Franchise Facts Report → compare → Domino's Pizza 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
Domino's Pizza 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.
| Domino's Pizza | 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 | $107,450 – $743,500 | $206,900 – $951,000 |
| Initial franchise fee FDD Item 5 | — | $30,000 |
| Royalty FDD Item 6 | 5.5% | 5% |
| Item 19 earnings disclosed FDD Item 19 | Yes | Not disclosed |
| Avg unit revenue (headline) FDD Item 19 | in report | — |
| Franchised outlets FDD Item 20 | 6,600 | 197 |
| Net outlet change (latest yr) FDD Item 20 | +162 | +40 |
| Closure rate FDD Item 20 | — | — |
| Franchisee lawsuits FDD Item 3 | 2 | 0 |
| Risk level our read | Medium | Medium |
| FDD year registration | 2024 | 2025 |
Are Domino's Pizza 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 — Domino's Pizza 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. Domino's Pizza's franchisor is DOMINO'S PIZZA FRANCHISING 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
Domino's Pizza is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $107,450 – $743,500, against $206,900 – $951,000 for 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.
How much does each make? (Item 19)
Only Domino's Pizza disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation, 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
Domino's Pizza reports 6,600 franchised outlets, net change +162 in the latest reported year (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
Domino's Pizza discloses 2 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?
Domino's Pizza 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 Domino's Pizza 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 — Domino's Pizza 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. Domino's Pizza's franchisor is DOMINO'S PIZZA FRANCHISING 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 Domino's Pizza 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?
Domino's Pizza 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 (DOMINO'S PIZZA FRANCHISING LLC and Sbarro Franchise Co., LLC). Domino's Pizza is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $107,450 – $743,500, against $206,900 – $951,000 for 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 Domino's Pizza disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation, 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 Domino's Pizza 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 Domino's Pizza disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation, 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 — Domino's Pizza 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?
Domino's Pizza is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $107,450 – $743,500, against $206,900 – $951,000 for 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 Domino's Pizza 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?
Domino's Pizza reports 6,600 franchised outlets, net change +162 in the latest reported year (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 (Domino's Pizza 2024, 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.