Little Caesars vs Papa John's: franchise cost side by side

Papa John's is the cheaper of the two to open, from $281,485; Little Caesars starts at $376,500.

Every figure comes from the brand's FDD, the disclosure file it must hand you before you sign.

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Papa John's is the cheaper to open, from $281,485.

Little Caesars starts at $376,500, the lowest cost to open given in each FDD.

From each FDD	Little Caesars	Papa John's
Total cost to open	$376,500 to $1,769,200	$281,485 to $890,267
Upfront fee	$20,000	$5,000 to $25,000
Royalty (ongoing fee)	6% of weekly gross sales or $300 a week, whichever is more	5% of net sales
Marketing fund	up to 7% of gross sales for advertising	6% of net sales
Published sales	None published	$1,097,987 a year (average of 2,389 locations, 2025)
Outlets	3,788 franchised, 586 company	2,832 franchised, 462 company
Year filed	2026	2026

More comparisons with Little Caesars and Papa John's

Every brand's fee, royalty and Item 7 range is also in one table you can download: the franchise fee comparison.

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