Start a DC Pizza Franchise in 2024

Franchise 500 Rank: N/R Not ranked last year

Initial investment: $203K - $487K

Units as of 2020: 1 0.0% over 3 years

DC Pizza was started with the idea that the founders could do fast-casual pizza better than the competition. The company began in Washington, D.C., in 2014 and began offering franchising in 2019.

DC Pizza wants to bring new ideas to the pizza industry, giving customers new combinations and quality services while fostering a relationship with the community.

DC Pizza is seeking to expand its reach even further and become known nationwide.

Why You May Want To Start a DC Pizza Franchise

DC Pizza is looking for franchisees who have experience in the restaurant industry. However, if a franchisee does not have previous restaurant experience, they may still be able to open a DC Pizza location. DC Pizza offers training to all franchisees.

Franchisees typically need to have strong leadership, customer service, and organizational skills. Ideal franchises should also have a passion for pizza and serving customers top-quality food.

DC Pizza offers menu options that customers can choose from, but customers can also make their own creations. The DC Pizza menu also offers gluten-free crusts and vegan options. With such variety, DC Pizza believes it caters to a large population of its customers.

What Might Make a DC Pizza Franchise a Good Choice?

DC Pizza delivers pizzas, but also offers catering and fundraising services. These additional services may help franchisees diversify their business. Such events also may help create a sense of community amongst the members of the larger area. DC Pizza may gain publicity and make future sales from their catering or various fundraising events.

To be part of the DC Pizza team, you should make sure you’re financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include advertising fees and royalty fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company’s set liquid capital requirements.

How To Open a DC Pizza Franchise

As you decide if opening a DC Pizza franchise is the right move for you, make sure you take time to explore the opportunity. Research the brand and your local area to see if a DC Pizza franchise would do well in your community. While competition is healthy, too much of it may not allow for the most possible growth.

Before making any financial commitment or signing an agreement with DC Pizza, you must perform your due diligence and establish if this is the right opportunity for you. As part of your due diligence, you may want to speak to existing franchisees and ask the DC Pizza franchising team questions.

If you pursue a DC Pizza franchise, you may participate in a franchise discovery day. During the DC Pizza discovery day, you may meet the management team and be able to ask your franchising questions.

Initial training will take place at the DC Pizza headquarters, which is located in Washington, D.C. Franchisees and their staff will receive training before opening day. Afterward, franchisees will have access to additional training and support as needed.

Company Overview

About DC Pizza

Industry	Food
Related Categories	Pizza
Founded	2014
Parent Company	DC Pizza
Leadership	Robert Daly, Owner
Corporate Address	1103 19th St. N.W. Washington, DC 20036
Social	YouTube

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2019 (5 years)
# of employees at HQ	13
# of Units	1 (as of 2020)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a DC Pizza franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$30,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$202,675 - $486,833
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$300,000 - $500,000
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	5%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	1%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	10 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

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

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	80 hours
Classroom Training	20 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Lease Negotiation Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes