2026 FDD Issued Mar 27, 2026 Minnesota Commerce (CARDS)
Little Caesars Franchise Cost (2026)
A Little Caesars franchise costs an estimated $376,500 – $1,769,200 to open, according to Item 7 of the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD). That total includes the $20,000 initial franchise fee (Item 5) and covers this format: Standard Restaurant. Item 6 lists royalty: 6% of Gross Sales, subject to the conditions below. This record has unresolved source-review issues and was published provisionally before independent verification was complete.
Read the source-review hold before using these figures.
- Total investment
- $377K – $1.77MItem 7 source and qualifications
- Franchise fee
- $20KItem 5 source and terms
- Royalty
- 6% of Gross SalesItem 6 conditions and fee bases apply
- Brand fund
- VariesItem 6 conditions and fee bases apply
- Liquid capital
- $200KFranchisor website, checked October 29, 2026 · See conditions
- Net worth
- $400KFranchisor website, checked October 29, 2026 · See conditions
What stands out about Little Caesars
Blue Line's equipment package includes Pizza Portal and Caesar Vision but leaves the automated M.I.K.E. system outside Item 7's estimate. The system is optional at issuance, with a reserved right to require it later. The leasehold-improvement range also excludes extraordinary site work, and future refurbishment is separate from startup costs. Buying the property would not fit the table's rental assumption.
The additional-funds line excludes royalties and advertising even though those obligations continue during the opening period. Digital-order and card fees depend on transaction counts, while delivery charges distinguish customer pass-through amounts from restaurant-paid fees. Advertising is allocated across Caesar Fund, cooperatives and local spending. Without the applicable allocation and transaction volumes, fixed support fees are only part of the ongoing bill.
Item 19 supplies no historical sales or profit figures, so network growth in Item 20 cannot be substituted for restaurant earnings. The printed outlet totals include U.S. territories. Contract duration also depends on the format and transaction: a restaurant acquisition inherits the seller's remaining term, while Food Trucks have a shorter term and different fee exemptions.
What are the initial franchise fees and financial requirements for Little Caesars?
Item 5 lists an initial franchise fee of $20,000 for Little Caesars. Check the cited Item 5 for payment timing, discounts and format-specific terms.
Little Caesars states that the liquid capital is part of the net worth. These minimums come from the franchisor’s website, not from the FDD, and can change: Little Caesars franchise page (checked October 29, 2026).
Item 5 lists a $20,000 standard fee, paid in full when approved unless otherwise agreed and nonrefundable after signing. A qualified honorably discharged U.S. veteran's first restaurant receives a $5,000 fee reduction plus separate Blue Line equipment/food discounts; the veteran cannot already be a franchisee and other prerequisites may apply. Qualified first responders (police, fire, EMT or nurse) also receive the first-restaurant fee reduction. Item 5 waives the first fee for combat-disabled veterans and Gold Star families; Item 7's note uses the broader phrase service-disabled veterans, so eligibility must be checked under Item 5 rather than assumed. Discounts generally cannot be combined and may change or end. The $7,500 Food Truck fee is only for existing franchisees operating at least one restaurant. Required Blue Line preopening equipment/food purchases and the $15,000 grand-opening program are separate obligations already represented in the restaurant investment table. A Territory Reservation Agreement adds $10,000 or a lesser agreed amount per scheduled restaurant, is nonrefundable and allows 1-10 restaurants. Only if an outlet opens on its development deadline is $2,500 credited toward that outlet's initial franchise fee; payment timing is case-specific. A negotiated Offer Letter fee for acquiring Little Caesar's pre-existing purchase right can also be additional to the seller's price and other fees. PDF pp. 15-17.
Source: Little Caesars 2026 FDD, Item 5, PDF p. 15.
How much does it cost to open a Little Caesars franchise? (Item 7)
Source: Little Caesars 2026 FDD, Item 7, PDF p. 28.
Item 7 of Little Caesars’s 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document estimates the total cost to open one standard restaurant at $376,500 – $1,769,200. This total includes the initial franchise fee.
| Expense Category | Low ($) | High ($) |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $20,000 | $20,000 |
| Rent | $1,500 | $8,500 |
| Leasehold Improvements | $50,000 | $1,000,000 |
| Equipment and Technology from Blue Line | $235,000 | $460,000 |
| Other Fixtures, Equipment, and Signage | $15,000 | $158,000 |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $15,000 | $15,000 |
| Training Expenses | $12,000 | $16,500 |
| Opening Food, Paper Goods, Cleaning Chemicals and Supplies | $7,000 | $9,000 |
| Insurance | $500 | $1,200 |
| Utility Expenses | $1,000 | $9,000 |
| Licenses and Permits | $2,500 | $25,000 |
| Additional Funds – 3 months | $17,000 | $47,000 |
| Total | $376,500 | $1,769,200 |
For comparison, the median high-end investment among 25 restaurants & food records without a source-review hold is $1,297,100.
Item 7's standard-restaurant table starts on PDF p. 28 and totals on p. 29. It assumes 1,200-1,600 square feet and one month's rent, not real-property purchase; an additional lease deposit may be required. Leasehold improvements exclude extraordinary redesign, permitting variances, legal obstacles, impact fees and utility connections. Equipment includes new Blue Line items and Pizza Portal/Caesar Vision but excludes the optional M.I.K.E. purchase, which may become required. Grand-opening advertising is $15,000 paid to Little Caesar or at least that amount spent directly under its approved plan, additional to ongoing advertising. Training includes estimated expenses and $125.40 ServSafe certification; travel, lodging, meals and trainee wages remain the franchisee's responsibility. Insurance is monthly and excludes workers' compensation; utility deposits can add costs. Licenses/permits are annual. Additional Funds cover 3 months of ongoing costs such as payroll plus accounting/legal expenses but exclude royalties and advertising contributions; more cash may be needed. Future refurbishment is not in the startup estimate: after the notice/timing conditions it can cost up to $150,000 excluding required equipment, without limiting separate technology/lease obligations. The table excludes Food Trucks; no truck total is inferred. Territory Reservation rights have a separate $41,000-$45,000 printed estimate for 4 restaurants, in addition to each restaurant's costs, subject to the conditional initial-fee credit described in Item 5. Item 7's discount note says service-disabled while Item 5 specifies combat-disabled veterans and Gold Star families; eligibility is not broadened. PDF pp. 28-31 and 43.
What ongoing royalties and fees does Little Caesars charge? (Item 6)
Source: Little Caesars 2026 FDD, Item 6, PDF p. 18.
Item 6 of Little Caesars’s 2026 FDD lists the charges below. Recurring charges and charges triggered by a transfer, renewal or other event have different conditions. Read each fee’s basis and notes before comparing rates.
How to read an Item 6 fee table.
| Fee Type | Amount / Rate | Payment Frequency | Notes & Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royalty | 6% of Gross Sales | Every period | The greater of 6% of each week's Gross Sales or $300 for that week, paid by electronic funds transfer or another specified method/time. Gross Sales includes cash/credit revenue regardless of collection, off-premises delivery fees and other delivery revenue, and business-interruption insurance proceeds. Customer taxes are excluded only if collected and then paid directly to the taxing authority. The weekly minimum cannot be determined from annual sales alone. PDF pp. 18 and 24-25. (Item 6, PDF p. 18) |
| Advertising Fee | Varies | Every period | Item 6 states up to 7% of Gross Sales, determined by Little Caesar and allocated among Caesar Fund, applicable cooperatives and local spending. Item 11 on PDF p. 44 qualifies the 7% ceiling: a cooperative can agree otherwise. Little Caesar can change the allocation and required measurement period; the table does not give a single current system-wide percentage. Applicable cooperative membership/contributions are mandatory, and not every local expense counts toward the requirement. Food Trucks pay half the then-current full-size restaurant percentage. This is an allocated advertising obligation, not separate national and local percentages to add twice. (Item 6, PDF p. 18) |
| Blue Line Purchases | Varies | When it applies | Most required food, paper products, supplies, equipment and other items must come from Blue Line. Quantity, current prices, shipping, taxes and government charges determine invoices. Terms can require a deposit or prepayment; overdue affiliate payments can trigger shipment suspension, prepayment/cash-on-delivery or a security deposit. Note 3 says packaging sustainability fees may be passed through, but no decision had been made at issuance. Not a fixed periodic subscription. PDF p. 25. (Item 6, PDF p. 18) |
| Caesar Vision Annual Support Fee | $3,120 per year | Every period | $3,120 currently per restaurant per year, up to $3,750. Assessed in January and collected each accounting period in installments, payable to Blue Line. All franchised restaurants must install Caesar Vision; fee/provider changes are permitted and the fee typically increases annually. Item 6's asterisk exempts Food Trucks. PDF pp. 18 and 24-25. (Item 6, PDF p. 18) |
| Digital Transactions Fee | $0.36 | When it applies | $0.36 currently per digital transaction, up to $0.40, payable to Blue Line on the royalty schedule. Applies to designated website/mobile orders, including delivery through native and third-party apps/websites. Marketplace orders can add a third-party routing-aggregator fee up to $0.10 per transaction, recovered from the restaurant. The fee can change by Caesar Vision portal notice. recurring:false denotes transaction-based applicability, not a one-time lifetime charge. Item 6's asterisk exempts Food Trucks. PDF pp. 18 and 24-25. (Item 6, PDF p. 18) |
| Security and Technology Fee | $0.06 | When it applies | $0.06 currently per credit/debit transaction, up to $0.09, collected by FIS/Worldpay for Little Caesar as incurred. This is transaction-based, not per month or a percentage of all sales; recurring:false does not mean card transactions are charged only once. Item 6's asterisk exempts Food Trucks. PDF pp. 18 and 24. (Item 6, PDF p. 18) |
| Delivery Fees – Little Caesars App/Website | Varies | When it applies | The customer pays $3.99 delivery, a 12% food/beverage service fee capped at $4, and a $2 small-order fee if applicable, which the restaurant passes to Blue Line. The restaurant pays $0.50 per late-to-Portal order and the referenced LCE transaction fee by weekly ACH; this row does not quote a separate amount for the latter. Digital-transaction and applicable routing-aggregator fees are additional. Note 6 on PDF p. 26 gives geographic exceptions: California delivery $5.49/service 15% with its stated $8.99 plus food, beverage and tax maximum; New York City delivery $6.99/service 12% capped $4; Seattle delivery $8.99/service 12% capped $4. Small-order and late-to-Portal charges are unchanged. Promotions and provider programs can affect delivery charges. DoorDash is the designated native-channel provider in its service area through February 2029 unless extended. These are FDD terms, not independently verified current local-law claims. Item 6's asterisk exempts Food Trucks. PDF pp. 19 and 24-26. (Item 6, PDF p. 19) |
| Delivery Fees – Third-Party Apps/Websites | Varies | When it applies | Third-party provider service commission up to 25% of the food/beverage order, currently 18%-22%, deducted before funds are remitted to the store. Separate from digital-transaction and applicable routing-aggregator fees. The customer pays the provider's markup; no exclusive provider applies to third-party app/website orders, and promotions/subscriptions can affect delivery fees. Item 6's asterisk exempts Food Trucks. PDF pp. 19 and 24-26. (Item 6, PDF p. 19) |
| Learning Management System Fee | $260 per year | Every period | $260 per restaurant per year, collected in two semiannual installments. Annual increases cannot exceed 5% of the previous charge. Supports digital training materials, tracking and technology services for the dedicated tablet; this is a required system-access charge, not an optional training-attendance fee. Item 6's asterisk exempts Food Trucks. PDF pp. 19, 24 and 26. (Item 6, PDF p. 19) |
| Data Fee | Varies | When it applies | Currently none; future LCE Data licensing fees not yet determined. (Item 6, PDF p. 19) |
| Other Fees | Varies | When it applies | None currently. Little Caesar reserves rights to introduce fees for specified new/revised products, services, facilities, technology, marketing methods, training, data security and operations, including digital channels and Internet-connected equipment. Unknown future amounts are not modeled as zero future cost. Item 6's asterisk exempts Food Trucks. PDF pp. 19 and 24. (Item 6, PDF p. 19) |
| Onsite Caesar Vision Support | Varies | When it applies | $2,000 currently per day per technician, plus travel expenses, paid to Blue Line if onsite staff training or Caesar Vision troubleshooting is requested. A technician/day count is needed; the schema has no daily period and therefore retains this as varies with the exact rate here. Item 6's asterisk exempts Food Trucks. PDF pp. 20 and 24. (Item 6, PDF p. 20) |
| M.I.K.E. System Connection Fees | Varies | When it applies | No connection fee currently. If installed, M.I.K.E., the Modern Integrated Kitchen Equipment automated production system, must stay Internet-connected; Blue Line reserves rights to charge installation and monthly connection fees. The system is optional at issuance but may become mandatory; its purchase price is excluded from the Item 7 equipment estimate. Unknown future connection charges are not zero future costs. Item 6's asterisk exempts Food Trucks. PDF pp. 20, 24, 26 and 30. (Item 6, PDF p. 20) |
| Restaurant Dashboard System Fee | $25 per month | When it applies | $25 monthly to Blue Line if the restaurant elects to install the Dashboard or it becomes a required System standard before April 2027. Not automatically paid by every restaurant at issuance; recurring:false denotes conditional applicability, not one-time payment. (Item 6, PDF p. 20) |
| Audit by Franchisor | Varies | When it applies | Actual audit expenses if reported Gross Sales understated by at least 2%. (Item 6, PDF p. 20) |
| Follow-up Inspections | Varies | When it applies | Actual travel, meals, lodging and representative-compensation costs, due 10 days after billing, if Little Caesar elects to charge for following up deficiencies found on an earlier inspection. (Item 6, PDF p. 20) |
| Additional Trainees | Varies | When it applies | Not more than $500 per additional employee attending initial training with prior consent, due 10 days after billing. Item 11 on PDF p. 43 separately leaves travel, lodging, meals and wages with the franchisee and permits required retraining at the franchisee's cost if System Standards repeatedly are not met. The additional-trainee ceiling is not an all-in cap on training expenses. (Item 6, PDF p. 20) |
| Optional Training | Varies | When it applies | Price depends on program and is provided before voluntary participation. (Item 6, PDF p. 20) |
| Transfer Fee | Varies | When it applies | $5,000 per restaurant for a control-changing transfer or $1,000 per restaurant without a control change, due before transfer. Control is assessed together with previous, simultaneous and proposed transfers; Little Caesar can reduce or waive the fee. These are alternatives, not added together. Item 6 Note 9, PDF p. 26. (Item 6, PDF p. 21) |
| Renewal Fee | $5,000 | When it applies | $5,000 for a qualifying new restaurant franchisee's renewal at the end of the initial 10-year term, due at signing the Franchise Agreement and Renewal Addendum. Food Truck renewal is $2,500 with its own addendum. An existing Renewing Franchisee pays the renewal fee in its prior agreement/addendum rather than automatically this current amount. Renewal conditions still apply. Item 6 Note 10, PDF p. 26. (Item 6, PDF p. 21) |
| Indemnification | Varies | When it applies | Actual covered losses, costs and expenses arising from restaurant construction/maintenance/operation, training participation or a securities offering; the Territory Reservation Agreement adds covered claims for failure to perform it. Attorneys' fees can be payable monthly while litigation is pending. Item 6 Note 11, PDF p. 26. (Item 6, PDF p. 21) |
| Requested Special Marketing, Management and Operational Assistance | Varies | When it applies | Agreed reasonable fee plus expenses for assistance beyond standard support. (Item 6, PDF p. 21) |
| Post-refurbishment Grand Reopening Advertising | $500 | When it applies | Paid to franchisor or vendors as directed; possible annual increase up to 5%. (Item 6, PDF p. 21) |
| Private Securities Offering | Varies | When it applies | $25,000 at submission of private-offering materials, plus additional sums needed to cover out-of-pocket review costs above $25,000 as incurred. Approval is required and a right of first refusal applies; public offerings are prohibited by the agreement. (Item 6, PDF p. 21) |
| Relocation Fee | $2,500 | When it applies | $2,500 on submitting the relocation request package, refundable only if Little Caesar does not approve it. The new site must be within 1 mile and open within 6 months of the prior site's closure. Not every requested relocation is approved. (Item 6, PDF p. 21) |
| Interest | Varies | When it applies | Lesser of 18% annually or maximum applicable legal rate on overdue payments. (Item 6, PDF p. 22) |
| Late Fee | Varies | When it applies | Up to $500 per overdue payment occurrence; for overdue statements/reports, up to $500 each 30 days or portion thereof. (Item 6, PDF p. 22) |
| Insufficient Funds Fee | Varies | When it applies | Up to $50 per returned EFT. (Item 6, PDF p. 22) |
| Missing Sales or Late Sales Reporting Fee | Varies | When it applies | Up to $50 per missing/late weekly sales report. (Item 6, PDF p. 22) |
| Conference Fee Deposit | $2,500 | When it applies | $2,500 in the first quarter of each of the first 3 agreement years if the principal owner was new to the system at signing, by authorized draft or electronic funds transfer. Refunded if that owner attends that year's annual restaurant-owner conference. This is a conditional refundable deposit, not a fee owed by every owner forever; the missed-meeting fee does not apply when this deposit applies. (Item 6, PDF p. 22) |
| Missed Meeting Fee | Varies | When it applies | Reasonable estimated costs incurred in expectation of attendance, varying with the meeting's length/type, due 20 days after billing if a required meeting, conference or seminar is missed. Does not apply when the Conference Fee Deposit applies. (Item 6, PDF p. 23) |
| Management Fee | Varies | When it applies | Commercially reasonable fee, not exceeding 10% of net operating profit, due 20 days after billing only if a principal owner is arrested for or charged with a serious criminal offense and Little Caesar elects to manage the restaurant until final disposition. This is a contingent management fee, not a disclosed profit figure or percentage of gross sales. (Item 6, PDF p. 23) |
| Liquidated Damages for Failing to Maintain Hours of Operation | Varies | When it applies | $1,000 per day, upon billing, for using the premises other than to operate the restaurant or failing minimum required hours/days. May increase annually by no more than 5% of the prior amount specified in the operating manual. The schema has no daily period; the exact daily charge is retained here, not converted into a recurring monthly fee. (Item 6, PDF p. 23) |
| Liquidated Damages for Holding Over after Expiration | Varies | When it applies | Upon billing if operation continues at the approved location after the initial term without electing and qualifying to renew. Note 13 multiplies average monthly royalty, advertising and technology fees payable during the 12 months before expiration by 36. Not an ordinary monthly royalty or a forecast of profit. PDF pp. 23 and 27. (Item 6, PDF p. 23) |
| Liquidated Damages Upon Termination for Your Default | Varies | When it applies | Due on termination for default, instead of damages for lost future revenue but additional to other recoverable damages/costs. Note 14 multiplies average monthly royalty, advertising and additional fees payable over the preceding 12 months by the lesser of 60 months or months remaining in the term; ownership changes within that period do not exclude the prior-owner months. For a restaurant open less than 12 months, the average for its operating period is instead multiplied by 60 months. PDF pp. 23 and 27. (Item 6, PDF p. 23) |
| Liquidated Damages - Failure to Comply with Post-Termination Obligations | Varies | When it applies | $250 per day as incurred for failure to meet expiration/termination obligations. Little Caesar can draw $10,000 from the bank account at expiration/termination for potential damages and enforcement expenses; unused funds are refunded after de-identification and expense payment, with any shortfall invoiced. Note 15 adds reasonable costs of performing unmet obligations and court enforcement; the daily charge is not an all-in cap. The schema has no daily period, so the exact charge is retained in notes. PDF pp. 24 and 27. (Item 6, PDF p. 24) |
| Enforcement Costs | Varies | When it applies | Actual costs on demand for franchise-agreement noncompliance, regardless of whether default/termination notice or a legal proceeding is issued. Note 15 includes investigation, travel, accounting, legal/expert and dispute-resolution costs, plus reasonable de-branding/post-termination work and court enforcement expenses. Additional to applicable daily damages. PDF pp. 24 and 27. (Item 6, PDF p. 24) |
| Dispute Costs and Legal Fees | Varies | When it applies | Actual costs on demand under Note 16 if the franchisee brings a legal proceeding and does not obtain the requested relief. Includes accounting, legal/expert fees, investigation, court/other litigation and travel expenses, including costs before or in preparation for the proceedings. PDF pp. 24 and 27. (Item 6, PDF p. 24) |
| Reimbursement for Taxes | Varies | When it applies | Actual costs on demand for taxes other than income taxes assessed on Little Caesar for furnishing products, services, marks or other intangible property under the Franchise Agreement. Listed examples include sales/use/withholding/excise/property/gross-receipt/unemployment taxes and taxes on royalties. Not the franchisee's ordinary income-tax estimate. (Item 6, PDF p. 24) |
Explore annual fees and payback assumptions
This fee schedule cannot be reduced to the calculator’s simple sales-based formula. Enter your own assumptions and check them against the Item 6 terms.
Little Caesars startup investment and modeled fees over 10 years
A source check placed this record on review hold. Automatic fee estimates are withheld until the outstanding issues are resolved. Little Caesars charges a weekly royalty minimum, a franchisor-allocated advertising obligation rather than a single disclosed current rate, and separate digital, card and delivery fees requiring transaction/order inputs. Item 19 gives no historical sales or profit figures. These conditions prevent estimating total recurring fees from annual sales alone. Fee ceilings are not current quoted ranges. The table is for a standard restaurant: asterisked Caesar Vision, digital, card, delivery, LMS, Other Fees, onsite-support and M.I.K.E. charges do not apply to Food Trucks, whose advertising and renewal terms also differ. See the fee amounts and definitions in Item 6 above. Open the calculator with your own assumptions.
Item 20: Little Caesars franchised outlet history
Source: Little Caesars 2026 FDD, Item 20, PDF p. 82.
Item 20 Table 3 reports 3,788 franchised outlets at the end of 2025. The company-owned table reports a further 586 outlets.
| Year | Franchised at Start | Opened | Reported Exits | At End | Franchise Exit Rate (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 3,599 | 83 | 41 | 3,641 | — |
| 2024 | 3,641 | 101 | 41 | 3,701 | — |
| 2025 | 3,701 | 109 | 22 | 3,788 | — |
Calculated outlet totals, net growth and exit rates are withheld because this record has not cleared the current Item 20 source checks. The table retains the outlet counts printed in Item 20. Read the unresolved source issues.
Reported exits include terminations, non-renewals, franchisor reacquisitions and other cessations. A reacquired outlet may continue operating. How we calculate the exit rate. How to read the Item 20 outlet tables.
239 units changed owners in 2025.
The printed Table 3 totals include Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, not only the states and District of Columbia. Counts are at December 31 of each year. Transfers come from Table 2's national totals on PDF p. 77; company-owned end counts come from Table 4 on p. 83. Table 4 marks adjusted 2025 state-level opening balances in California, Florida, Illinois and Ohio to correct internal reporting glitches; printed national start/end totals remain as disclosed rather than individually reconstructed. When multiple events affect a restaurant's ownership transfer, the FDD reports the last event. Projected openings and signed-but-unopened agreements are not added to operating counts. PDF pp. 74 and 77-84.
How much do Little Caesars franchise owners make? (Item 19)
Source: Little Caesars 2026 FDD, Item 19, PDF p. 73.
Little Caesars’s 2026 FDD has no Item 19 financial performance representation, so it gives no official sales, profit or owner-pay figures. Treat any earnings claim you hear from a salesperson with caution, and ask current owners (their contacts are listed in Item 20).
Item 19 does not disclose past company-owned/franchised outlet or future franchisee performance. Metrics remain empty; no earnings page or revenue model is inferred. Little Caesar also says it does not authorize employee/representative performance claims. It may provide actual records when purchasing an existing restaurant, which is not a system-wide earnings disclosure. PDF p. 73.
Payback calculator (enter your own assumptions) Check any inputs against this record’s Item 7 startup costs and Item 6 fee rules.
How long is the Little Caesars franchise agreement term?
Source: Little Caesars 2026 FDD, Item 17, PDF p. 64.
The standard Little Caesars franchise agreement runs 10 years, with renewal terms of 10 years.
Generally a 10-year initial restaurant term from opening and one conditional 10-year renewal. Written notice of renewal or nonrenewal is due no later than 12 months before expiry; no notice is treated as electing not to renew. Renewal can require current payments, compliance, approved premises or relocation, refurbishment, a new agreement/addendum that may materially differ, the fee, a general release and satisfaction of supplier/lessor obligations. Renewing Franchisees have no further renewal rights. A transfer receives the seller's remaining term and only any renewal right the seller retains, not a new full term. Food Trucks instead have a 5-year initial term and one conditional 5-year renewal; temporary-operation agreements have situation-specific terms and no renewal. PDF pp. 64-65.
How long does it take to open a Little Caesars franchise? (Item 11)
Source: Little Caesars 2026 FDD, Item 11, PDF p. 41.
Item 11 of the 2026 FDD states the time from signing the franchise agreement to opening: 60 to 270 days. The agreement requires you to open no later than 9 months from signing, and begin construction within 6 months.
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Frequently Asked Questions about Little Caesars
This record has unresolved source-review issues and was published provisionally. Read the specific issues before using these answers.
- What is the initial franchise fee for Little Caesars?
- The standard initial franchise fee for a Little Caesars location is $20,000. Item 5 describes reductions for qualifying veterans and first responders, and a first-restaurant waiver for combat-disabled veterans and Gold Star families. Item 7 uses different waiver wording, so eligibility should be confirmed under the current written terms.
- How much does it cost to open a Little Caesars?
- Item 7 estimates $376,500 – $1,769,200 for the standard restaurant, with leasehold improvements producing the largest spread. This is not a property-purchase or Food Truck budget. The three-month funds estimate excludes royalties and advertising, and other site, equipment and insurance exclusions are explained below the table.
- What is the ongoing royalty fee for a Little Caesars?
- The continuing royalty is 6% of Gross Sales, subject to the minimum in Item 6. Advertising, support and transaction charges apply separately.
- Does Little Caesars provide profit or sales numbers?
- No. In their Franchise Disclosure Document, Little Caesars states they do not make any representations about a franchisee's future financial performance or the past financial performance of their outlets.
Sources
Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. Franchise Disclosure Document, issued March 27, 2026, as filed with the Minnesota Commerce (CARDS). Read the source FDD PDF. How to get this FDD yourself.
- Item 5: cited PDF p. 15
- Item 6: cited PDF p. 18
- Item 7: cited PDF p. 28
- Item 19: cited PDF p. 73
- Item 20: cited PDF p. 82
- Agreement term (Item 17): cited PDF p. 64
Page references for Little Caesars use the PDF viewer's digital page count, not printed page headers. Some viewers download the document instead of opening the referenced page.
If the state document viewer does not open, use Minnesota Commerce's public filing instructions to look up the filing by franchisor name and document date.
Document & verification changelog
- October 29, 2026: Record updated.
- October 28, 2026: Source review hold recorded. Unresolved corrections are listed in this source section.
- October 9, 2026: Provisional publication approved per owner directive: Owner-directed provisional publication before independent source verification was complete.
- October 9, 2026: Initial cost profile published from the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (issued March 27, 2026).