White Hen Pantry vs Houlihan's Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of White Hen Pantry vs Houlihan's including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
White Hen Pantry Franchise
Houlihan's Franchise
Investment $52,400 - $225,200$1,600,000 - $4,300,000
Franchise Fee $30,000$40,000
Royalty Fee Varies4%
Advertising Fee --
Year Founded 19651972
Year Franchised 19651994
Term Of Agreement 10 years20 years
Term Of Agreement 10 years20 years
Renewal Fee -$5K


Business Experience Requirements
 
White Hen Pantry Franchise
Houlihan's Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience

  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Must live in same market being developed
    		•

    Financing Options
     
    White Hen Pantry Franchise
    Houlihan's Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees Yes/NoNo/Yes
    Start-up Costs Yes/NoNo/Yes
    Equipment No/NoNo/Yes
    Inventory Yes/NoNo/Yes
    Receivables No/NoNo/Yes
    Payroll No/NoNo/Yes

    Training & Support
     
    White Hen Pantry Franchise
    Houlihan's Franchise
    Training --
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Grand opening, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperativesMeetings, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives
    Marketing -Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertising
    Operations 10% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 10 - 15

    Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed.

    		 Franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 78

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (80% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    Expansion Plans
     
    White Hen Pantry Franchise
    Houlihan's Franchise
    US Expansion YesYes
    Canada Expansion NoNo
    International Expansion NoNo

    Company Overviews

    About White Hen Pantry

    White Hen Pantry Inc. was bought out by 7-Eleven
    White Hen Pantry Inc. was founded in 1965 and began franchising that same year. The Elmhurst, Illinois-based company has more than 280 locations in the United States.

    About Houlihan's

    Houlihan's has been known for exceptional food at an affordable price since we entered the casual dining segment in 1972. Our menu features a great mix of contemporary pop American cooking - classic dishes reinvented in a fresh modern way and brought to the table with simple, stylish plating and presentations. And then there's the bar. It's always the best place to feel the great energy of Houlihan's. Our bar strategy unites pop culture, trendy premium brands, the newest drinks and vendor insights for a winning combination, resulting in an enviable liquor mix.

    To help us more quickly expand to new markets and trade areas, Houlihan's is seeking sophisticated restaurant operators with experience building out entire markets. At this time, we are not pursuing single-site franchise agreements.

    Our ideal candidate to become a franchise market developer is a successful full-service, multi-unit operator with expertise in one or more large markets (e.g. the top 75 MSAs in the United States). We are seeking entrepreneurial organizations that can thrive in our flexible franchise environment, while having access to growth capital and capital reserves, but experiencing growth constraints with their current restaurant concept(s).