food franchises - Franchise Business Review
Transcription
food franchises - Franchise Business Review
2011 special report FOOD FRANCHISES www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com 2011 SPECIAL REPORT: Food Franchises food franchises For the right person who finds the right franchise brand, the food business can offer an exciting, rewarding, and profitable opportunity. erhaps no other industry in franchising is as trend-driven and competitive as the food sector. To be successful, franchisees must overcome fickle consumer preferences, fluctuating food costs, fly-by-night diet crazes, and immense pressure. But for the right person who finds the right franchise brand, the food business can offer an exciting, rewarding, and profitable opportunity. This report is designed to give you a detailed look at the food franchise sector. We will explore the different types of franchise concepts, the resources they involve, the pros and cons of the sector, and the characteristics of a “typical” franchisee. We will also forecast where we think the food franchise market is going and identify the top food franchises based on our franchisee satisfaction research. Who We Are Franchise Business Review is a national market research firm that performs independent research of franchisee satisfaction. Our products include franchisee satisfaction research, economic impact studies, and sector reports. The data for this report was compiled as part of our 2011 food franchise study, which recognizes the top brands based on overall franchisee satisfaction. To compile the data for this report, we surveyed nearly 2,000 franchisees from the food sector, representing more than 75 brands and 20,522 franchised businesses. We also talked to senior executives at several brands for their first-hand perspective of the food industry. It is important to note that not all of the companies mentioned in this report participated in our franchisee satisfaction survey or interview. These companies were researched using publically available company intelligence. Cover photos courtesy of (clockwise from top left): Papa Murphy’s, Auntie Anne’s, East Coast Wings & Grill, Nothing Bundt Cakes For more information on this report, visit: www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com 1 2011 SPECIAL REPORT: Food Franchises Daniel Caskey, Marco’s Pizza How long have you been a franchisee? I have been a franchisee of the Marco’s brand since June 2011 but have been a franchisee of various other brands for over 10 years. Why did you decide to buy a franchise? Having gone through all the hard work of developing my own concept in the past, I know firsthand the value that a franchise with great systems already in place can yield. Being part of a franchise allows me to focus on growing the number of locations in my organization quickly and saves a considerable amount of money on establishing an infrastructure. I look for a company with a great foundation of solid people—that is the company I want to invest in and grow with! Why did you choose your franchise? I absolutely love the product that Marco’s provides. When I became aware of the fast growth the company was experiencing, I wanted to know more. After speaking with other Marco’s franchisees and visiting with their corporate team, I was sold! What is the best part of being your own boss? I like controlling my own destiny. When you work for yourself, you don’t always have someone patting you on the back, saying, “Good job,” but you also don’t have to deal with being underappreciated. What is the worst part of being your own boss? The hours involved. One week may be 20 to 30 hours, and the next, it’s 90+, but I would not trade it for a 40-hour, 9-5 any day! For more information about Marco’s, please visit www.marcos.com or contact Lauren Johnson at [email protected] or (419)724-1867. Photo courtesy of VooDoo BBQ & Grill Models/Concepts The franchise concepts within the food sector typically fall into one of several major categories: quick serve restaurants (QSR—i.e., fast food), fast casual (a variation of QSR that includes higher end, counter-service establishments), retail stores, mobile (based in a kiosk or mobile cart, for example), delivery only, and full-service restaurants. Some franchisors offer multiple business models. These models may be further broken down by food type, such as burgers, wings, pizza, Mexican, ice cream/yogurt, coffee, and sushi, to name just a few. Because many of the models fit into a number of categories (a coffee shop that serves breakfast sandwiches, for example), the concept lines are often blurred. Investment The food sector offers a wide range of investment options for prospective franchisees. Some concepts require less than $100,000 to get started, while others cost a million dollars or more. The investment range of our 2011 Top 30 Food Franchises (see list on page 12) is $30,000 to $2.3 million, with the average initial investment of the top 30 being $491,307. (Note that this is the total initial investment, but with financing and lease options, the typical upfront cash requirements tend to be 20% to 40% of that total investment.) The amount of the initial investment typically depends on the real estate and equipment needed to run the business. At the low end of the investment For this report, we looked at many spectrum, you have opportunities like Happy and Healthy Products, different brands representing a distributor of frozen treats, several different concept types in which offers franchisees a full or an attempt to accurately compare part-time home-based business and analyze both the companies themselves and the overall market. opportunity with an initial 2 For more information on this report, visit: www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com 2011 SPECIAL REPORT: Food Franchises investment of about $32,000. Even some businesses that offer hot, prepared foods are deliverybased and do not require a large physical footprint. The typical initial investment for a business like this is around $200,000. A quick-serve brand based in a retail strip center can cost less than $500,000 initially, depending on the real estate and overhead requirements. A fullservice restaurant, which requires a large, stand-alone site (and more employees and overhead for day-to-day operation), typically costs more than a million dollars to get started. Even within brands, you may see an array of investment options. Both Subway and Dunkin Donuts, two of the biggest franchisors in the sector, offer the option of traditional stand-alone locations as well as kiosk, retail store, stripcenter, and other non-traditional locations. A Dunkin Donuts franchisee might be able to open a small, grocery-store-based unit for around $150,000, while a full-size traditional store runs over a million dollars. Subway offers a number of non-traditional location types, including airports, gas stations, military bases, casinos, and even churches, which may make ownership more affordable. In 2010, East Coast Wings and Grill, traditionally an eat-in, full-service restaurant concept, introduced a lower investment QSR model for current franchisees, which enables them to expand their market at a $285,000 price point (about half the cost of the full-service model) because the real estate footprint is much smaller than for a fullservice restaurant. East Coast CEO Sam Ballas told us that a number of existing East Coast franchisees embraced this model as a way to expand and grow in some of the smaller communities near their full-service locations. The time investment for a food service franchisee varies as much as the monetary investment, depending on the size and capacity of the franchise concept. Typical Investment Ranges for Food Franchise Locations Kiosk /Mobile /Non-Traditional Locations $30,000 – $250,000 + Conversions of Existing Locations $100,000 – $400,000 + Retail /In-Line Strip Center Locations $175,000 – $500,000 + Stand-alone /New Construction Locations $750,000 – $2,000,000 + *These are broad estimates of initial capital investments, and each franchise brand will have specific liquid capital and net worth requirements. The time investment for a food service franchisee varies as much as the monetary investment, depending on the size and capacity of the franchise concept. Obviously, the more employees a business has, the more management is required on the part of the franchisee. Distributortype concepts can sometimes be run on a part-time basis, and some of the snack/pizza/ice cream concepts offer more flexibility. Full-service and breakfast-todinner QSR concepts, on the other hand, require considerable night and weekend involvement. Even franchisees with onsite managers to handle day-to-day operations must invest a lot of time promoting and marketing their businesses. Another factor contributing to the financial and time investment of a food business is the fairly common requirement by franchisors that franchisees operate multiple units. It is easier for the franchisor from a development standpoint to work with an owner who is going to operate several locations, and many of the higher-end investment brands prefer not to deal with single-unit franchisees. These brands would rather have a big operator who plans to open five to 10 locations over a certain time period. Obviously, running multiple locations involves much more time and money than a single unit, so this is an important consideration for prospective franchisees. For more information on this report, visit: www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com 3 2011 SPECIAL REPORT: Food Franchises Average Profitability of FBR’s Top 30 Food Franchises vs. All Food Franchises Profitability Range $250,000 + FBR’s Top Food Franchises All Food Franchises $225,000 - $250,000 $200,000 - $225,000 $175,000 - $200,000 $150,000 - $175,000 $125,000 - $150,000 $100,000 - $125,000 $75,000 - $100,000 $50,000 - $75,000 $25,000-$50,000 $0 - $25,000 0% 5% 10% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% Percent Response *Profitability data listed above is based on independent surveys completed with 1,781 food industry franchisees in the previous 12 months. This sample included data from 78 franchise brands, representing 20,522 operating units. Profitability is defined as any annual pre-tax income the franchisee received including salary and/or business profits. Profitability Getting started in the food sector typically requires a large investment, and early profit margins can be much lower than some other service industries—especially for operators of high cost, single-unit operations. Therefore, it can take a long time for a new operator to recoup start-up costs. Many franchisees choose to operate several locations because this typically helps them turn a higher profit and lowers some costs. Getting started in the food sector typically requires a large investment and early profit margins can be much lower than some other service industries—especially for operators of high cost, single-unit operations. owner takes out of the business) of a food franchisee is $77,511, which is 13% higher than the average profitability of all franchisees (based on data from 10,073 franchisees from all industry categories). Yet 55% of food franchisees earn less than $50,000 a year. Based on our 2011 survey, the When you look at just the Top 30 average annual profitability (defined food systems on our list (see page as any income, salary, or profit the 12), average profitability improves 4 For more information on this report, visit: www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com by 16%, with the average being $89,749. At first glance, these numbers look quite good compared to the overall franchise industry, but from a return on investment perspective, that’s not necessarily the case. The average food franchise investment is two to four times the cost of a non-food franchise, so having an average 2011 SPECIAL REPORT: Food Franchises profitability just 13% more isn’t so impressive. For comparison, the senior care sector has an average annual profitability of $98,723 (based on surveys of 842 senior care franchisees), and the average investment is well under $100,000. Pros Although food is at the heart of every franchise concept within the food sector, there are countless investment options, business models, and food types for franchise operators to choose from. A prospective franchisee can choose to run anything from a vanbased delivery business to a fullservice restaurant—with dozens of other business types in between. The industry also provides instant gratification in the way of customers’ love for food. For true “foodies,” there’s nothing more rewarding than serving a product or meal that the customer truly savors. Franchisees often get to witness firsthand consumers’ enjoyment of their products. Although the industry is affected by trends and competition, the convenience, entertainment value, and overall enjoyment of a meal ordered out will never go away. Despite reports of the economy’s negative effects on the restaurant business, many franchise brands have actually performed very well in the past few years. Don Fox, CEO of Firehouse Subs, says the stability of the sector—at least for certain concepts—is actually one of the upsides of the industry. “During the worst year of the recession on a comp basis, the food industry was down about 3%. Most industries in this country would die to have that as a number. Yes, there is fallout even with a 3% decrease in sales, but for people who go in and embrace it and do a great job at it, it is an extremely vibrant and healthy business,” Fox said. A food franchise can be a substantial moneymaker, and multiunit operators in particular may see a significant return on investment once they are established. The wide range of franchise models available to someone looking to enter the food services sector make the food business a feasible endeavor at almost any investment level. Perhaps more than in any other franchise sector, operators of food franchises may reap significant benefits from being part of a large franchise system rather than operating alone. The food industry is highly competitive and trenddriven, and operators in this space must constantly be marketing themselves and developing new products. Franchisees benefit from having a recognized brand and the support and resources of a corporate office to help with these tasks. For true “foodies,” there’s nothing more rewarding than serving a product or meal that the customer truly savors. Photo courtesy of Auntie Anne’s For more information on this report, visit: www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com 5 2011 SPECIAL REPORT: Food Franchises Own the Hottest Brand in the Country! s 30 Consecutive Same Store Sales Growth Quarters* s $1,275,058 Average NET Sales* s $264,805 Average EBITDA* s Ratio of average investment to first year gross sale 1:3* s Single & Multi-Unit Territories Available Winner at the 2010 National Buffalo Wing Festival *This advertisement is not an offering of a franchise. An offering can be made only by prospectus. We only sell franchisees in states where our offering is registered.. Figures reflect averages for lowest and highest sales and EBITDA as submitted by our full service franchised restaurants operating in 2010 as published in item 19 of our April 2011 Franchise Disclosure Document. Same store sales growth figures are from 1/1/94 through 6/30/11 as reported by franchisees. Individual financial performance will vary. ©2011 East Coast Wings Corporation. All rights reserved. For Franchise Information, Contact LG-SSS 082011 www.eastcoastwings.com Half Page Horz Lead Generation Ad.indd 1 Cons The food sector is not for the faint of heart in terms of what it takes to run and operate a successful business. Rising food costs, soaring competition, high employee turnover, and long hours are just a handful of the sector’s drawbacks. Lee S. Easley 1.800.381.3802 8/31/11 10:22 AM start-up costs for a Tilted Kilt franchise are around $2 million, including a $75,000 franchise fee.) This may improve as prospective franchisees find alternative ways to finance their businesses. “People are finding ways around the banks,” Lynch told us. “We have found many people coming to us with cash. They’ve The expenses—both initial and ongoing—are much higher than in taken their money out of the other sectors, unless the business stock market, and they really is a mobile concept. And accessing are interested in investing in capital to finance a business is still themselves,” said Debra Shwetz, co-owner of specialty baking not easy, despite improvements franchise Nothing Bundt Cakes. in the economy. Ron Lynch, CEO of Tilted Kilt (a sports pub When franchisees do have success franchise), says the lending landscape is his biggest challenge accessing traditional bank loans, franchisors say it’s from local and to growth because even qualified regional banks rather than the big franchisees aren’t always able to national players. However, Ballas of access the capital they need to finance a franchise. (The estimated East Coast Wings and Grill said he’s 6 For more information on this report, visit: www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com starting to hear from national banks that haven’t expressed interest in lending in the past few years. The time investment for running a food franchise is also significant, especially in the early days of start-up. Even mobile concepts, which may offer more flexibility in scheduling, usually require a lot of weekend time. The food sector is probably the most competitive space in franchising (and in business in general). There are millions of options for consumers, both franchised and not, and the market is strongly driven by what’s hot now, which can change overnight. Franchise companies must constantly be researching and developing new products to keep up with the latest food trends. Otherwise, a popular 2011 SPECIAL REPORT: Food Franchises food craze (e.g., the carb-free diet) can be death to a franchise brand that focuses only on, for example, donuts. However, some brands have made the most of the national push to eat healthier. Dunkin Donuts successfully made the transition from a focus on only donuts to coffee, bagels, and meal options for day parts other than breakfast. Other fast food brands that once focused on burgers and fries have added healthy menu options—such as salads, grilled chicken, and smoothies—and attracted an entirely new customer base. Of course, these transitions also required an additional investment from franchisees to re-vamp equipment and train staff. and wholesome ingredients. Five Guys and Jake’s Wayback Burgers, two successful burger franchises, are known for serving big, juicy hamburgers that, while they may not be low in fat, are marketed as made of the freshest ingredients. with other concepts. In recent years, a number of QSR and fast casual concepts have introduced value-menu pricing as a means to out-price competition and keep customers coming in the door. At a time when the cost of basic food supplies like coffee, flour, and eggs skyrocketed, Because of the competition in franchisees ended up losing the food space and the economy, money as they were forced to there is also significant pressure in offer more food for less money. In terms of pricing. Franchisors must many concepts, even when sales constantly keep an eye on their were up, unit-level profitability prices, adjusting them to compete suffered considerably. Nothing Bundt Cakes recently introduced a new product—a “bundtini”—a miniature bundt cake for people wanting a treat without the full-size guilt. The company also provides Weight Watchers points and other nutritional information to any inquiring customers. “We were concerned about the whole low-carb thing,” said Nothing Bundt Cakes’ founder Shwetz. “We read about it, we waited for it to hit … but it didn’t. People like their sweets, and they like to indulge themselves. They’re going to do that no matter what the current trend is—at least that’s what we’ve found.” Even servers of traditional “fast foods” like hamburgers have increased their emphasis on fresh Photo courtesy of Nothing Bundt Cakes For more information on this report, visit: www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com 7 2011 SPECIAL REPORT: Food Franchises “I haven’t seen that much disparity on the selling subs side of the business, but selling franchises was definitely affected on a regional basis,” said Firehouse Subs’ Fox. “Las Vegas and Phoenix … While I had very high unit volumes there—which should help promote franchising—the reality is the overall economic climate in those markets was a deterrent to potential franchisees.” For all types of concepts, it appears the economic situation in the food sector is improving. A 2011 Economic Outlook report put out by the International Franchise Association and prepared by PricewaterhouseCoopers forecasted an increase in units, employment growth, and output for both QSR and full-service concepts in the coming year. (This increase follows a decline between 2008 and 2009.) Photo courtesy of Firehouse Subs “We have certainly benefitted from real estate availability and real estate costs in different markets. We’ve seen reductions in construction costs because they’re more competitive and very flat equipment pricing because of the recession.” Kevin King, Papa Murphy’s Market Analysis While high-end restaurants suffered dramatically, lower cost options—like pizza, wings, and some fast casual concepts—did well despite the economy because they offered families an inexpensive dinner option that didn’t necessarily require tips, a bar tab, or some of the other “extras” of a full-service restaurant. Not surprisingly, these concepts also had the highest satisfaction among franchisees (note that pizza concepts make up more than 25% of our 2011 Top 30 Food Franchises list). However, even the franchise brands that continued to perform well throughout the recession faced regional challenges in hardhit states like California, Arizona, Florida, and Nevada. 8 For more information on this report, visit: www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com Anecdotally, franchisors agree with the promising reports. Lynch of Tilted Kilt told us 2011 may be his franchise’s best year ever in terms of new unit growth and profitability. Executives from Papa Murphy’s, Firehouse Subs, East Coast Wings and Grill, and Nothing Bundt Cakes echoed that sentiment. One franchise concept that did well in the struggling economy was Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake pizza, which enables customers to purchase a freshly made pizza and cook it at home. “We probably benefitted more than most in 2008 and 2009,” said 2011 SPECIAL REPORT: Food Franchises Kevin King, senior vice president of operations for Papa Murphy’s. “The challenges for us came later on when pizza pricing became very aggressive in 2010. We encouraged our owners to get equally aggressive or more aggressive. That took some time, convincing franchisees that it’s worth some short-term margin hits for longterm share and traffic gains.” In the long run, the changes paid off for Papa Murphy’s franchisees, King said, and they were able to recoup some of the early lost revenue as their customer base increased. And while the lending situation remains a big roadblock for prospective franchisees, a report in The Restaurant Finance Monitor says lenders are more likely to finance franchised restaurants than other business types because their SBA failure rate in the past few years has been lower than both independent restaurants and small business in general (19% compared with a failure rate of 24% for all small business). “I’ll speak to the availability of talent,” Shwetz said. “In Las Vegas, where unemployment is around 14%, we have been able to hire some really great, amazing people.” Ballas of East Coast Wings and Grill says his brand saw significant savings in real estate during the recession, saving upwards of $10 a square foot since 2009. “It’s been extremely positive for us in our stores that we rolled out in the last two years,” he said. “We have certainly benefitted from real estate availability and real estate costs in different markets,” said King of Papa Murphy’s. “We’ve seen reductions in construction costs because they’re more competitive and very flat equipment pricing because of the recession.” There’s a flip side, however, to that real estate market for Papa Murphy’s, which has built about 100 locations a year since the recession began. This is one of the few franchise sectors where prior experience is not only a nice-to-have, it’s often required. “Things are definitely getting better from the lending standpoint,” said Fox of Firehouse Subs. “Frankly, the lending terms before were far too liberal going back four or five years ago. If the concept is sound and banks can see it and all your fundamentals are good, there’s money to be had out there.” According to franchisors, there has actually been an upside to the recession in terms of real estate, equipment costs, and employee availability. Photo courtesy of East Coast Wings & Grill For more information on this report, visit: www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com 9 2011 SPECIAL REPORT: Food Franchises Photo courtesy of Ground Round “One negative is the lack of new shopping center development. In the earlier part of the 2000s, we would see 60% to 70% of our new stores in new construction. That has obviously changed. We have to go into older centers and take over existing space,” King said. Franchisee Success Attributes A lot of people are attracted to the food sector because they recognize the brands, and it might be a “sexier” business concept than owning, for example, a home care business. However, food is a very tough business in which to make money, and franchisees need to have the right skills and background to be successful. This is one of the few franchise sectors where prior experience is not only a nice-to-have, it’s often Although franchisee satisfaction tends to be lower in the food sector, a handful of franchise concepts have managed to buck that trend and have created a successful and satisfying investment opportunity for their franchisees. required. In some ways, this goes against the typical thinking in franchising, in which franchisors usually prefer people with general business management and marketing experience over direct industry experience. When it comes to running a food franchise, however—especially multiple units—many franchisors require their franchisees (or their partners) to have had vast operational experience in the industry. This helps on two levels—franchisees know what they’re getting into and they are more likely to be successful in the day-to-day operations of their 10 For more information on this report, visit: www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com business because they’ve done or seen it before. “Although restaurant experience is not required for us to do a deal with single-unit franchisees, if we’re going to enter into a multi-unit development with someone, we prefer prior restaurant experience and really prior multi-unit restaurant experience just as a way to shorten the learning curve,” said King of Papa Murphy’s. Even if a brand doesn’t require their franchisees to have prior restaurant experience, a lender might. 2011 SPECIAL REPORT: Food Franchises “Lenders are putting more priority on people having very specific related experience if they’re going to write a loan for it,” said Fox of Firehouse Subs. In addition to prior industry experience, successful franchisees also must be experienced business people, with knowledge of sales, marketing, and people management. “We focus on sales and marketing because we can teach anyone to bake a product—we have a very simple concept—but they have to be able to get out there and talk to people about it, give samples, and have events. There’s tons and tons of community involvement,” said Shwetz of Nothing Bundt Cakes, which uses a profiling system to determine whether a candidate will be a good fit as a franchisee. “Historically, we’ve taken people from all different backgrounds— from school teachers to executives—and they’ve made successful franchisees,” Papa Murphy’s King said. “It’s more about the skills and qualities that the individual has, how involved they’re going to be in the business, and their ability to get out in their local communities and introduce people to our brand.” Because so much experience and knowledge is required to be successful in this business, you’ll often see experienced franchisees buying out low-performing operators who didn’t have a solid food industry background when they entered the industry. The amount of staff management required to run the day-to-day business of a food franchise may be a drawback for some operators, depending on the size and structure of the concept. Many concepts require large numbers of low-wage, low-skilled employees. Oftentimes, these are teenagers with no prior work experience. Franchisees with experience managing this type of workforce will likely fare better than people without this experience. Subs. “If the franchisee can’t bring a real service culture and be a people person not only with their staff but with their guests, they’re not going to be successful.” To this end, Firehouse Subs requires all prospective franchisees to work in one of the brand’s training restaurants for 50 hours before they enter into any franchise agreement. “Franchise ownership can look great from the customer side of the counter—especially if franchisees have not been in the restaurant business before—but “We’re looking for a lot as far as getting them on the other side personality,” said Fox of Firehouse really tells a story,” Fox said. Prospective franchisees must do their homework and compare brands side-by-side—looking at both well-known food franchises and some of the smaller, lesser-known opportunities. Every food franchise has its own culture, and franchisees should carefully consider how that culture fits with their own business goals before committing to a brand. Photo courtesy of Ground Round For more information on this report, visit: www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com 11 2011 SPECIAL REPORT: Food Franchises Top 30 Food Franchises Auntie Anne’s Firehouse Subs Jet’s Pizza Ground Round East Coast Wings & Grill Toppers Pizza Marco’s Pizza Penn Station East Coast Subs Charley’s Grilled Subs Papa Murphy’s Great Wraps! Bruegger’s Jack in the Box VooDoo BBQ & Grill Einstein Bros Bagels Happy and Healthy Products Nothing Bundt Cakes Straw Hat Pizza Yogurtland MixStirs Scooter’s Coffeehouse Jamba Juice Donatos Pizza LaRosa’s Pizzeria PJ’s Coffee Russo’s New York Pizzeria Biggby Coffee Zoup! WOW Cafe & Wingery Mooyah *FBR’s Top 30 Food Franchises list is based on independent surveys of 1,781 franchisees across 78 franchise brands, representing 20,522 operating units. FBR’s proprietary ranking formula is based primarily on overall franchisee satisfaction, but also takes into account systems’ size and survey response rates. All 30 franchise brands appearing on the list have above-average franchisee satisfaction as compared to FBR’s Food Sector Benchmark. Photo courtesy of Penn Station East Coast Subs Franchisee Satisfaction Overall franchisee satisfaction in the food sector traditionally runs extremely low (10% to 15% lower than in other sectors). This is not particularly surprising given that the industry as a whole is very complex with lots of moving parts, high costs (especially in the last few years), potential day-to-day management issues, and high employee turnover. Although overall franchisee satisfaction in 2011 is up just slightly from 2010 (65.2% vs. 61.16% in 2010), it remains on the low side compared with other sectors, and the sector as a whole scored about 10% lower than our overall benchmark in almost every individual category of the FBR survey. (Survey categories include training and support, leadership, overall franchise system, franchisee community, 12 For more information on this report, visit: www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com core values of franchisor, financial opportunity, and general satisfaction, as well as a selfevaluation of the franchisee’s work-life situation.) The sector scored especially low in the area of franchisee training and support, coming in at 52.4%, compared with our overall benchmark of 60.6%. In the financial opportunity section, the sector’s scores were more in line with our overall benchmark, differing by 3.3%. Despite the lower-than-average satisfaction scores, however, it is important to note that 68.9% of food sector franchisees said they would “Do it Again” regarding investing in their franchise brand. Although franchisee satisfaction tends to be lower in the food sector, a handful of franchise concepts have managed to buck 2011 SPECIAL REPORT: Food Franchises that trend and have created a successful and satisfying investment opportunity for their franchisees. These brands make up our list of the Top 30 Food Franchises for 2011. sense that they have a bigger representation on our list. Prospective franchisees must do their homework and compare brands side-by-side—looking at Summary both well-known food franchises Food has always been synonymous and some of the smaller, lesserwith franchising, so regardless of known opportunities. Every food what’s going on in the economy, franchise has its own culture, It’s worth noting that more than food franchises will always and franchisees should carefully 25% of the companies on our be popular investments. And, consider how that culture fits with 2011 list are pizza concepts, and while the food industry may be their own business goals before many of the other top brands offer challenging, its operators are some committing to a brand. similar quick, inexpensive foods of the most passionate in all such as sandwiches and wings. of franchising. Yes, food franchises have had their These concepts tended to fare ups and downs in recent years, but better financially in the struggling Because of the popularity of the industry is clearly here to stay. economy, which likely had an effect the industry itself, potential For the right person in the right on franchisee satisfaction. Also, business owners may be initially franchise, it can be a rewarding because these businesses require attracted to the hype around and exciting business. a smaller start-up investment, a brand or the overall idea of they have become very popular as running a restaurant. The appeal For more detailed research franchise opportunities in the past of a particular brand or product, on specific food franchises, few years. Since there are more of however, should be secondary to please visit us online at: these concepts in general, it makes thorough due diligence. FranchiseBusinessReview.com. Franchisee Satisfaction: Food Sector vs. All Industries All Industries Food Sector General Satisfaction Financial Opportunity Self-Evaluation Franchisee Community Core Values Leadership Franchise System Training + Support 0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% Percent of Satisfaction *Satisfaction comparison data above is based on independent surveys of franchisees completed within the previous 12 months. FBR’s Food Sector Benchmark is based on data from 1,781 food industry franchisees. The FBR Benchmark is based on data from 12,584 franchisees across all industries. For more information on this report, visit: www.FranchiseBusinessReview.com 13 We’re Growing and We’re Taking You With Us We know you want your investment working today, so we want you to have existing locations. Jack in the Box operates and franchises over 2,200 restaurants in only 19 states. That means we offer plenty of growth potential to our franchisees. In select corporate seed markets growth starts with an acquisition. You can franchise recently opened company restaurants and these locations could be used as a platform for future market development. LOCAL H ISE FRANC OPM E NT DEVE L TIVES INCEN We are committed to supporting your growth in new markets, and demonstrate that with: The “Mark 9” Model Port Arthur, TX s3PECIALROYALTYANDFRANCHISEFEEINCENTIVES s/VEROFYOURMARKETINGFUNDCONTRIBUTION REINVESTEDINLOCALMARKETINGEFFORTS sWEEKTRAININGPROGRAM s,OCALOPERATIONOPENINGSUPPORTTEAMS #/20/2!4%3%%$-!2+%43 Acquire existing company restaurants and further develop these markets. #).#)..!4)s$%.6%2s).$)!.!0/,)3 +!.3!3#)49s/+,!(/-!#)49s45,3! ,EARNMOREABOUTTHEBRANDCURRENTFRANCHISINGOPPORTUNITIES Call 858-522-4759 or visit jackinthebox.com/franchise *Effective January 2012 ¹*ACKINTHE"OX)NC"ALBOA!VENUE3AN$IEGO#!4HISISNOTANOFFERTOSELLAFRANCHISE Jack in the Box is a registered trademark of Jack in the Box Inc.