Is Little Caesars or Black Sheep Coffee cheaper to open?

Little Caesars costs $376,500–$1,769,200 and Black Sheep Coffee costs $738,150–$1,400,000 to open (FDD Item 7). Little Caesars has the lower entry cost.

Which is the better franchise, Little Caesars or Black Sheep Coffee?

FranchiseVerdict grades Little Caesars B and Black Sheep Coffee C, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Little Caesars vs Black Sheep Coffee

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both Little Caesars and Black Sheep Coffee are quick-service restaurants franchises. Little Caesars requires an investment of $377K – $1.8M while Black Sheep Coffee requires $738K – $1.4M. Neither Little Caesars nor Black Sheep Coffee makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD — a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule — so the two cannot be compared on disclosed unit revenue. Little Caesars has SBA lending data on file with a 8.0% charge-off rate. FranchiseVerdict rates Little Caesars B (Above average) and Black Sheep Coffee C (Average).

Metric	Little Caesars	Black Sheep Coffee
Verdict Grade	BAbove average	CAverage
Investment Range	$377K – $1.8M	$738K – $1.4M
Franchise Fee	$20K	$40K
Royalty Rate	6.0%	7.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	N/ANo Item 19 representation	N/ANo Item 19 representation
SBA Charge-Off Rate	8.0% (163 loans)	Limited data
Total Units	4,374	2
Unit Growth (YoY)	+87 units	+0 units
Year Began Franchising	1962	2024
FDD Year	2026	2025