Donatos Seeks New Franchisees in North and South Carolina

Donatos Pizza wants to bring dozens of new locations to markets like Columbia and Greenville/Spartanburg, South Carolina, and Charlotte, Greensboro, Raleigh-Durham and Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The initial investment to own and operate a Donatos restaurant ranges from $360,360 to $697,400.

Fast-casual pizza chain Donatos Pizza is ready to expand its presence across North Carolina and South Carolina, targeting key metro areas, according to a recent press release.

Donatos currently has two locations in South Carolina and six in North Carolina as part of a growing partnership with Red Robin Gourmet Burgers. The pizza chain is seeking multi-unit operators across the Carolinas to join in the expansion effort.

In South Carolina, the brand aims to bring up to 10 locations to Columbia and 15 locations to Greenville/Spartanburg. In North Carolina, franchising efforts could bring up to 20 locations to Charlotte, five locations to Greensboro, seven locations to Raleigh-Durham, and five locations to Winston-Salem.

“This is a wonderful franchise opportunity, as we know Donatos will serve a great fan base in metro areas across the Carolinas,” said Jeff Baldwin, vice president of development & franchising for Donatos.

Including a franchise fee of $30,000, the initial investment to own and operate a Donatos restaurant ranges from $360,360 to $697,400. The average store is 1,700-2,200 square feet and employs about 30 primarily part-time people. The average volume nationwide per store exceeds $1.14 million, the company said.

Meanwhile, Donatos continues to expand its national footprint. Today, Donatos is served in more than 350 locations in 21 states, including in 169 traditional Donatos restaurants. Donatos and Red Robin partnered three years ago to offer a scaled-down Donatos pizza menu alongside Red Robin’s signature burgers in a handful of Red Robin restaurants. That partnership now includes 181 Red Robin locations in 13 states, with plans to have Donatos pizza served in 200-plus locations by the end of 2021.

For more information about Donatos’ franchise opportunity, visit www.donatospizzafranchise.com.