D.P. Dough - Franchise

About Us

The Story of D.P. Dough

In the mid 1980′s, a dude and his mom came up with an idea that would change college life forever: calzones! Dan (the dude) and Penny (his mom) named their new restaurant D.P. Dough after their initials. The first D.P. Dough opened in 1987. Today, D.P. Dough delivers ooey, gooey, cheesy happiness on and around college campuses throughout the United States.

Don’t get us wrong. We love a good slice of pie too. We just don’t sell it. Why? Because calzones are way better. That’s why! D.P. Dough has been making calzone converts out of adventurous pizza lovers – both college students and anyone else who is young at heart – since before slap bracelets were cool.

D.P. Dough calzones are tasty anytime. But, we are best known for being THE PLACE to go or call when it is crazy late. Who else is gonna deliver a custom made calzone after the bars close?

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Why D.P. Dough

It’s Differentiated
While calzones are often thrown into the pizza category, D.P. Dough is The Pizza Alternative®. That means that we don't sell pizza. Since we don't have to compete with the very crowded pizza market, we have a competitive advantage over pizza places.

It’s Exciting
Have you ever been on a college campus in the Fall? There is a vibe of optimism, hope, and new beginnings. (No, we aren’t hippies. This is very much a real phenomenon.) D.P. Dough restaurants feed off of that new school year excitement to create a new class of D.P. Dough fans with each group of incoming freshmen (while growing the business of Sophomores through 5th Year Seniors).

It’s Profitable
Franchising is a partnership between the franchisor and the franchisee.

• 4% Royalty
• 1% National Advertising Fund (applies once 30 D.P. Dough restaurants are open)
• $25,000 Initial Franchise Fee
• $733,210 average unit volume
• D.P. Dough offers a discount of 10% off the Initial Franchise Fee for military veterans through the International Franchising Association’s VetFran Program.

It’s Proven
Owning a D.P. Dough can be hard work, but you will not be re-inventing the wheel. During your initial training, we will teach you how to be a world-class calzone maker, and more importantly, a smart restaurant owner, by using our proven systems.

It's Delicious
We don't mean to brag, but our calzones are amazing! We use the best ingredients to make the best calzones.

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Franchisor Support

D.P. Dough is based on great business systems, and these systems are the keys to your success as a business owner. But we don’t stop there! Being a part of the D.P. Dough Family means national food agreements with suppliers to save you money, robust training before you open and ongoing profitability coaching once you’re up and running, marketing support and materials, and an owners-only intranet that ties all of it together in a handy online portal.

1. Systems: We believe in making decisions based on research and data. We also believe in making it as easy as possible for your employees to do the right thing once your D.P. Dough opens. We are proud of the written manuals, checklists, guides, and continuing education that we have developed to ensure that all franchisees have an opportunity to operate as efficiently as possible from day one.

2. National Food Agreements: We leverage the bulk buying power of all D.P. Dough restaurants to negotiate discounted price agreements with food manufacturers, distributors, and other vendors.

3. Training: 10 Day Immersion Training in Athens, Ohio + Online Training Program + 19 Days of On-Site Training Opening Support at your location.

4. Marketing Support: Currently, with no national advertising fund in effect, D.P. Dough Franchising provides brand consistent graphic designs, in-store signage, national Twitter management, automated Facebook Zone of the Day posting assistance, and local best practices for marketing.

5. Intranet: The Intranet is the hub of communication between D.P. Dough Franchising and D.P. Dough Franchisees.

6. Ongoing Profitability Coaching: All new D.P. Dough locations are assigned a profitability coach to work with the owners to make the new location as profitable as it can be.

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Ideal Candidate

We're looking for franchise owners who are seeking an emerging, dynamic concept to partner with D.P. Dough, the nation's only late-night calzone franchise. A strong work ethic and a desire to excel are must-have traits, as is the desire to lead a team and coach your employees to realize their full potential. You must share our culture of passionate profitability and a hunger to deliver a superior consumer experience. We are growing fast and only have a limited number of territories available for our niche, college-centric concept. Must have $100,000 in liquid capital and be ready to make a full-time commitment within 90-120 days.

Fill out the form below and join our team!