Hamburger Mary's vs Whataburger Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Hamburger Mary's Franchise
Whataburger Franchise
Investment $417,150 - $955,500$1,200,000
Franchise Fee $50,000N/A
Royalty Fee 4% (on first $150K monthly gross), 3% (on monthly gross above $150K)-
Advertising Fee --
Year Founded 19721950
Year Franchised 19990
Term Of Agreement 5 years-
Term Of Agreement 5 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Hamburger Mary's Franchise
Whataburger Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • One partner must have bar/restaurant management experience
  • -

    Financing Options

     
    Hamburger Mary's Franchise
    Whataburger Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/No-/-
    Start-up Costs No/Yes-/-
    Equipment No/Yes-/-
    Inventory No/Yes-/-
    Receivables No/No-/-
    Payroll No/Yes-/-

    Training & Support

     
    Hamburger Mary's Franchise
    Whataburger Franchise
    Training --
    Support Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Field operations/evaluations-
    Marketing --
    Operations 8% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 40

    Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    -

    Expansion Plans

     
    Hamburger Mary's Franchise
    Whataburger Franchise
    US Expansion --
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion Yes-

    Company Overviews

    About Hamburger Mary's

    Started in San Francisco in 1972, Hamburger Mary's serves homestyle meals prepared using fresh and healthy ingredients, including low-fat beef, farm-fresh chicken and turkey, and salads, as well as desserts including carrot cake, snicker's pie and cheesecake. The restaurants include a full bar and a kids' menu.

    About Whataburger

    A Great Company, A Great Burger. Those simple ideas have guided us through more than 70 years of Whataburger history, which began in 1950 when Harmon Dobson opened the first Whataburger in Corpus Christi, Texas. From day one, Harmon believed that valuing his employees would ensure the success of the company, and he was right. What was once a two-man burger stand has grown to over 650 Whataburger locations across 10 states. We are an uncommon company within the burger industry, because we've never compromised the quality of our products and we genuinely respect our people. We are a family owned and operated company and everyone who works at Whataburger - from the home office to the restaurants - is referred to as a Family Member.

    Whataburger doesn’t demand any kind of royalty fee.