Carl's Jr vs East Coast Wings Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
	Carl's Jr Franchise	East Coast Wings Franchise
Investment	$1,603,000 - $2,168,000	$661,375 - $1,098,570
Franchise Fee	$25,000 - $35,000	$40,000
Royalty Fee	4%	5%
Advertising Fee	6%	2%
Year Founded	1945	1995
Year Franchised	1984	2004
Term Of Agreement	20 years	10 years
Term Of Agreement	20 years	10 years
Renewal Fee	Varies	25% of then current fee
Business Experience Requirements
	Carl's Jr Franchise	East Coast Wings Franchise
Experience	Industry experience General business experience Preferable operational experience in a restaurant, but will consider people who have owned their own business	-
Financing Options
	Carl's Jr Franchise	East Coast Wings Franchise
	In-House/3rd Party	In-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees	No/No	No/Yes
Start-up Costs	No/No	No/Yes
Equipment	No/No	No/Yes
Inventory	No/No	No/Yes
Receivables	No/No	No/No
Payroll	No/No	No/No
Training & Support
	Carl's Jr Franchise	East Coast Wings Franchise
Training	Available at franchisee's location, 12 weeks of management training & at grand opening	On-The-Job Training: 240 hours Classroom Training: 48 hours
Support	Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing	Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertising	Co-op Advertising Ad 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.	Absentee Ownership Allowed Number of Employees Required to Run: 25 - 50
Expansion Plans
	Carl's Jr Franchise	East Coast Wings Franchise
US Expansion	Yes	Yes
Canada Expansion	No	No
International Expansion	Yes	Yes

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.

#202 in Franchise 500 for 2021.

About East Coast Wings

East Coast Wings & Grill is a casual dining full service and counter service restaurant with an emphasis of buffalo style wings. East Coast Wings was originally founded in 1995. In 2000, Steve G. Kontos bought the concept, and in 2002, Sam G. Ballas joined with him, and re-organized it to what today's patrons know as "East Coast Wings & Grill".
With their 46 years of combined restaurant experience, East Coast Wings & Grill has become a local favorite in all markets the brand has entered.
 National Winner 1st place - Traditional hot sauce and 2nd place - creative spicy
 Our famous wings have consistently won, "Best Wings" in most all markets entered. And to boot, our brand has a very diversified menu: with our overstuffed sandwiches, super salads, deli style specialties and taste-tempting appetizers.
Unique to East Coast Wings & Grill is our over 75 different flavors and 675 combinations of wings - Teriyaki Ginger Garlic, Honey Barbeque, Mango Habanero, Jamaican Jerk, Blue Cheese, Honey Mustard, Bourbon Street, Kickin' Thai, Cajun and many more.
Our infamous Buffalo Shrimp, which is available in our 75 flavors, 9 heat indexes and 675 combinations, has quickly become the next best thing to our famous wings.

Veteran Incentives  $5,000 off franchise fee