Donatos
#181 Franchise 500| Pizza, subs, salads

Donatos
Pizza, subs, salads
|

About
Founded

1963

Franchising Since

1991 (29 Years)

Corporate Address

935 Taylor Station Rd.
Columbus, OH 43230

CEO

Tom Krouse

Parent Company

Donatos Pizzeria LLC

Financial Requirements
Initial Investment ⓘ

$386,500 - $698,900

Net-worth Requirement ⓘ

$1,000,000

Liquid Cash Requirement ⓘ

$200,000

Ongoing Fees
Initial Franchise Fee ⓘ

$30,000 - $30,000

Ongoing Royalty Fee

5%

Ad Royalty Fee

5%

Financing Options

Donatos has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: 
franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Support Options
Ongoing Support

Purchasing Co-ops

Newsletter

Meetings/Conventions

Grand Opening

Online Support

Security/Safety Procedures

Field Operations

Site Selection

Proprietary Software

Franchisee Intranet Platform

Marketing Support

Co-op Advertising

Ad Templates

National Media

Regional Advertising

Social media

SEO

Website development

Email marketing

Loyalty program/app

On-The-Job Training:

454 hours

Classroom Training:

4 hours

Donatos is ranked #181 in the Franchise 500!
Bio
With $1,300, Ohio State University sophomore Jim Grote bought a small pizzeria in Columbus, Ohio, in 1963 and named it Donatos Pizza. He began franchising the concept in 1991. In 1999, McDonald's purchased Donatos, but the Grote family bought it back in 2003. The company continues to franchise throughout the Midwest, South and Southeast, with franchised locations serving pizza, subs, salads and desserts.
Cost
Initial Investment: Low - $386,500 High - $698,900
Units
-1.3%-2 UNITS (1 Year) +1.9%+3 UNITS (3 Years)

Units (Locations)

Where Seeking Franchisees:

Franchisor is seeking new franchise units in the following regions/states:
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia
Franchise Financing
Using 401(K)/IRA Funds
  • Tax Penalty-Free
  • Debt Free
  • Expert Guidance
Learn More

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The Franchise 500 is not intended to endorse, advertise, or recommend any particular franchise. It is solely a research tool you can use to compare franchise operations. Entrepreneur stresses that you should always conduct your own independent investigation before investing money in a franchise.
Updated: September 9th, 2019
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