Is Papa Johns or Rachel’s Kitchen cheaper to open?

Papa Johns costs $261,165–$853,365 and Rachel’s Kitchen costs $298,450–$815,880 to open (FDD Item 7). Papa Johns has the lower entry cost.

Which earns more, Papa Johns or Rachel’s Kitchen?

Papa Johns reports $1,122,575 average annual unit revenue vs $1,719,649 for Rachel’s Kitchen (FDD Item 19). Rachel’s Kitchen is higher. For Papa Johns: Reported as net sales, not gross sales. For Rachel’s Kitchen: Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system.

Which is the better franchise, Papa Johns or Rachel’s Kitchen?

FranchiseVerdict grades Papa Johns A and Rachel’s Kitchen B, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

Papa Johns vs Rachel’s Kitchen

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both Papa Johns and Rachel’s Kitchen are quick-service restaurants franchises. Papa Johns requires an investment of $261K – $853K while Rachel’s Kitchen requires $298K – $816K. In terms of revenue, Rachel’s Kitchen reports higher average unit revenue at $1.7M. Note: Reported for a subset of outlets rather than the whole system. Papa Johns has SBA lending data on file with a 18.1% charge-off rate. FranchiseVerdict rates Papa Johns A (Strongest tier) and Rachel’s Kitchen B (Above average).

Metric	Papa Johns	Rachel’s Kitchen
Verdict Grade	AStrongest tier	BAbove average
Investment Range	$261K – $853K	$298K – $816K
Franchise Fee	$25K	$40K
Royalty Rate	5.0%	6.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	$1.1M	$1.7MOutlet subset
SBA Charge-Off Rate	18.1% (323 loans)	Limited data
Total Units	3,291	7
Unit Growth (YoY)	+63 units	+0 units
Year Began Franchising	2021	2008
FDD Year	2025	2024