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Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of T.J. Cinnamons vs Bruegger's including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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Investment | $22,100 - $39,200 | $389,600 - $591,600 |
Franchise Fee | $5,000 | $30,000 |
Royalty Fee | Varies | 5% |
Advertising Fee | - | - |
Year Founded | 1985 | 1983 |
Year Franchised | 1985 | 1993 |
Term Of Agreement | 10 years | 10 years |
Term Of Agreement | 10 years | 10 years |
Renewal Fee | Then-current franchise fee | 25% of then-current franchise fee |
Business Experience Requirements |
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Experience | ||
Financing Options |
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In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
Franchise Fees | No/No | No/No |
Start-up Costs | No/No | No/No |
Equipment | No/No | No/No |
Inventory | No/No | No/No |
Receivables | No/No | No/No |
Payroll | No/No | No/No |
Training & Support |
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Training | Training program provided through manual | - |
Support | Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives | Grand opening, Field operations/evaluations |
Marketing | Ad slicks | Ad slicks, Regional advertising |
Operations |
Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. |
Franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 95% of all franchisees own more than one unit
Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (66% of current franchisees are owner/operators) |
Expansion Plans |
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US Expansion | - | Yes |
Canada Expansion | No | No |
International Expansion | No | No |
When Ted and Joyce Rice first started selling cinnamon rolls at state fairs and rodeos, they were just looking to make some extra money and add to their retirement fund. Yet the demand for their sticky product was so great they were forced to turn their parttime venture into a fulltime T.J. Cinnamons bakery in Kansas City. The company began franchising and grew to nearly 250 locations in the late 1980s. But by the mid-'90s a declining economy, lower traffic, and inexperienced operators left only 47 bakeries operating. Arby's parent company acquired the business in 1996 and has since revived the bakery concept to be an add-on business that can be combined with any existing restaurant.
When Nord Brue and Mike Dressell started Bruegger's in 1983, they actually founded the retail bagel concept. Up until that point, bagels were considered mostly an ethnic food and were not known much outside of New York. At that time, less than one-third of Americans had ever tasted a bagel. From their home base in Burlington, Vermont, Brue and Dressell pioneered a new concept that expanded the traditional bagel bakery into a quick service bakery with premium specialty cream cheeses, custom-made sandwiches, signature soups and exceptional coffee. They worked with a professional bagel baker from New York City for 2 1/2 years to perfect their recipe and baking process. In 2004, Bruegger's welcomed new ownership and expanded beyond bagels into breads, wraps and other lunchtime menu items, and began updating bakeries to reflect the welcoming feel of a New England farmhouse-inspired bakery-cafe that Bruegger's has evolved into. Today, almost 40 years after the first Bruegger's opened in Troy, New York, there are almost 300 Bruegger's locations throughout the U.S., with more on the way.