Data Verification Status: Verified
Data for Rocky Rococo Pizza and Pasta was extracted directly from the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document filed with state regulators (MN CARDS, WI DFI, or CA DFPI). The actual FDD was directly reviewed and all figures shown are sourced from the government filing. Full production-quality extraction from 2025 FDD filed with WI DFI (file #638785). 167-page document, 25 extraction files, 124 evidence-grounded fields, 99.5% weighted score. Post-regression recovery with FA deep read and conflict adjudication. Always verify current figures by requesting the most recent FDD directly from the franchisor.
Rocky Rococo Pizza and Pasta
Pan-style pizza — WI DFI filing #638785
Regional Wisconsin-based quick-service pizza and pasta franchise. Pan-style pizza specialist operating 31 restaurants (24 franchised, 7 affiliate-owned) across Wisconsin and Minnesota. Family-controlled system (Hester family) with $211K–$706K total investment. 5% royalty with safety-valve reduction to 3.5% if annual sales under $425K. No Item 19 financial performance data disclosed. Clean legal record (no litigation, no bankruptcy). 15-year term + 15-year renewal. Vrakas-audited: $1.38M franchisor revenue, $70.6K net income, $670K cash, zero debt.
Key Metrics
Total Investment
$211,000 – $705,500
Initial fee: $25,000
Avg Revenue (Item 19)
Not Available
Not Disclosed in Reviewed Filing
Royalty Rate
5%
2025 FDD
Total Units
31
24 franchised · 7 company
Franchise Overview
| Parent Company | Rococo Franchise Corporation |
| Year Founded | 1982 |
| Franchising Since | 1995 |
| Headquarters | WI |
| Category | Food & Beverage· quick-service pizza |
| States of Operation | 2 |
| FDD Year | 2025 |
Money: What You Pay, What You Make
Investment costs, ongoing fees, and disclosed revenue — FDD Items 5, 6, 7, and 19
Investment Anatomy
Where your initial investment goes — sourced from FDD Item 7.
Diligence Scores
Computed from government-filed FDD data. Each score is 0–100. Methodology is public and citation-backed.
System Health
Based on Item 20 outlet trends
Franchisor Strength
Based on Item 21 financials + Items 3-4
Contract Burden
Based on Item 17 terms + Item 12 territory
Economics
Not Rated
Item 19 not included in FDD (voluntary per FTC)
Confidence
Data completeness + extraction quality
Scores are editorial calculations from cited government filings (2025 FDD). They are not investment advice. Missing economics data does not indicate poor economics — it means Item 19 revenue data is unavailable for scoring. See methodology for details.
Data Coverage
Gov-filed FDD · 2025
10/11
items populated
Item 19 — Financial Performance Representation
Item 19 — Economics Not Available
This franchisor chose not to include a Financial Performance Representation in their FDD. Item 19 is voluntary per FTC rules — its absence does not indicate poor economics.
Coverage status: Not Disclosed in Reviewed Filing
Item 19 Data Quality
Before comparing this revenue figure to other brands, review these data-quality flags.
No Item 19
This franchisor did not include a Financial Performance Representation in their FDD. Item 19 is voluntary per FTC rules — absence does not indicate poor economics.
Fee Structure
| Initial Franchise Fee | $25,000 |
| Total Investment Range | $211,000 – $705,500 |
| Royalty | 5% |
| Marketing / Ad Fund | 0.75% |
| Other Ongoing Fees |
|
Operations: The Rules You Live By
Contract terms, territory, suppliers, training, and financing — FDD Items 8, 10, 11, 12, 17
Supplier Dependency — Item 8
Restrictions on where you must buy products and whether the franchisor profits from those arrangements.
| Required Purchases | Yes — restricted |
| Approved Supplier List | No |
| Alternative Supplier Allowed | Yes (with approval) |
| Supplier Lock-in Score | 1/10Low restriction |
Mandatory purchase categories: soft drinks
Territory & Encroachment Risk — Item 12
Critical Encroachment Risk
NO exclusive territory — encroachment risk exists; franchisor may operate competing channels in your market; franchisor reserves online/ecommerce sales; radius-based territory (1 mi.).
✗ No
Exclusive Terr.
△ Yes
Franchisor Competes
△ Yes
Online Reserved
radius
1 mi
Source: FDD Item 12 (Territory) · Encroachment risk score is editorial analysis based on disclosed terms
Supplier Dependence — Item 8
Required purchases, approved suppliers & lock-in analysis
Low Supplier Lock-In
Franchisee may source freely if specifications are met; alternative suppliers may be approved with permission; mandatory purchases required from approved sources; mandatory categories: soft_drinks.
Source: FDD Item 8 (Restrictions on Sources of Products and Services) · Lock-in score is editorial analysis
Management Quality — Item 2 (Business Experience)
Strong Management Signal
Leadership has prior franchise system experience; long-tenured executives (5+ years); 6 senior roles identified.
6
Senior Execs
✓ Yes
Franchise Exp.
✓ Yes
Stable Leadership
✓ No
Recent Changes
Source: FDD Item 2 (Business Experience) · Extraction confidence: high
Franchisor Support — Item 11
Training program, field support & ongoing resources
Strong Franchisor Support
160h comprehensive training program; ongoing training program; field support team; technology/POS system provided.
Source: FDD Item 11
Contract Terms at a Glance
Key franchise agreement provisions — from FDD Item 17. These define your legal relationship.
System Health: Is It Growing or Shrinking?
Unit openings, closures, transfers, and geographic spread — FDD Item 20
Unit Economics — Item 20 (Outlets & Franchisee Information)
Units Opened
+4
Units Closed
-0
Units Transferred
1
| Net Growth | +3 units |
| Turnover Rate | 0% |
System Composition
Ownership split and 3-year system trajectory — from FDD Item 20.
3-Year System Trajectory
Outlet Churn Anatomy — Item 20
Exit-type breakdown for the 2025 FDD reporting period. Source: government-filed FDD.
stable System
System is stable — net +3 units. Normal turnover for the category.
Opened
+4
Exited
-0
Net
+3
| Exit Type | Count | % |
|---|---|---|
Transfers (franchisee-to-franchisee) Units changed hands but remained in the system. High transfers can indicate a healthy resale market. | 1 | — |
Franchisor Strength: Can They Support You?
Financial health, litigation history, and audited statements — FDD Items 3, 4, 21
Litigation Summary — Item 3
Active Lawsuits
0
Trend
Lawsuit Types
No litigation required to be disclosed (Item 3). Exceptionally clean.
Franchisor Financial Strength — Item 21
Extracted from audited financial statements filed with the FDD.
Auditor
Vrakas, S.C.
✓ Unqualified (clean) opinion
Financial Strength
adequate
Derived from audited balance sheet
| Franchisor Financials (most recent audited year) | |
|---|---|
| Revenue | $1,382,868 |
| Total Assets | $766,410 |
| Total Liabilities | $319,710 |
| Equity | $446,700 |
| Net Income | $70,626 |
| Cash & Equivalents | $669,550 |
Franchisor P&L Snapshot
Visual summary of the franchisor's audited financials — from FDD Item 21 / Exhibit A.
Peer Benchmarks
Ranked within food-beverage franchises at a $150K–$500K investment tier. All data from government-filed FDDs.
Rocky Rococo Pizza and Pasta ranks in the top 25% of peers for royalty rate
Percentile rank vs. comparable franchises in the same category and investment tier. For revenue and growth: higher percentile = better. For fees and investment: lower percentile = better (bar shows relative advantage).
Filing Year Changes
Year-over-year comparison across multiple FDD filings. Source: government-filed disclosures.
Net Unit Growth — Item 20 (Multi-Year)
Green = system grew · Red = system shrank · Each bar = one filing year
Most recent
+3
net units 2024
Trends & Change Signals
Multi-factor trend detection across revenue, unit count, financials, and litigation. Includes year-over-year comparison.
Overall Trend: stable
No significant deterioration signals. Data is stable across tracked dimensions.
Unit Growth Trajectory
Growth declined by 0 units
Net +3 units (2024)
vs. Net +3 units (2023)
Buyer Prep: What to Watch For
Key risk areas, questions for existing franchisees, and community insights
Key Risk Areas
4 from FDD96.8% of units in Wisconsin (30/31). Heavy dependence on single-state economy.
RFC does not disclose Item 19 data. No revenue, cost, or profitability benchmarks for prospective franchisees.
Hester family controls franchisor + all 5 affiliates + 7 company-owned units. $168K/yr in related-party management fees. VIE non-consolidation election means affiliate financials are excluded.
RFC holds first lien on all franchisee property (equipment, inventory, fixtures, leasehold improvements). Subordination available for bank financing.
Franchisee Interview Prep
Questions to ask current franchisees — generated from red flags, Item 20 exit data, and contract terms in the 2025 FDD. Prioritized: critical questions first.
0 units closed in the most recent FDD period. Ask franchisees: what actually drove those closures — was it market conditions, operations, or franchisor decisions?
Look for: Franchisees who left voluntarily vs. those terminated. Any pattern by region, years in system, or franchisee profile.
The agreement requires mandatory arbitration. Ask: have you ever had a dispute with the franchisor — how was it handled? Did you feel you had recourse?
Look for: Franchisees who've been through disputes. Understand if the arbitration process felt fair or heavily stacked toward the franchisor.
How responsive is your franchisor rep — do they actually help when you have a problem, or are they just checking boxes?
Look for: Specific stories (not just vague positives). Ask about a time they needed help urgently — response time matters.
If you decided to sell your franchise tomorrow, how easy would that be? Has the franchisor ever blocked or delayed a transfer you wanted?
Look for: Transfer fee surprises, right-of-first-refusal complications, or franchisor demanding upgrades before approving a sale.
What did your revenue look like in year 1 vs. year 2 vs. now? When did you reach breakeven?
Look for: Year 1 revenue is typically well below Item 19 averages (which often exclude ramp-up units). Expect 12-24 months to reach average.
What did the training actually cover vs. what you needed on day 1? What do you wish you'd learned before opening?
Look for: Gap between training content and operational reality. New franchisees often report the training covered theory but not real-world situations.
Knowing everything you know now, would you sign this franchise agreement again? What would you negotiate differently?
Look for: This is the single highest-signal question. Listen for hesitation. Franchisees rarely criticize their decision publicly; even mild reservations are meaningful.
How responsive is corporate support when you have an operational problem? Can you give me an example of when you needed help and how they responded?
Look for: Same-day response vs. days-long wait. Whether field support visits are proactive or only reactive. Quality of the franchisee hotline.
Geographic Concentration
State distribution analysis from FDD Item 20 (Table No. 3).
High Concentration
One state holds the majority of units — significant regulatory and economic concentration risk.
2
States Active
local
Coverage Type
0.94
HHI (concentration)
97%
Top state (WI)
Units by State (Item 20)
Community
Not FDD dataAnonymous Owner Submissions
No owner submissions yet for Rocky Rococo Pizza and Pasta. Be the first — your data helps future buyers.
Buyer Memo
One-page printable summary: investment, revenue, flags, and questions to ask.
View Memo →Full Diligence Memo
Item 19, system health, red flags, contract terms — cited to the filed FDD.
Full Analysis →Lender Readiness Pack
SBA-ready summary: investment ranges, scenario economics, franchisor financials.
View Lender Pack →Get the Full Report
Standard
$29
- Full score breakdown & analysis
- Red flag deep dive
- FDD summary (Items 1-23)
Premium
$79
- Everything in Standard
- Item 19 financial modeling
- Competitor comparison
- Community data overlay
Executive
$199
- Everything in Premium
- 10-year pro forma model
- Litigation deep dive
- Territory analysis & map
Data sourced from the 2025 FDD filed with a state franchise regulator (WI DFI/CARDS filing). Fields not extractable from the PDF are shown as not available. Last updated 2026-04-05.
Full production-quality extraction from 2025 FDD filed with WI DFI (file #638785). 167-page document, 25 extraction files, 124 evidence-grounded fields, 99.5% weighted score. Post-regression recovery with FA deep read and conflict adjudication.
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