Pizza franchises can be a great business opportunity for an entrepreneur minded individual. The financial rewards of some pizza establishments can be high, but hard work and potentially long hours may be required. Learn more about how to open a pizza franchise through this guide.

Pizza is a popular dish for kids of all ages. From an easy after work meal, to a special weekend treat, families, college students and adults may order a take-out or delivery pizza from their favorite local pizza location. More than likely, this order will be placed with a pizza franchise that is part of a large national chain since more than 60% of the Pizza market is comprised of franchises.http://www.franchisedirect.com/foodfranchises/pizzafranchises/snapshotofthepizzafranchiseindustry2009/80/126 From Papa Johns Pizza and Dominoes to Pizza Hut, the most recognizable brands of pizza use a franchise model to help meet their expansion goals. Other, smaller chains like Hungry Howie's Pizza, Godfather's Pizza, CiCi's Pizza, Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza, Noble Roman's Pizza and Little Caesars offer franchising opportunities that may require less upfront capital, a unique marketing twist or can allow you to open a franchise that is not already saturated in your preferred market.

Make sure to take your time, analyze your options and market before deciding to open a pizza franchise. Combining the right franchise opportunity with hard work within your franchise budget is the key to franchise success.

Multiple opportunities exist for pizza franchises. Some have national exposure, high name recognition and a large number of existing franchises. These national chains may have limited new franchise areas available to establish a brand new franchise, but they have high sales volume opportunities and an established track record of successfully establishing pizza franchises. Franchise fees and requirements may be high, but name brand chains such as Papa Johns Pizza, Dominos Pizza and Pizza Hut can offer an established customer base and business model that can help make your franchise a success.

Smaller pizza franchises are offered generally on a regional basis. The chains may have a strong presence in several states, in a city or in a geographic region. These types of chains often have lower start-up costs and more opportunities to grow, especially if it offers something more than the standard delivery service. Since delivery pizza is well known and well covered by national chains, smaller, more unique pizza chains may provide a better fit for some potential franchise owners. There is more risk involved in opening an unproven brand, but if corporate support is strong, the franchise opportunity could be the start of a multi-unit franchise, or a franchise with less stringent franchise requirements.

Learn how to find franchise information to help narrow down your franchise options and discover general franchise information such as franchise financing and learn how to research a franchise online to gain quick access to general and specialized franchise information through the click of your mouse and an Internet connection.

Every pizza franchise has different requirements for opening a branch of their brand. Often requirements include an upfront franchise fee, an ongoing franchise fee that is based on gross revenue, facility or real estate requirements, equipment purchases, background checks, restaurant experience, available cash requirements and necessary training both for the franchisee and for employees. Pizza franchises, especially big brand chains, want to maintain consistency between branches to ensure a positive customer experience at all locations. This attention to details and quality can make franchisee requirements strenuous and inflexible, but helps improve the image of the overall brand that can lead to greater profits.http://www.entrepreneur.com/magazine/entrepreneursstartupsmagazine/2009/october/203504.html

In order to meet the franchisee requirements, you may need to obtain financing. If you meet other requirements, the pizza chain may have in-house financing available for part or all of your expenses. Often, you must come up with the upfront franchise fee yourself from your savings, by borrowing from friends or relatives or by obtaining loans from banks or other lending institutions.

As part of the franchise start-up, you may be given options on location, territory size and purchase types. Franchises may be a start from scratch opportunity where you find the location, erect or rent a facility and establish the first presence of the chain in the community, while other opportunities may allow you to buy out an existing, established franchise that was taken over by the corporate office, or where the owner no longer wants to continue to own specific franchise locations. Each option may have different franchise fees and requirements.

To open your own franchise, you need a good location. Often locations near major intersections or near residential areas are best. The location can be stand alone or located in a facility with other businesses. Often, delivery or take-out based pizza chains will establish their base in a strip mall, while dine-in pizza places may opt for a larger, stand-alone facility. Target a location with high customer viability that meets your budget requirements.

Once you have secured your location, outfit it with the required pizza making equipment, supplies and decorations. Typically, colors and many decorating items are provided, or are specified in the franchisee agreement.

Find your initial employees and begin standard training. You will need sufficient employees to cover management needs, cooking, front desk and delivery requirements. Often, staffing requirements change based on daily demand. For example, you will usually need a higher staff count on weekends than on weekdays (excluding holidays).

Once your building, employees and equipment are in place, schedule your grand opening. Distribute marketing materials through fliers, direct mail, radio advertisements and even physical advertisements at your location through banners and other items that grab the attention of potential customers. Open with fanfare and dedication. You will find that a pizza franchise will take a high amount of personal time to establish at the beginning, so be prepared to put in long hours to open your pizza franchise and make it a success.