Golden Corral vs Palapas Restaurants Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Golden Corral vs Palapas Restaurants including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Golden Corral Franchise
Palapas Restaurants Franchise
Investment $2,700,795 - $7,037,915$750,000 - $2,000,000
Franchise Fee $50,000$30,000
Royalty Fee 4%5%
Advertising Fee 2.4%-
Year Founded 1973-
Year Franchised 1986-
Term Of Agreement 15 years-
Term Of Agreement 15 years-
Renewal Fee 15 years (plus two, 5-year renewal options)-


Business Experience Requirements
 
Golden Corral Franchise
Palapas Restaurants Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • (or must have partner with industry experience.)
    		• -

    Financing Options
     
    Golden Corral Franchise
    Palapas Restaurants Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/No-/-
    Start-up Costs No/Yes-/-
    Equipment No/Yes-/-
    Inventory No/No-/-
    Receivables No/No-/-
    Payroll No/No-/-

    Training & Support
     
    Golden Corral Franchise
    Palapas Restaurants Franchise
    Training On-The-Job Training: 665 hours Classroom Training: 8.5 hours Additional Training: At company training location-
    Support Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform-
    Marketing National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app-
    Operations International franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 80% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 100

    Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (90% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    		-

    Expansion Plans
     
    Golden Corral Franchise
    Palapas Restaurants Franchise
    US Expansion Yes-
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion Yes-

    Company Overviews

    About Golden Corral

    Golden Corral restaurants began as budget steakhouses located principally in small cities from Virginia to Texas. In the mid-1980s, guest requests prompted Golden Corral to reinvent itself by introducing the Buffet & Grill Metro unit that features 160 hot and cold items, a carving station, and the Brass Bell Bakery, which offers rolls, muffins, cookies, pies and pizza made from scratch. The buffet was expanded in 2001 to include cooked-to-order sirloin steaks.

    The total investment necessary to begin operation of a restaurant ranges from $2,700,795 to $5,340,215 for the less expensive restaurant design, and from $3,453,379 to $7,037,915 for the more expensive restaurant design. This amount includes $51,400 to $4,482,285 that must or may be paid to the franchisor or its affiliates.

    #90 in Franchise 500 for 2020.

    About Palapas Restaurants

    Palapas Restaurant y Cantina is perched atop the Seascape Village and has been an institution in Aptos since opening its doors in 1990. Owners Mark and Kay Holcomb designed the space and menu with the goal of bringing home their beloved experiences vacationing on the coast of Mexico with their family throughout the 80s and 90s. ​Today we aim to capture that nostalgic vacation feeling while highlighting the natural beauty and bounty native to our own locale. This value is present in our locally sourced, fresh seafood, our commitment to local small purveyors, and even our design, which is built to offer an ocean view of the sparkling Monterey Bay from every single table.
    Palapas brings the ambiance of tropical Mexico to the Monterey Bay area in a very unique way. In addition to featuring authentic traditional dishes of Mexico, our menu offers the fish, shellfish and sauces of the coasts of both Mexico and California. All of our dishes are prepared "A La Cocina Fresca”- "in the fresh kitchen method” a Spanish phrase that means exactly what it implies… freshly made sauces, handmade corn tortillas and fresh local seafood and produce prepared daily. In addition to creating a menu with many exiting choices, we’re committed to offering our customers healthy dishes with absolutely no use of any lard or animal fat in their preparation. We use rice-bran oil specifically for frying. Contains no trans fat!