Franchise Facts Report → compare → Tropical Smoothie Cafe vs Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen
Tropical Smoothie Cafe vs Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen
Two food & beverage 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.
| Tropical Smoothie Cafe | Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen | |
|---|---|---|
| Total initial investment FDD Item 7 | $300,000 – $720,500 | $63,097 – $173,097 |
| Initial franchise fee FDD Item 5 | $35,000 | — |
| Royalty FDD Item 6 | 6% | — |
| Item 19 earnings disclosed FDD Item 19 | Yes | Not disclosed |
| Avg unit revenue (headline) FDD Item 19 | $1,673,798 | — |
| Franchised outlets FDD Item 20 | 1,371 | 752 |
| Net outlet change (latest yr) FDD Item 20 | +174 | -71 |
| Closure rate FDD Item 20 | 0.4% | — |
| Franchisee lawsuits FDD Item 3 | disclosed | 0 |
| Risk level our read | Low | Medium |
| FDD year registration | 2025 | 2024 |
Are Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen the same company?
No — Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen are franchised by separate companies. Tropical Smoothie Cafe's franchisor is Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC (Unit); Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen's is Orion Foods Systems, 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
Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $63,097 – $173,097, against $300,000 – $720,500 for Tropical Smoothie Cafe.
How much does each make? (Item 19)
Only Tropical Smoothie Cafe disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation (headline average unit revenue $1,673,798), while Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen'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
Tropical Smoothie Cafe reports 1,371 franchised outlets, net change +174 in the latest reported year, a 0.4% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen reports 752 franchised outlets, net change -71 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 food & beverage medians.
Litigation
Tropical Smoothie Cafe discloses litigation in FDD Item 3 (case detail in the full report). Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen 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 food & beverage peers.
Only looking at one of them?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe vs Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen — frequently asked
Are Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen the same company?
No — Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen are franchised by separate companies. Tropical Smoothie Cafe's franchisor is Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC (Unit); Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen's is Orion Foods Systems, 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 Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe and Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen are food & beverage franchises from different franchisors (Tropical Smoothie Cafe, LLC (Unit) and Orion Foods Systems, LLC). Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $63,097 – $173,097, against $300,000 – $720,500 for Tropical Smoothie Cafe. Only Tropical Smoothie Cafe disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation (headline average unit revenue $1,673,798), while Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen'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 Tropical Smoothie Cafe more profitable than Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen?
Only Tropical Smoothie Cafe disclosed earnings: it makes an Item 19 financial performance representation (headline average unit revenue $1,673,798), while Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen'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 — Tropical Smoothie Cafe or Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen?
Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen is the cheaper franchise to open: its FDD Item 7 puts the total initial investment at $63,097 – $173,097, against $300,000 – $720,500 for Tropical Smoothie Cafe.
Is Tropical Smoothie Cafe or Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen growing faster?
Tropical Smoothie Cafe reports 1,371 franchised outlets, net change +174 in the latest reported year, a 0.4% closure rate (FDD Item 20). Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen reports 752 franchised outlets, net change -71 in the latest reported year (FDD Item 20).
Go deeper on each brand
Food & beverage rankings
Figures are as disclosed in each brand's most recent registered FDD (Tropical Smoothie Cafe 2025, Hot Stuff Pizza/ Hot Stuff Kitchen 2024). “—” means the FDD does not disclose it or the table did not parse cleanly — never an estimate.