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PAPA MURPHY'S
Papa Murphy’s franchises retail food outlets specializing in take-and-bake pizzas, salads, desserts, and related products, where customers customize fresh, uncooked pizzas using high-quality, daily-prepared ingredients like scratch-made dough and hand-grated cheese to bake at home. The business model features compact stores without ovens, dining areas, or delivery, focusing on convenience, quality, value, and guest service through a standardized system of operations, training, and marketing. It targets the general public, particularly families and individuals solving the 'dinnertime dilemma' by offering a fresh, home-cooked meal alternative in competition with traditional pizza chains and limited-service restaurants.
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Franchise Costs
5% royalty + 2% brand marketing + $300-$1,030/mo technology/software fees
Financial Performance
Item 19 Financial Performance
This franchise did not provide Item 19 financial performance data.
Be careful if you are interested in investing. The lack of financial performance representations may indicate limited data or varying results across franchises.
Extracted Item 19 Section
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PAPA MURPHY'S Franchise Analysis
Take-and-bake pizzas promise fresh, easy dinners without the hassle of ovens or delivery, but Papa Murphy's FDD uncovers tensions in its compact store model. Franchisees have filed suits alleging misrepresentations on finances and marketing support, while the absence of Item 19 earnings data forces buyers to rely on opaque SBA loan stats and system metrics. With locations dipping and transfers spiking, does this brand's convenience edge still deliver value, or is contraction a warning sign?
Item 7 lays out the initial investment at $450,330 to $693,450, covering buildout for a no-cook storefront plus $25,000 franchise fee; ongoing fees hit 5% royalty, 2% brand fund, and $300-$1,030 monthly tech charges. No Item 19 means no official revenue or profit figures, a gap that stings since competitors disclose averages—leaving you to infer from 277 SBA loans averaging $323,361 with a 6.1% default rate, better than many food concepts but not elite. Litigation history centers on franchisee claims of fraud, breach, and data mishandling, plus the brand's past bankruptcy adds caution.
System health shows 965 franchised units (49 corporate) down 4% from 1,001 in 2024, with 31 terminations, 8 non-renewals, 48 transfers, and just 9 projected openings—signaling stagnation over growth. High transfers suggest resale activity, potentially easier exits, but the shrinkage and disputes point to operational pressures in competing with delivery-heavy pizza giants. For families eyeing pizza, this low-overhead model tempts, yet without earnings transparency and amid legal noise, it's a riskier bet demanding deep due diligence on local markets.
Analysis based on the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. All figures should be independently verified before making investment decisions.
How PAPA MURPHY'S Compares
Key Insights
- #3 largest franchise system in Pizza
| Franchise | Investment | Fee | Royalty | Locations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
PAPA MURPHY'S Current | $450K – $693K | $25K | 5.0% | 965 |
| DOMINO'S PIZZA | $118K – $197K | $10K | 5.5% | 6,948 |
| PIZZA HUT (NON-TRADITIONAL) | $56K – $183K | $10K | 10.0% | 1,241 |
| GODFATHER'S PIZZA | $711K – $1.3M | $25K | 6.5% | 592 |
| BLAZE PIZZA | $597K – $1.1M | $30K | 5.0% | 283 |
| BLAZE PIZZA | $667K – $1.1M | $30K | 5.0% | 254 |
Pizza Average 13 franchises | $458K – $1.2M | $29K | 5.7% | – |
* Comparison based on latest FDD filings. Investment ranges from Item 7, fees from Item 5. Showing top 5 of 13 Pizza franchises by location count.
Locations & Growth
Outlet Growth Over Time
Total outlets at end of each year
Geographic Distribution (2025)
Outlets by state across the United States
+21 more states
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SBA Loan History
Historical SBA 7(a) loan data for PAPA MURPHY'S franchisees (2010 – 2025)
Loans by Year
SBA 7(a) loan activity over time
* Data sourced from SBA 7(a) FOIA loan records. Default rate calculated from charged-off loans.
277 SBA loans on record
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Franchisee Contacts
373 franchisee contacts on file from official FDD filings.
373 Contacts Available
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Due Diligence
Litigation (Item 3)
Primarily disputes by current and former Papa Murphy's franchisees alleging misrepresentations in financial performance representations (Item 19), local marketing obligations, violations of the Washington Franchise Investment Protection Act, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, breach of contract, tortious interference with employees, and negligence in handling customer data, including termination-related claims.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
JND Tropics LLC (multi-unit Tropical Smoothie Cafe operator of which Vice President of Operations Dan Rudolph is a member) filed voluntary Chapter 11 Subchapter V bankruptcy on June 12, 2025.
System Health (Item 20)
Franchise system changes reported in the most recent fiscal year
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Frequently Asked Questions
The total initial investment to open a PAPA MURPHY'S franchise ranges from $450,330 to $693,450. This includes a franchise fee of $25,000. Ongoing royalty fees are 5.0% of gross sales.