Starting a Pizza Franchise

Investing in People, creating opportunities for our best and brightest to rise through the ranks to franchise ownership, and corporate leadership is what we've been about from the very beginning. Our CEO is living proof of that- After sling'n dough in College Station in the 80s, he rose to management then landed a position at corporate as a Field Business Coach before becoming the "Big Cheese" (President and CEO). In fact, many of our franchise owners first fell in love with DoubleDave's while sling'n dough for fun money in college.

Taste the DoubleDave’s experience. DoubleDave’s starts with a custom-mixed, locally milled, proprietary flour recipe to create a perfectly crusty foundation for our pies. We spread a custom formulated blend of tomato sauce and spices, farm fresh from the heart of California tomato country. Then that’s generously topped with real mozzarella cheese, fresh veggies, and responsibly raised proteins of your choice—handmade just for you.

DoubleDave’s is more than Pizza, it’s the full Pizzaworks—and that includes our Specialty Pizzas; Handcrafted Favorites like our famous DoubleDave’s Peproni Rolls®, and our steaming-hot Stromboli varieties; toasty Sandwiches; and mouth-watering desserts. Combine any of those with our broad selection of salad greens, and local and regional craft beers or soft drinks, then sit down in friendly, welcoming surroundings. That’s our significant difference: it’s more than the Pizza—it’s the Pizzaworks!

Our pies and portions are generous, served hot, and priced right. DoubleDave’s offers value for the money you spend. We don’t sell cheap or chic. We make good food, especially for you, for your tastes, and your budget. And if you can’t find the time to enjoy our pleasant and friendly surroundings by yourself, or with your friends and family—then we will deliver our deliciousness right to your door. That’s great DoubleDave’s pizza coming to you, even if it isn’t quite the whole Pizzaworks experience. If you’ve got the time to sit and enjoy a meal, you’ll enjoy the full experience most at one of our friendly locations near you.

At DoubleDave’s, our cheeky brand personality, updated design, and fun atmosphere were created to bring back the classic pizza joint feel while remaining modern and relevant.

And most importantly, we’re family! We’re part of your local community, we’re involved, and we’re all-in. We support the school teams, clubs, and programs, local charitable causes, and we love to celebrate your kids’ successes. We participate in school lunch programs, have discounts for large employers, and often donate food for worthy causes. We live here, and you probably know some of our employees already. That makes us family. We don’t expect to see you every day—but when you come, you’ll get a friendly smile, excellent service, and the same great food you’ve come to expect at your local DoubleDave’s Pizzaworks.

DoubleDave’s Pizzaworks was founded in 1984 by David Davydd Miller in Nacogdoches, TX and has been franchising locations since 1997.

A minimum of $85,000 in available cash, at least $250,000 in net worth and a dedication of the necessary time to evaluate the franchise system with an executive to make a decision within a 4-8 week time frame. 

The short answer is “no.” Owners with restaurant experience can shorten the road to profitability, but many of our owners didn’t start with food experience, and they’re doing very well. If you don’t have restaurant experience, we require that you hire at least two key employees (manager & assistant manager) who have at least several years of restaurant management history. The better you and your staff are prepared, the better you will perform—and profit.

We have 3 different footprints:  Legacy - Avg 2400sf – costs range from $466,500-$565,500; Big Cheese 1400-2000sf – costs range from $242,000-$383,000 and the Millennial 1400sf or less – cost ranges from $132,500-$276,500.  Items 5, 6 and 7 in the Franchise Disclosure Document should be consulted for a more detailed description of your total initial investment and other costs and expenses associated with the ownership and operation of your DoubleDave’s Pizzaworks Restaurant franchise.

5% of your Gross Sales for the Legacy restaurant; 6% for Big Cheese and Millennial Restaurants.

Typical franchise fees cover training, site selection, assistance with plans for building out the DoubleDave’s Pizzaworks, access to our systems, products, technology, operational support, marketing programs, and more.

How much you can make depends on how well you operate. That’s the “stock” answer for every franchise—but DoubleDave’s is different. We’ll show you our numbers. Once you get rolling, we’ll send you our franchise documents. In our Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), you can find our sales numbers in Item 19, Financial Performance Representations. We’re proud of our franchise owners, and their performance shows why.

It can take from 6 to 12 months to open after you’ve qualified with DoubleDave’s. Finding the best location is the most important—and time-consuming. Construction remodeling usually takes about 90-120 days. That’s why it varies by up to 6 months, but don't fret, we are here to help you every step of the way.

Your location is critical to our mutual success, so we want to take our time finding the best one. We’ll give you our location criteria and advise you on each possible location you present. A good location is worth waiting for; so we don’t settle for a secondary site just because it’s available first. 

We have relationships with qualified architects to offer assistance through efficient design and systematic construction processes. Our knowledgeable staff of personnel, coupled with a network of professional consultants, will work closely with you to develop creative alterations and design configurations to adapt to opportunity space requirements. 

DoubleDave’s welcomes our franchisees and their teams with open arms. We pride ourselves on customer service and strict operational standards. That’s why we developed a multi-level training program delivered by way of online training, classroom training, as well as on-site, hands-on training at your location. We are committed to spending the necessary amount of time with your team to empower them with our culture, passion and drive to deliver the best DoubleDave’s experience. You will receive a complete training manual before you start training, and you will be tested as you go through training. Training is mandatory for all personnel, whether in our locations or on-site in yours. We know the better your staff is trained, the better they will perform for you. It’s not just the procedures and processes we teach, it’s our DoubleDave’s culture—we love what we do, and it shows. We will support you year-round on an individual unit basis to ensure promotional campaigns, new/seasonal product rollouts and new operational procedures are effectively communicated to you and your team. DoubleDave’s Pizzaworks is proud to be named a “Top 100 Franchise” for the past decade by Franchise Business Review™

An average DoubleDave’s Pizzaworks staff consists of 12-15 part-time employees total, with 2-3 per shift (minimum) based on volume.

You'll get constant, continuous and conscientious support from a team of experienced DoubleDave’s Field Business Coaches. You will be assigned to a Coach who will become your most valued asset, next to your own staff. We want the very best for you, and from you. We strive to help you achieve and maintain “best practices” to ensure errors get eliminated or minimized. When you give your best, we’ll do our best to support you and your success.

We have tested and proven marketing tools at your disposal—even before you open. Our genius marketing team has created multiple programs, events, ads, and ideas to help you get the most attention and benefit for your marketing budget. At the heart of your success is local community involvement. You may support local school sports teams; offer employee discounts to major businesses; donate food to worthy causes, and show your support of your community in a host of other ways. And believe this—they will respond with more business for you. We will help you learn how to determine which actions will serve you best, based on our franchise owners’ extensive community experience.

The general operating hours of a DoubleDave’s Pizzaworks is from 11am to 12am, although some locations differ slightly.

The franchise agreement lasts 10 years with 3 additional terms of 10 years provided all renewal conditions are satisfied.