Tony Roma’s FAQ

Common questions about the Tony Roma’s franchise opportunity

Curious about investing in a Tony Roma’s franchise? We’re looking for passionate and experienced restaurant operators to join our team. Here are some answers to common questions about our upscale casual, full-service dining franchise opportunity.

What is the total investment?

We offer two types of franchise build-outs: conversion of an existing building, lease or in-line location costs range from $1,893,500 to $3,121,000. If you opt to purchase land and build a new, freestanding building, the costs range from $1,973,500 to $3,246,000. Tony Roma’s works in a variety of locations and can do equally well in the right in-line location or in a new, ground-up location.

What is the Franchise Fee?

We charge a $30,000 franchise fee. This is due upon a site being approved and signing of the Franchise Agreement. See our current Franchise Disclosure Document for additional details.

What is the Royalty  Fee?

We charge 4% of net sales. Paid Monthly. See our current Franchise Disclosure Document for additional details.

What are your qualifications for ownership?

We are seeking investors with a minimum of $1 million liquid with a total of $3 million net worth.

A solid history of restaurant and hospitality experience is preferred, plus a passion for hospitality and food.

What are the growth markets for Tony Roma’s?

After decades of successful international expansion, we have significant pent-up demand and room for prime new locations throughout the United States and Canada. We offer tremendous growth potential with available space in choice locations. We boast great name recognition and have a reputation for being one of the best bets in the upscale casual dining, full-service restaurant category, thanks to 40-plus years of customer and emotional connections.

What makes a good location?

Tony Roma’s does well in locations with a large daytime population with above-average household income, preferably with lifestyle, business and entertainment activities in close proximity. Our upscale casual, full-service dining concept also has the potential to thrive in areas with high traffic counts for both foot and vehicle traffic. Good visibility and ample parking are a must. Tony Roma’s works well in locations where other polished casual dining locations work, such as large or secondary markets and malls and areas with at least 120,000 residents.

What type of real estate do you need?

We have changed our preferred restaurant model from freestanding to a non-freestanding, in-line, end cap mall location, which is more flexible to locate and gets owners closer to customers. This also allows franchise owners to lease, eliminating the cost expenditure of purchasing land or property and the related time-consuming steps and processes such as obtaining permits or contracts. This restaurant model is significantly less expensive to develop, and faster to build.

How many employees do I need?

Every Tony Roma’s restaurant is led by a management team consisting of four members, depending on the size of the unit. A Tony Roma’s typically has 30 to 40 people on staff, including part-time servers and bar staff.

What happened to the Tony Roma’s in my city?

Tony Roma’s started in the 70s and boomed in the 80s and 90s. In many cases, the value of the original real estate skyrocketed and many U.S. franchise owners profited from selling land during the real estate boom. At the same time, we’ve experienced rapid international development in the 2000s outside the U.S. and are now focused on opening a new generation of Tony Roma’s 2.0 in the U.S. Have fond memories of Tony Roma’s? Open one in your community!