Wheat State Pizza

Wheat State Pizza is a small regional pizza franchise headquartered in Junction City, Kansas, within the full service restaurant segment of the $46.9 billion U.S. pizza industry. The brand has 3 total units, including 2 franchised locations and no company owned stores, placing it among the smallest franchised pizza concepts in the United States by unit count. Historical records show locations in Lawrence, Overbrook, and Baldwin City, Kansas. The Baldwin City location closed in February 2012 after seven years in business. PeerSense assigns Wheat State Pizza a Franchise Performance Index score of 38, categorized as Fair and below the median for tracked full service restaurant franchises. That score supports careful review of the brand's economics, support, and market position before investing. The brand is headquartered in Junction City, Kansas, and its website is listed as wheatstate.com.

The U.S. pizza industry was valued at $46.9 billion in 2022 and is projected to reach $50.1 billion in revenue in 2024, with more than 74,000 pizzeria businesses operating nationwide. Globally, the pizza market was valued at $282.91 billion in 2025 and is projected to grow from $215.53 billion in 2026 to $340.91 billion by 2034, at a compound annual growth rate of 5.90%. In the United States, 93% of Americans eat pizza at least once a month. The global full service restaurant market accounted for $15.38 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach approximately $23.22 billion by 2035, growing at a CAGR of 4.21% from 2026 to 2035. Full service restaurants held an estimated 43.6% share of the pizza market in 2025. North America held a 39.13% share of the global pizza market in 2025. Casual dining contributed the largest share within full service restaurants in 2025, while Italian cuisine is expected to grow significantly through the forecast period. These market conditions provide a broad backdrop for Wheat State Pizza, although its current system captures only a small portion of the category.

Wheat State Pizza does not publicly disclose its franchise fee, total investment range, royalty rate, or advertising fund contribution. In 2025, pizza franchise fees generally range from $20,000 to $50,000, royalties from 4% to 8% of gross sales, and marketing or advertising contributions from 1% to 5% of gross sales. Total pizza franchise investments range from approximately $107,000 for delivery focused concepts such as Domino's to nearly $2.05 million for traditional dine in Pizza Hut locations. Marco's Pizza represents a midrange investment of $287,000 to $806,000, while Papa John's ranges from $110,000 to $989,000. Smaller regional concepts with fewer than 10 units often fall between $115,000 and $400,000, depending on the market, format, and lease terms. Wheat State Pizza may fit the more accessible end of that range given its Kansas history and regional scale, but the current Franchise Disclosure Document is needed for confirmation. For comparison, Snappy Tomato Pizza reports a $14,000 franchise fee, a 5% royalty, a 2.5% advertising fee, and total investment of $115,000 to $256,000. Prospective buyers should review the full FDD and budget $2,000 to $5,000 for legal and accounting fees.

Historical locations in Lawrence, Overbrook, and Baldwin City, Kansas, indicate a full service format serving local communities, with meaningful reliance on anchor customers such as university students and staff. The Baldwin City operation served Baker University students and faculty as a significant revenue source. Former franchisee Brad Remington operated the Lawrence, Overbrook, and Baldwin City locations and described Wheat State Pizza as a small franchise company. His experience points to challenges that can affect small market restaurants, including high rent relative to revenue, elevated utility costs, and limited volume to cover fixed expenses. Pizza restaurants commonly require 8 to 20 employees per location, depending on hours, dining room size, and delivery service, with labor as the largest controllable cost. Larger chains are adopting robotic dough presses, automated kiosks, and AI driven scheduling tools to reduce labor costs. Public sources do not document Wheat State Pizza's training, field support, technology platform, or territory protection terms. Buyers should confirm those items through the FDD and franchisee validation. Territory terms and multi unit development expectations also deserve review, particularly because the same operator previously held three franchises in adjacent Kansas markets.

Small systems with fewer than 10 units often omit this information because the sample may be limited or location results may vary widely. Buyers therefore must rely on industry benchmarks and franchisee interviews when modeling returns. The Baldwin City closure after seven years, attributed to high rent, elevated utilities, and a record low summer revenue period, shows how fixed costs can pressure a small market location. Any prospective territory requires detailed market analysis before signing an agreement.

Wheat State Pizza has 3 total units and 2 franchised locations, with growth concentrated in Kansas. Documented locations include Lawrence, Overland Park, and Junction City, Kansas, indicating a regional approach rather than the expansion pace of larger brands. Marco's Pizza opened more than 60 new stores in 2025 and plans to surpass 80 new openings in 2026. Timber Pizza Co. opened six franchise locations in just over one year across Southeast markets. Donatos opened 55 new locations in 2022 across six new states. Larger competitors are investing in digital platforms, online ordering, and third party delivery. Wheat State Pizza must show that its systems, menu, and community position can support repeat purchases without the marketing resources of a national chain. Its Loan Activity Score of 38 reflects the limited public information available about these competitive factors.

The likely franchise candidate is an owner operator with strong ties to a Kansas community, food service management or restaurant operations experience, and enough financial capacity to support the business during its initial ramp up. The brand's history in small and mid sized Kansas markets makes community involvement, relationships with universities or employers, and active daily management relevant success factors. Multi unit experience may not be required, although Brad Remington's operation of three locations suggests that the brand may consider multi unit development for capable operators. Territory availability is concentrated in Kansas. Buyers seeking markets outside the state should confirm whether the brand has development activity or FDD registration there. Full service pizza restaurants typically take 6 to 12 months to open, with conversions of existing restaurant space often moving faster and costing less than new construction. The opportunity appears better suited to an experienced local restaurateur or entrepreneur familiar with Kansas market conditions and community based customer development.

Wheat State Pizza is a hyper regional, community focused pizza franchise in the full service restaurant category, operating within the $50.1 billion U.S. pizza industry. The Baldwin City closure in 2012 after seven years belongs in any risk review, while the Lawrence and Overbrook operations show that performance may be possible in suitable Kansas markets. Buyers should validate franchise costs, revenue potential, support, and territory terms through the FDD, franchisee interviews, and independent market analysis. PeerSense provides franchise due diligence information, including SBA lending history, Loan Activity Scores, location maps with Google ratings, FDD financial data, and comparison tools for evaluating Wheat State Pizza against other pizza franchise concepts.