Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom franchise: cost, fees & unit track record
Opening an Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom franchise takes $1,417,500 – $2,876,000 all-in, per its franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05). The initial franchise fee is $98,250 – $147,250. Ongoing, franchisees pay a royalty of 4% on sales plus an ad-fund contribution of up to 2%. To qualify, Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom asks for $1,000,000 in liquid cash and a $3,000,000 net worth. Anything the filings do not state is marked "Not disclosed" below — never estimated.
Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom franchise costs and fees
| Verification mark | Cost item | Low | High | Range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise feeOne-time, paid to the franchisor at signing | $98,250 | $147,250 | $98,250 to $147,250 | |
| Initial investment (all-in)FDD Item 7-derived range: build-out, equipment, opening costs | $1,417,500 | $2,876,000 | $1,417,500 to $2,876,000 | |
| Net worth requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $3,000,000 | $3,000,000 | $3,000,000 | |
| Liquid cash requiredFranchisor's stated qualification minimum | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,000,000 | |
| Cash to open (all-in range) | $1,417,500 | $2,876,000 | $1,417,500 to $2,876,000 |
| RoyaltyOngoing, % of sales | 4% |
|---|---|
| Ad fundOngoing, % of sales | Up to 2% |
| Initial termLength of the first franchise agreement | 20 years |
See the full Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom cost breakdown — what's in that number and what isn't
How Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom's cost compares
A dollar figure means more with a yardstick. Here is where Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom's disclosed cost sits against the Food & Beverage category:
- Minimum startup cost of $1,417,500 — about 5× the Food & Beverage median of $282,500.
- Initial franchise fee of $98,250 — about 2.8× the Food & Beverage median of $35,000.
Category medians are computed from the Food & Beverage brands in our data that disclosed each figure — a benchmark for scale, not a quality judgment. See all Food & Beverage franchises
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How Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom's units have held up
Openings and closures from FDD Item 20-style unit history, 2012–2021: began the window at 36 units; 17 units opened, 13 closed, ending at 34 units. (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only.)
What about earnings?
We don't publish per-brand earnings figures — for Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom or anyone else. The only primary source is Item 19 of the brand's own franchise disclosure document (FDD), and no law requires a franchisor to publish one, so the "average owner income" numbers circulating elsewhere are usually unsourced or survivorship-biased. Ask Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom for its current FDD and read Item 19 yourself — and if there is no Item 19, that silence is information too.
What this data can't tell you
Everything on this page comes from disclosure filings — fees, ranges, and unit counts. Four questions that matter just as much are not in any filing we can source, so we say so instead of guessing:
- The hours and the labor
- No dataset field says whether Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom is a manage-from-a-laptop business or a 60-hour week in disguise. Item 15 of the FDD states whether you're obligated to run the business personally, and Item 11 lists what the franchisor actually does for you — then ask current owners what their week looks like (validation calls), not the sales team.
- How hands-on the ownership really is
- "Semi-absentee" is a pitch, not a filing field. Treat any hands-off claim as unverified until it's consistent with Item 15 and with what multiple current franchisees tell you — what absentee ownership actually means.
- Your territory — whether it's protected, and whether it's open
- Two territory questions sit outside our data. Whether Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom grants a protected or exclusive area is set in Item 12 of the FDD and varies brand to brand — some grant none, and the carve-outs (online sales, national accounts) matter as much as the map. And filing data can't say what's open in your market this month; only Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom can confirm current availability. Ask both before you inquire, and get the answer in writing.
- What owners earn
- Covered honestly above: our dataset has no earnings fields, the only primary source is the brand's own Item 19, and here is how to read that evidence.
About the Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom franchise
Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom is a food & beverage franchisor with 34 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history). Between 2012 and 2021, it began the window at 36 units; its filings record 17 unit openings and 13 closures, ending at 34 units (partial records: 2018 is not in the source data — totals span the reported years only). Its parent company is Old Chicago Franchising LLC.
No franchise-related lawsuits reported in the disclosure data we hold (FDD Item 3, as of 2026-05) — an absence in our sources, not a guarantee; confirm against the brand's current FDD.
From the franchisor's materials
Old Chicago restaurants ("Old Chicago Restaurant (s)" or "Restaurant (s) ") are full-service neighborhood restaurants that feature a welcoming casual dining atmosphere, Chicago-style deep dish pizza, pasta, calzones, burgers and sandwiches and related food items and beverages featuring our wide ever-changing selection of the best local and regional craft beers as well as a full range of imported and mass domestic beers. Each Old Chicago Restaurant serves as the local craft beer authority and participates in our industry leading loyalty program featuring the distinctive and engaging "World Beer Tour" as well as our exclusive Explorer Series and Mini Tours. We offer area development franchises ("Area Development Franchise (s) ") for the right to open multiple Restaurants in a designated area. Area developers sign individual franchise agreements for each Restaurant. We primarily offer Area Development Franchises, but we may offer single Restaurant franchises in certain situations.
Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom franchise: quick answers
- How much does an Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom franchise cost?
- $1,417,500 – $2,876,000 all-in to open, per Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom's franchise disclosure filings (data as of 2026-05).
- How many Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom units are there?
- 34 units at the end of 2021 (FDD Item 20-style unit history).
- How have Old Chicago Pizza & Taproom's units held up?
- 77.3% of units at risk between 2019 and 2021 did not close, per our metric recomputed from FDD Item 20-style unit history (methodology published on our verification page).