Carl's Jr vs Bar-B-Cutie Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Carl's Jr vs Bar-B-Cutie including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Carl's Jr Franchise
Bar-B-Cutie Franchise
Investment $1,603,000 - $2,168,000$266,986 - $2,080,491
Franchise Fee $25,000 - $35,000$35,000
Royalty Fee 4%5%
Advertising Fee 6%2%
Year Founded 19451950
Year Franchised 19842003
Term Of Agreement 20 years10 years
Term Of Agreement 20 years10 years
Renewal Fee Varies$5K


Business Experience Requirements
 
Carl's Jr Franchise
Bar-B-Cutie Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Preferable operational experience in a restaurant, but will consider people who have owned their own business

  • General business experience
    		•

    Financing Options
     
    Carl's Jr Franchise
    Bar-B-Cutie Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/NoNo/No
    Start-up Costs No/NoNo/Yes
    Equipment No/NoNo/Yes
    Inventory No/NoNo/Yes
    Receivables No/NoNo/No
    Payroll No/NoNo/No

    Training & Support
     
    Carl's Jr Franchise
    Bar-B-Cutie Franchise
    Training Available at franchisee's location, 12 weeks of management training & at grand opening On-The-Job Training: 250 hours Classroom Training: 50 hours
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperativesMeetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Field Operations Site Selection
    Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertisingAd Templates Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app
    Operations Franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 100% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed.

    		 0% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 20

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    Expansion Plans
     
    Carl's Jr Franchise
    Bar-B-Cutie Franchise
    US Expansion YesNo
    Canada Expansion NoNo
    International Expansion YesNo

    Company Overviews

    About Carl's Jr

    Carl's Jr. is known all through the Western U.S. as the place to go for premium quality burgers, specifically its 100% Angus hamburger Six Dollar Burger line.

    At Hardee's® and Carl's Jr.® our brand sets us apart from the competition. Our advertisements are created to be so bold and memorable that they've been known to crash internet video servers. Our taglines deliver bold statements and our visuals are designed to keep viewers wanting more. EAT LIKE YOU MEAN IT.

    Hardee's® and Carl's Jr.® have a strong track record of successfully developing new premium products to lead the category in taste, quality, and innovation. As an industry leader, we have consistently out-delivered all other quick-service restaurants in product development since our founding. Staying on top requires that we continue to lead the way in the products we serve through taste, quality, and innovation.


    ""  "Entrepreneur

    #100 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
    #202 in Franchise 500 for 2021.




    About Bar-B-Cutie

    For over seven decades, Bar-B-Cutie SmokeHouse has been on an incredible journey. Having opened our first Bar-B-Cutie restaurant in Nashville in 1950, Bar-B-Cutie is certainly part of Nashville's history and is making history in other places like Georgia and Texas. In fact, South Texas hosts more Bar-B-Cutie locations than any other BBQ restaurant.Our track record of serving delicious Baby Back Ribs, Mouth Watering Grilled Mesquite Chicken and of course "The Worlds Best Barbecue Since 1950" speaks for itself.
    Bar-B-Cutie is in it's third and fourth generation of family ownership. After being in business successfully for over 50 years we are now offering opportunities to entrepreneurs who want to own and operate their own Bar-B-Cutie restaurant. We now are poised to grow our BRAND in the U.S. as well as Internationally. We know this because our food is great and our pricing is reasonable and when you put that in a clean and comfortable atmosphere coupled with superb service you have a winner. We truly care about our franchisees as well as our combined customers. We welcome you to take a closer look at our franchise opportunity. We have evolved into a more updated looking store but we always will keep the local community look and feel. We will continue to evolve as we along with our franchise family grows.

    Seeking new franchise units in Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, Missouri, North Carolina, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Utah    
    Veteran Incentives  20% off franchise fee