Rosati’s Pizza Franchise

The first Rosati’s Pizza restaurant opened in 1964. The May 27, 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document traces earlier franchising activity to Rosati’s Family Restaurants, which sold franchises from 1979 to 1983, followed by Rosati’s Franchise Systems from 1988 to 1998. In 1998, the trademark holder licensed certain family members to use the brand. Some formed separate franchising businesses, while others operated or licensed restaurants independently.

The franchisor for this opportunity, Rosati’s Pizza Enterprises, Inc., was organized in Illinois in February 2022 and began offering franchises in March of that year. Item 1 describes the assignment of existing franchise and development agreements to the company in 2022, followed by the return of some agreements to another Rosati franchisor in September 2025. The company became a Florida corporation in 2023 and converted to a Texas entity in January 2025. This distinguishes the restaurant brand’s long history from the operating history of the specific franchisor.

Its offering includes two restaurant layouts: carryout and delivery, and a sports pub. Qualified operators may also enter a separate area-development arrangement for multiple restaurants. The 2026 FDD lists estimated single-location investment of $152,200–$505,500 for carryout/delivery and $280,000–$1,254,000 for a sports pub. Item 5 distinguishes a $0 initial franchise fee from $40,000 in required initial training-course fees. Those course fees are included in the investment estimates; they do not mean that starting the business is fee-free.

Rosati’s Pizza Enterprises’ May 27, 2026 FDD describes a sequence of business preparation, restaurant training and opening assistance. The two preliminary courses cover business establishment and site selection/real estate, with tables allocating 59 and 33 hours respectively. Subjects include setting up the business, permits, insurance, contractors, equipment, staffing, customer service, lease terms, market research and site evaluation.

The owner and manager then complete initial restaurant training. Item 11 specifies a minimum of two weeks at an operating restaurant, followed by training and assistance at the franchise location. The opening sequence includes five days of soft-opening assistance, franchisor presence on opening day and at least two weeks of post-opening operational assistance, which may be extended to four weeks. The broader operations-training table totals 8 classroom and 292 on-the-job hours and includes time at the franchisee’s restaurant, so it should not be read as a separate additional course. Instruction covers pizza preparation, kitchen and front-of-house work, point-of-sale systems, delivery routing, administrative tasks and managing a shift. Timing and subjects can vary with experience.

Training locations may include the Chicago area, Temecula, California, or Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, with other locations or virtual instruction possible. Owners pay travel, living expenses and employee costs. Additional or returning trainees can incur daily fees. The franchisor also provides site guidelines and counseling, lease review, sample layout information, supplier assistance and an operations manual; the owner remains responsible for securing the location, permits and local compliance.

After opening, Item 11 provides for general guidance at least quarterly, system and manual updates, advertising materials and a location page on the brand’s website. Operational visits occur as the franchisor considers appropriate. Refresher training may be required, and special assistance or additional training can involve extra charges. Local advertising requires approval, and the owner retains responsibility for the restaurant’s daily execution and staff training.

The choice between carryout/delivery and a sports pub gives a prospective Rosati’s owner two distinct ways to serve a community. One centers on fulfilling meals for customers to enjoy elsewhere; the other offers a restaurant setting built around the sports pub format. Both use the same broader pizza-and-Italian-food concept, allowing the owner to focus on a service model that fits the proposed location and operating team.

The practical appeal is the combination of a longstanding restaurant identity, a defined menu and staged preparation for opening. It is a fit for someone who enjoys managing food quality, people and customer service. Item 15 requires a designated manager to devote full-time attention to the business and explicitly describes the franchise as requiring day-to-day supervision by the owner or manager. That makes active restaurant leadership central to the opportunity, even when an owner employs a manager to run daily operations.

Learn more in our guide to Rosati’s Pizza: Chicago-Style Pizza, Menu and Franchise Background.