--- title: "What It Really Costs to Open a Pizza Shop in 2026" description: "Published estimates run from $25,000 to $2 million. Franchise disclosures, equipment price lists and SBA loan terms narrow that to a number you can plan around, and show which line the blog estimates get most wrong." canonical_url: https://ovenscars.com/articles/cost-to-open-a-pizza-shop/ author: "Oven Scars Editorial" publisher: "Oven Scars" section: "Strategy & Growth" date_published: 2026-10-28T00:00:00.000Z date_modified: 2026-11-01T00:00:00.000Z tags: ["startup-costs", "opening", "equipment", "financing"] word_count: 1092 reading_time_minutes: 8 license: "CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 — cite as \"Oven Scars\" and link the canonical URL" --- # What It Really Costs to Open a Pizza Shop in 2026 *Published estimates run from $25,000 to $2 million. Franchise disclosures, equipment price lists and SBA loan terms narrow that to a number you can plan around, and show which line the blog estimates get most wrong.* **Operator takeaway:** Before you sign a lease, price four things in writing: the oven, the mixer, the walk-in and a hood-and-suppression quote for the space you're looking at. Then get a second contractor quote on a former restaurant space to compare. Add the months of rent and payroll you'll need before sales cover them. If that total is more than your cash plus a loan you can actually qualify for, change the space or the format, not the spreadsheet. A Domino's costs about $230,000 to $740,000 to open, according to what the chain tells its own franchisees, and an independent with no franchise fees can usually come in under that. Ask how much it costs to open a pizza shop and you'll get a range too wide to plan with. Toast puts it at [$95,000 to $2,000,000](https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/on-the-line/cost-to-open-a-pizza-shop). An equipment dealer says it can be [as little as $25,000 for a small takeout counter](https://www.thehorecastore.com/blog/how-much-does-it-cost-to-open-a-pizza-shop). Both sell to the people they're advising, and neither publishes the data behind the number. The best public numbers come from franchisors, because federal rules make them disclose an estimated opening cost to every buyer. Those, plus real equipment price lists and the SBA's loan terms, get you much closer to your own number. ## Franchise disclosures are the most honest estimate in pizza Franchise Times' 2026 Top 400 lists Domino's initial investment at [$231,450 to $743,500](https://www.franchisetimes.com/top-400-2026/8-dominos/article_41c1c5af-9327-4f51-b7ca-66c9901f9c80.html). Papa Johns runs [$281,485 to $890,267](https://www.franchisetimes.com/top-400-2026/24-papa-johns/article_fbd3640c-a941-46c6-83f0-3f070d4e16fc.html), Marco's [$286,727 to $807,152](https://www.franchisetimes.com/top-400-2026/78-marco-s-pizza/article_0e1cf9eb-39c3-4b33-9007-90566ac8a120.html) and Pizza Hut [$846,000 to $1,130,000](https://www.franchisetimes.com/top-400-2026/13-pizza-hut/article_9441cfcb-190a-4797-bb9a-a87e4d8759c0.html). Little Caesars' own franchise site says [$376,500 to $1,769,200](https://franchise.littlecaesars.com/). These are mostly delivery and carryout boxes with a standard kit and a franchisor's buying power, so they're useful as a reality check. An independent with [no royalty and no required remodel package](/articles/pizza-franchise-vs-independent/) can come in under them. But if your plan says you'll open a full kitchen for a fraction of what Domino's tells its franchisees to budget, find out which line you left out. ## The equipment line is bigger than the blog estimates Equipment is where the estimates drift furthest from the price lists. The same dealer that quotes $25,000 for a counter shop puts a new deck oven at [about $15,000 and a 60-quart mixer at about $10,000](https://www.thehorecastore.com/blog/how-much-does-it-cost-to-open-a-pizza-shop). The name-brand units cost a lot more. A Bakers Pride Y-602 double-deck gas oven lists at [$28,329](https://www.gofoodservice.com/p/bakers-pride-y-602). A Middleby Marshall PS640E conveyor lists at [$27,669](https://shop.middleby.com/middleby-marshallr-ps640e-electric-freestanding-conveyor-oven-impingement-heat-std-single-belt-1-oven-208v-3ph.html) as a U.S. starting price. A Hobart 60-quart mixer is listed at [$28,136.49](https://chefstoys.com/products/hobart-hl600-legacy-planetary-floor-mixer-60-qt-34714), and a 10-by-8-foot Kolpak walk-in cooler at [$11,279](https://argo.webstaurantstore.com/kolpak-px8-1008-ct-polar-pak-10-x-8-x-8-floorless-indoor-walk-in-cooler-with-top-mounted-refrigeration/508PX81008C.html). Then the hood. An Indianapolis installer prices a complete system at [$1,000 to $1,500 per linear foot, or $10,000 to $15,000 for a standard 10-foot hood, plus $3,000 to $5,000 for fire suppression](https://indyhoods.com/about/blog/how-much-does-a-commercial-kitchen-hood-cost-indianapolis-pricing-guide/). Add those to the deck oven, mixer and walk-in above and four items come to about $81,000 to $88,000 at list price. That's before a makeline, prep tables, smallwares, a POS or a single sign. Used equipment changes the math. The same dealer puts a used deck oven at [about $5,000 and a used walk-in at about $3,500](https://www.thehorecastore.com/blog/how-much-does-it-cost-to-open-a-pizza-shop). An oven you can't get serviced isn't a bargain, though. We wrote about how to size the one oven you need in [is a second oven worth it](/articles/is-a-second-oven-worth-it/). **Franchise initial investment, 2026:** Domino's [$231,450–$743,500](https://www.franchisetimes.com/top-400-2026/8-dominos/article_41c1c5af-9327-4f51-b7ca-66c9901f9c80.html) · Papa Johns [$281,485–$890,267](https://www.franchisetimes.com/top-400-2026/24-papa-johns/article_fbd3640c-a941-46c6-83f0-3f070d4e16fc.html) · Marco's [$286,727–$807,152](https://www.franchisetimes.com/top-400-2026/78-marco-s-pizza/article_0e1cf9eb-39c3-4b33-9007-90566ac8a120.html) (Franchise Times) · **List prices:** double-deck gas oven [$28,329](https://www.gofoodservice.com/p/bakers-pride-y-602) · conveyor oven [$27,669](https://shop.middleby.com/middleby-marshallr-ps640e-electric-freestanding-conveyor-oven-impingement-heat-std-single-belt-1-oven-208v-3ph.html) · 60-qt mixer [$28,136](https://chefstoys.com/products/hobart-hl600-legacy-planetary-floor-mixer-60-qt-34714) · 10x8 walk-in [$11,279](https://argo.webstaurantstore.com/kolpak-px8-1008-ct-polar-pak-10-x-8-x-8-floorless-indoor-walk-in-cooler-with-top-mounted-refrigeration/508PX81008C.html) · **Hood:** [$1,000–$1,500 per linear foot](https://indyhoods.com/about/blog/how-much-does-a-commercial-kitchen-hood-cost-indianapolis-pricing-guide/) · **Retail fit-out:** [$157 per sq. ft. national average](https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/united-states/insights/retail-fit-out-cost-guide) (Cushman & Wakefield, no kitchen) ## The space decides most of the rest The cheapest kitchen is one somebody else already built. Alexis Readinger of the design firm Preen told Restaurant Dive that [building from scratch can cost 1.5 to two times more than converting an existing restaurant](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/when-second-generation-restaurant-space-makes-sense/829513/). The last survey that put numbers on it, from RestaurantOwner.com members in 2018, found a [median startup cost around $375,000, with new construction around $650,000 and renovations of an existing restaurant space around $275,000](https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/survey-restaurant-remodels-still-cost-less-than-building-from-the-ground-u/542422/). Those figures are eight years old, and costs have risen since. Several vendor blogs still quote the $375,000 without the date. A raw retail space starts higher than you'd think. Cushman & Wakefield's 2026 guide puts the average in-line retail fit-out at [$157 per square foot nationally, from $120 in the Midwest to $217 in Northern California](https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/united-states/insights/retail-fit-out-cost-guide). That's for stores with no hood, grease trap or walk-in, so treat it as the floor. Then read the lease before you sign it. Rent is the one cost you [only get to negotiate once](/articles/read-your-lease-like-a-pnl/). The blog estimate buys you an oven. The real number buys the hood, the walk-in and the months after the doors open before sales pay the bills. ## Permits are cheap. Liquor and the first six months aren't Toast says [licenses, permits and fees](/articles/pizza-shop-permits-and-licenses/) usually total [around $1,000](https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/on-the-line/cost-to-open-a-pizza-shop). Liquor is the exception. WebstaurantStore notes that [in quota states a new license can cost up to $300,000, while elsewhere it can be as little as $125](https://www.webstaurantstore.com/article/206/how-to-get-a-liquor-license.html). Check your state before beer goes in the plan. The money most first-time owners underfund isn't on the build-out list at all. It's the cash that pays rent and payroll while sales ramp. The equipment dealer above recommends a cushion that covers [three to six months of total operating expenses](https://www.thehorecastore.com/blog/how-much-does-it-cost-to-open-a-pizza-shop). Nobody publishes a pizza-specific figure for this, so build it from [your own monthly costs](/articles/pizza-shop-monthly-operating-costs/), and plan for the dip that comes after opening month, which we cover in [what a pizza shop's first three years look like](/articles/pizza-shop-first-three-years/). If you're borrowing, the SBA's 7(a) program lends [up to $5 million and guarantees 75% of loans above $150,000](https://www.sba.gov/partners/lenders/7a-loan-program/terms-conditions-eligibility). Equipment terms usually run 10 years or less, and real estate up to 25. On loans above $350,000, the variable rate can be at most 3 points over the base rate. Since June 2025, the SBA has again required a [10% equity injection on startups](https://phillipslytle.com/the-sba-reverts-back-to-stricter-lending-standards/article-banking-2025-07-18-desktop/), according to the law firm Phillips Lytle. Little Caesars asks franchisees for [$200,000 in liquid assets](https://franchise.littlecaesars.com/), a fair marker of how much cash the big systems expect behind a single opening. Before you sign a lease, price four things in writing: the oven, the mixer, the walk-in and a hood-and-suppression quote for the space you're looking at. Then get a second contractor quote on a former restaurant space to compare. Add the months of rent and payroll you'll need before sales cover them. If that total is more than your cash plus a loan you can actually qualify for, change the space or the format, not the spreadsheet. The limitation: there is no current, published survey of what independent pizzerias actually spent to open. Most of the ranges online are vendor estimates that cite each other, and the most-quoted survey is from 2018. The franchise figures are the franchisors' own estimates for their formats, and equipment list prices aren't what dealers charge after negotiation. Once you're open, the next question is what it takes to stay open. Start with [the real cost of running a pizza shop](/articles/the-real-cost-of-running-a-pizza-shop/) and [what owners actually take home](/articles/how-much-pizza-shop-owners-make/). ## Common questions ### How much does it cost to open a pizza shop? Anywhere from $25,000 for a tiny takeout counter to $2 million. A better guide is what the chains tell their own franchisees: about $230,000 to $740,000 for a Domino’s. An independent with no franchise fees can usually come in under that. ### How much does pizzeria equipment cost? About $81,000 to $88,000 new for the big four: a double-deck oven, a 60-quart mixer, a walk-in and a hood with fire suppression. That’s before the makeline, smallwares or a POS. Buying used saves a lot: about $5,000 for a deck oven and $3,500 for a walk-in. ### Is it cheaper to take over an old restaurant? Usually, by a lot. One restaurant designer says building from scratch can cost up to twice as much. A 2018 survey put fixing up an old restaurant around $275,000 and building new around $650,000. ## Sources cited - https://pos.toasttab.com/blog/on-the-line/cost-to-open-a-pizza-shop - https://www.thehorecastore.com/blog/how-much-does-it-cost-to-open-a-pizza-shop - https://www.franchisetimes.com/top-400-2026/8-dominos/article_41c1c5af-9327-4f51-b7ca-66c9901f9c80.html - https://www.franchisetimes.com/top-400-2026/24-papa-johns/article_fbd3640c-a941-46c6-83f0-3f070d4e16fc.html - https://www.franchisetimes.com/top-400-2026/78-marco-s-pizza/article_0e1cf9eb-39c3-4b33-9007-90566ac8a120.html - https://www.franchisetimes.com/top-400-2026/13-pizza-hut/article_9441cfcb-190a-4797-bb9a-a87e4d8759c0.html - https://franchise.littlecaesars.com/ - https://www.gofoodservice.com/p/bakers-pride-y-602 - https://shop.middleby.com/middleby-marshallr-ps640e-electric-freestanding-conveyor-oven-impingement-heat-std-single-belt-1-oven-208v-3ph.html - https://chefstoys.com/products/hobart-hl600-legacy-planetary-floor-mixer-60-qt-34714 - https://argo.webstaurantstore.com/kolpak-px8-1008-ct-polar-pak-10-x-8-x-8-floorless-indoor-walk-in-cooler-with-top-mounted-refrigeration/508PX81008C.html - https://indyhoods.com/about/blog/how-much-does-a-commercial-kitchen-hood-cost-indianapolis-pricing-guide/ - https://www.cushmanwakefield.com/en/united-states/insights/retail-fit-out-cost-guide - https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/when-second-generation-restaurant-space-makes-sense/829513/ - https://www.restaurantdive.com/news/survey-restaurant-remodels-still-cost-less-than-building-from-the-ground-u/542422/ - https://www.webstaurantstore.com/article/206/how-to-get-a-liquor-license.html - https://www.sba.gov/partners/lenders/7a-loan-program/terms-conditions-eligibility - https://phillipslytle.com/the-sba-reverts-back-to-stricter-lending-standards/article-banking-2025-07-18-desktop/ --- Published by [Oven Scars](https://ovenscars.com/), news and ideas for pizzeria owners. 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