From signing to launch
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
80 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Round Table Pizza · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Round Table Pizza franchise?
The total investment to open a Round Table Pizza franchise ranges from $503K – $2.6M, 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 Round Table Pizza franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Round Table Pizza FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $1.1M. The median is $1.1M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Item 19 in the Round Table Pizza 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 Round Table Pizza FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Round Table Pizza's franchise failure rate?
Based on SBA 7(a) loan data, Round Table Pizza has a charge-off rate of 11.4% across 104 loans, meaning 11.4% 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 Round Table Pizza franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Round Table Pizza has 390 total units in the United States, including 389 franchised units and 1 company-owned units. 8 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Round Table Pizza a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Round Table Pizza as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 59 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
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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.