Pizza Franchise FAQs

Westside Pizza restaurants range anywhere from 1,000-3,000 square feet.

No, experience is not required. Our team has crafted a franchise program that can be successful for both the pizza novice and previous restaurant owners. For more information, read our blog "Do I Need Restaurant Experience to Own a Franchise?" to learn more.

In order to be considered, we require applicants to have a minimum of $50k in liquid capital and a credit score of 680 or higher.

5 years, and renewable options from 5-10 years.

Because our two concepts are significantly different, employee counts can vary. You can expect 8-20 employees, with Westside Pizza Dine-In restaurants requiring more staff than Westside Pizza Express. The size of location and traffic can also influence the employee count.

Yes, although we recommend some owner supervision because it will likely increase your sales and efficiency.

Learn more about the benefits of being an active owner in our blog titled "Can I Be A Passive Owner Of A Westside Pizza Franchise?".

The royalty is 4% of annual gross sales. We have a 1% advertising & marketing fund and a 1% local marketing requirement for a total of 2% of gross sales to be spent on marketing.

The first step is to fill out a request for more franchise information. A member of our team will ensure you have access to the FDD and be able to answer any questions you may have.

One important factor to consider when applying for a franchise is the Item19 document (a part of the FDD). Learn more about what Item19 is, and how it applies to your franchising process by reading our blog titled "Item 19 - What Is It, And How Important Is It When Establishing a Franchise?".

The franchising process generally takes 45-75 days to complete.

We strive to ensure a smooth process. Here are the steps you can expect:

1. Initial Contact: You request information and one of our franchise consultants will contact you to verify information, answer questions, and determine your interest in taking the next step.
2. First Conversation: We’ll gather information to determine what your financial capabilities are and which Westside Pizza concept you’re most interested in. We will seek to understand who you are (e.g. skills, lifestyle, overall goals, etc.). Our goal is to determine whether you are an ethical and responsible potential business partner, not just someone looking to buy a franchise. We want partners who believe in the hospitality lifestyle and have a genuine customer service mentality.
3. The Questionnaire: You’ll complete a questionnaire for us to review that serves as visual confirmation of our previous discussion. This will help us determine next steps.
4. Review of Franchise Documents (FDD): Once you receive an FDD (Franchise Disclosure Document) from us, you can review it thoroughly and ask us any questions you may have. (Our FDD does contain an Item 19)
5. Call with our President: You’ll get to have a short, personal talk with our president so that you can get to know each other and align our goals in a way that benefits our future relationship.
6. Consultation with an Attorney: We suggest a 2nd pair of eyes to review your information.
7. Confidential Information Request Form: You’ll need to complete a Confidential Information Request Form. In this, you will be providing personal information, including driver’s license, social security number, past work experience, health questions, and financial statements. This will all be sent to a third-party company for evaluation and will help the board make the final decision on whether or not to offer you a franchise.
8. Decision Time: If you are offered a franchise, it will then be time for you to make a decision. Should you choose to own a franchise, you can be confident that you have taken the necessary steps toward owning a Westside Pizza franchise. If both parties agree, paperwork will be submitted to the Approval Committee.
9. Attend a Discovery Day (optional): We invite prospective franchise partners to visit a specific corporate or franchise location and see the business model in action. You will get to meet the staff that will be supporting you throughout the operation of your business. This step often culminates in the signing of a franchise agreement and submitting the franchise fee.

The initial franchise fee is $25,000. We offer a $5,000 discount on the first location to military veterans with a copy of their DD214. We also offer area development deals starting at $50,000 for a 3 pack Multiple Territory concept.

Westside Pizza does not personally provide funding to franchisees. However, our team has working relationships with lending institutes and SBA agencies. We will help qualified applicants seek out and initiate conversations with 3rd party lenders.

Yes. Site selection is critical to the success of a franchise operation. We work with a preferred national broker who will assist with demographic data analysis and site selection criteria.

Learn more about our site-selection process by visiting the Franchise Site Selection page.

Westside Pizza takes training seriously. On-site training is included in the initial franchise fee. We will be there to help out when you first open to help train your staff in your location. It’s in both our best interests for your new location to get off on the right foot. Once you are up and running, we periodically send out a member from our team to help with training and keeping you up to date on policy and procedures.

Learn more about our training program by visiting the On-site Franchise Training page.

Our team is here to help you succeed, so we offer ongoing support in the areas of Real Estate, Training, Marketing, Operations, and Purchasing. Our relationship doesn’t end once your open sign is turned on. We can provide more training if needed or requested. We work with all our franchisees throughout the life of the business. We also have an advisory council made up of both corporate personnel and franchisees. This committee is dedicated to the growth, direction and continuous improvement of the Westside Pizza brand.