Squisito® Pizza and Pasta Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
Squisito Pizza and Pasta is a fast-casual franchise serving Italian pizza, pasta, and subs. Franchisees run the restaurants, managing food prep, staffing, and counter service.
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Squisito® Pizza and Pasta franchise requires a total initial investment of $265K – $838K, including a $35K franchise fee and an ongoing 5.0% royalty[2]. The 2025 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 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $265K – $838K
- 41st pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- N/A
- Incl. company outlets
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- 11th pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 9
- 35th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
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 $265K – $838K including a $35K franchise fee, 5.0% ongoing royalty.
- RETURNSItem 19 reports Revenues rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
- RISKVerdict B (Above average), verdict score 55/100 (higher is better).
- FLAGBankruptcy history disclosed in the FDD. Review Item 4 for details before proceeding.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- Squisito Franchise Enterprises, Inc.
- CEO title
- CEO
- Gennaro DiMeo
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- Maryland
- HQ
- 2024 West Street, Suite 302, Annapolis, Maryland 21401
- Auditor
- DA Advisory Group PLLC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $528K
- vs $495K prior year
Affiliated brands
- is not an approved supplier for any product or service
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
- CEO
- Gennaro DiMeo
- Headquarters
- MD
- Founded
- 2010
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 3
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 16% below the typical quick-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2025 · Items 5–7
Full Item 7 breakdown15 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Feenot refundable | $35K | $35K | |
| Rent - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $10K | $45K | |
| Leasehold Improvementsnot refundable | $90K | $426K | |
| Equipment, Furniture and Fixturesnot refundable | $50K | $188K | |
| Technology Packagenot refundable | $5K | $14K | |
| Insurance - 3 Monthsnot refundable | $600 | $900 | |
| Permits and Licenses (Not Including Liquor License)not refundable | $8K | $8K | |
| Initial Inventorynot refundable | $10K | $16K | |
| Signagenot refundable | $10K | $21K | |
| Grand Opening Marketingnot refundable | $15K | $15K | |
| Blueprintsnot refundable | $6K | $20K | |
| Travel Expenses for Trainingnot refundable | $0 | $6K | |
| Professional Feesnot refundable | $2K | $4K | |
| Additional Fundsnot refundable | $24K | $40K | |
| Development Fee (Multi-Unit Development Agreement)not refundable | $88K | $140K | |
| Total initial investment | $352K | $978K |
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
- $265K – $838K
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $24K – $40K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $35K – $35K
- Middle of category vs category
- Royalty
- 5.0%
- percentage_of_gross · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 7.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 5.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $12K |
| Training fee | $250 |
| Transfer fee | $18K |
| Renewal fee | $18K |
| Total fee load | 7.0% of rev |
What do units actually make?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 19
ROI & LBO modelsSingle-unit · 25-unit portfolio · editable
Squisito® Pizza and Pasta 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 Squisito® Pizza and Pasta unit return on the cash you put in?
Unlevered ROIC · per unit
Estimated return on your total franchise investment, before any debt financing.
19%
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: 2025 FDD
Financial Performance
Includes company-owned outlets
- Item 19 type
- Revenues
- Sample size
- 9
- vs category median 20 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $769K→$1.6M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Source filing
- FDD 2025
- Disclosed in the 2025 filing, covering 2024
- Transparency
- 4 / 10
- vs category median 4 / 10 · typical
Compared against 782 Quick-Service Restaurants brands
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 7.0% (near the Quick-Service Restaurants average).
Disclosure
Item 19 reports Revenues rather than annual gross sales, so unit revenue is not directly comparable.
Operator retention
System shrank 14.3% over 3 years — 1 closures. Ask existing franchisees about local market conditions.
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 Squisito® Pizza and Pasta Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2025 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 9
- Opened
- 1
- 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
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 2
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 78%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (3-yr)
- -14.3%
- Net unit change over 3 years
- 3-yr CAGR
- +16.7%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 22.2%
- 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.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Maryland
- Virginia
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 2 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 2
- Loan volume
- $343K
- Median loan
- $172K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (2 loans) — 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
- 2
- 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
Positive franchisor net worth of $393,126 and net income of $80,684, no litigation, no bankruptcy, audited financials with Item 19. Small but healthy 9-unit system growing (+16.7%) with zero turnover.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
Disclosed in last 7 years
Bankruptcy Code; (b) obtained a discharge of its debts under the bankruptcy code; or (c) was a principal officer of a company or a general partner in a partnership that either filed as a debtor (or had filed against it) a petition to start an action under the U.S. Bankruptcy Code or that obtained a
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · DA Advisory Group PLLC
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
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: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 55 / 100 verdict
- 01MINORPositive net worth $393,126, net income $80,684
- 02MINORNo litigation or bankruptcy
- 03MEDAudited, Item 19 disclosed
- 04MINORGrowth +16.7%, zero turnover
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 7.0% 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 | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 0.1 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 |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Anne Arundel County, Maryland |
| Governing law | Maryland |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 0 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 280 hrs
- Training location
- On-site and corporate
- Ongoing training
- Required
- POS system
- TOAST Point Of Sale
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: TOAST Point Of Sale
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
3 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Squisito® Pizza and Pasta · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Squisito® Pizza and Pasta franchise?
The total investment to open a Squisito® Pizza and Pasta franchise ranges from $265K – $838K, with an initial franchise fee of $35K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Squisito® Pizza and Pasta franchise owners earn?
Squisito® Pizza and Pasta 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 Squisito® Pizza and Pasta 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 Squisito® Pizza and Pasta FDD and qualifies whose outlets they describe.
What is Squisito® Pizza and Pasta's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Squisito® Pizza and Pasta (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 Squisito® Pizza and Pasta franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Squisito® Pizza and Pasta has 9 total units in the United States, including 7 franchised units and 2 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Squisito® Pizza and Pasta a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Squisito® Pizza and Pasta as a B-grade franchise with a verdict score of 55 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 Squisito® Pizza and Pasta, 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.