Franchise Facts Report → compare → Carl's JR vs Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's
Carl's JR vs Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's
Two quick-service restaurant franchises, compared on the numbers their own Franchise Disclosure Documents put on record — investment, fees, Item 19 earnings, outlet churn, and litigation. Not marketing copy.
| Carl's JR | Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's | |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment FDD Item 7 | $1,486,000 – $3,176,500 | $206,900 – $951,000 |
| Initial franchise fee FDD Item 5 | $25,000 | $30,000 |
| Royalty FDD Item 6 | 4% | 5% |
| Item 19 earnings disclosed FDD Item 19 | Yes | Not disclosed |
| Avg unit revenue (headline) FDD Item 19 | $2,230,302 | — |
| Franchised outlets FDD Item 20 | 982 | 197 |
| Net outlet change (latest yr) FDD Item 20 | -32 | +40 |
| Closure rate FDD Item 20 | 2.9% | — |
| Franchisee lawsuits FDD Item 3 | 4 | 0 |
| Risk level our read | High | Medium |
| FDD year registration | 2025 | 2025 |
Are Carl's JR and Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's the same company?
No — Carl's JR and Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's are franchised by separate companies. Carl's JR's franchisor is CARL'S JR. RESTAURANTS LLC; Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's's is Sbarro Franchise Co., LLC. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
Cost to open
Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $206,900 – $951,000, against $1,486,000 – $3,176,500 for Carl's JR.
How much does each make? (Item 19)
Only Carl's JR disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation (headline average unit revenue $2,230,302), while Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's's most recent FDD makes none. That asymmetry is itself a data point: one franchisor puts its unit economics on paper, the other doesn't.
Closures & failure rate
Carl's JR reports 982 franchised outlets, net change -32 in the latest reported year, a 2.9% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's reports 197 franchised outlets, net change +40 in the latest reported year (FDD Item 20). Outlet churn — closures, terminations, non-renewals — is the closest thing an FDD has to a failure rate; the full report puts both brands' churn against quick-service restaurant medians.
Litigation
Carl's JR discloses 4 franchisee-vs-franchisor proceedings in FDD Item 3. Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's discloses no franchisee-initiated proceedings in FDD Item 3.
This page is the headline numbers. The Deep report compares up to three brands on the complete FDD record — every fee line, the actual Item 19 figures and what they represent, each lawsuit, and churn benchmarked against quick-service restaurant peers.
Only looking at one of them?
Carl's JR vs Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's — frequently asked
Are Carl's JR and Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's the same company?
No — Carl's JR and Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's are franchised by separate companies. Carl's JR's franchisor is CARL'S JR. RESTAURANTS LLC; Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's's is Sbarro Franchise Co., LLC. Each registers and files its own Franchise Disclosure Document, and you would be signing with a different entity depending on which you chose. Note that a registry filing names the franchisor, not necessarily its ultimate parent — two brands owned by the same parent company can still have separate franchisors.
What is the difference between Carl's JR and Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's?
Carl's JR and Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's are quick-service restaurant franchises from different franchisors (CARL'S JR. RESTAURANTS LLC and Sbarro Franchise Co., LLC). Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $206,900 – $951,000, against $1,486,000 – $3,176,500 for Carl's JR. Only Carl's JR disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation (headline average unit revenue $2,230,302), while Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's's most recent FDD makes none. That asymmetry is itself a data point: one franchisor puts its unit economics on paper, the other doesn't.
Is Carl's JR more profitable than Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's?
Only Carl's JR disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation (headline average unit revenue $2,230,302), while Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's's most recent FDD makes none. That asymmetry is itself a data point: one franchisor puts its unit economics on paper, the other doesn't.
Which is cheaper to open — Carl's JR or Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's?
Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $206,900 – $951,000, against $1,486,000 – $3,176,500 for Carl's JR.
Is Carl's JR or Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's growing faster?
Carl's JR reports 982 franchised outlets, net change -32 in the latest reported year, a 2.9% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's reports 197 franchised outlets, net change +40 in the latest reported year (FDD Item 20).
Go deeper on each brand
Quick-service restaurant rankings
Figures are as disclosed in each brand's most recent registered FDD (Carl's JR 2025, Cafe Sbarro | Carmela's of Brooklyn | Cucinova | La Cucina Di Capri | Mama Sbarro | Sbarro | Sbarro Fresh Italian Cooking | Sbarro the Best Italian Choice | Sbarro the Italian Eatery | Tony & Bruno's | Umberto's 2025). “—” means the FDD does not disclose it or the table did not parse cleanly — never an estimate.