Question 1

Is Moe's Sw Grill or Papa John's Pizza cheaper to open?

Accepted Answer

Moe's Sw Grill costs $644,425–$1,968,450 and Papa John's Pizza costs $281,485–$890,267 to open (FDD Item 7). Papa John's Pizza has the lower entry cost.

Question 2

Which earns more, Moe's Sw Grill or Papa John's Pizza?

Accepted Answer

Moe's Sw Grill reports $1,182,975 average annual unit revenue vs $1,124,305 for Papa John's Pizza (FDD Item 19). Moe's Sw Grill is higher. For Moe's Sw Grill: Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system; Reported as net sales, not gross sales. For Papa John's Pizza: Includes company-owned outlets; Covers a partial period, not a full year.

Question 3

Which is safer, Moe's Sw Grill or Papa John's Pizza?

Accepted Answer

SBA 7(a) charge-off rate is 11.9% for Moe's Sw Grill and 19.6% for Papa John's Pizza. Lower is safer, so Moe's Sw Grill has the stronger loan-repayment record.

Question 4

Which is the better franchise, Moe's Sw Grill or Papa John's Pizza?

Accepted Answer

FranchiseVerdict grades Moe's Sw Grill B and Papa John's Pizza A, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Metric	Moe's Sw Grill	Papa John's Pizza
Verdict Grade	BAbove averageAbove average	AStrongest tierStrongest tier
Investment Range	$644K – $2.0M	$281K – $890K
Franchise Fee	$36K	$25K
Royalty Rate	5.0%	5.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	$1.2MOutlet subset	$1.1MIncl. company outlets
SBA Charge-Off Rate	11.9% (136 loans)	19.6% (190 loans)
Total Units	568	3,294
Unit Growth (YoY)	N/A	N/A
Year Began Franchising	2017	2021
FDD Year	2026	2026

Moe's Sw Grill vs Papa John's Pizza