Houlihan's vs Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Houlihan's Franchise
Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Franchise
Investment $1,600,000 - $4,300,000$1,027,075 - $3,588,244
Franchise Fee $40,000$35,000
Royalty Fee 4%4%
Advertising Fee -1%
Year Founded 19721976
Year Franchised 19941976
Term Of Agreement 20 years15 years
Term Of Agreement 20 years15 years
Renewal Fee $5K-


Business Experience Requirements
 
Houlihan's Franchise
Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Must live in same market being developed

    • �Has prior management level experience in food service and/or restaurant operations. �Willingness to follow our proven operating system �A solid business person with a strong desire to succeed �Possesses experience in restaurant franchising �Meets the financial requirements

    Financing Options
     
    Houlihan's Franchise
    Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/YesNo/No
    Start-up Costs No/YesNo/Yes
    Equipment No/YesNo/Yes
    Inventory No/YesNo/Yes
    Receivables No/YesNo/No
    Payroll No/YesNo/No

    Training & Support
     
    Houlihan's Franchise
    Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Franchise
    Training -Bennigan's, or a designated third party, will provide training to you and your restaurant team. Your management team will be required to complete a 6 to 8 week training program based on prior experience. Onsite training will be provided to entire team before restaurant opening. All parties must successfully complete the training to the satisfaction of the Bennigan's Operations/Training team prior to opening your restaurant. We believe great training equals lower turnover and stronger guest retention. Therefore, we provide continued support to team members. Bennigan's University, our online learning module, helps drive the retention of both staff and guests.
    Support Meetings, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperativesFor the pre-opening of your first Bennigan's, members of our Operations and Marketing Teams will assist you from 45 days prior to your Grand Opening. Marketing Support: Our goal is to help you successfully market your brand. We put a marketing calendar in place to help drive sales, increase check average and guest count. Marketing tools provided include: Intranet, Email Marketing, Social Media Support, New Photography, Pipeline Items/Menu Development.
    Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertisingCo-op advertising
    Operations Franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 78

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (80% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    		 Franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 98% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 100

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

    Expansion Plans
     
    Houlihan's Franchise
    Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Franchise
    US Expansion Yes-
    Canada Expansion NoNo
    International Expansion NoYes

    Company Overviews

    About Houlihan's

    Houlihan's has been known for exceptional food at an affordable price since we entered the casual dining segment in 1972. Our menu features a great mix of contemporary pop American cooking - classic dishes reinvented in a fresh modern way and brought to the table with simple, stylish plating and presentations. And then there's the bar. It's always the best place to feel the great energy of Houlihan's. Our bar strategy unites pop culture, trendy premium brands, the newest drinks and vendor insights for a winning combination, resulting in an enviable liquor mix.

    To help us more quickly expand to new markets and trade areas, Houlihan's is seeking sophisticated restaurant operators with experience building out entire markets. At this time, we are not pursuing single-site franchise agreements.

    Our ideal candidate to become a franchise market developer is a successful full-service, multi-unit operator with expertise in one or more large markets (e.g. the top 75 MSAs in the United States). We are seeking entrepreneurial organizations that can thrive in our flexible franchise environment, while having access to growth capital and capital reserves, but experiencing growth constraints with their current restaurant concept(s).

    About Bennigan's Grill & Tavern

    Bennigan's was established in Atlanta, Georgia in 1976 by Norman Brinker, a legend among restaurateurs.  Bennigan's is still the iconic brand loved by all and is re-establishing itself as the leader in casual dining. Committed to the welcoming, friendly and festive spirit of Irish Hospitality, Bennigan's offers more generous pours and portions and goes above and beyond the call of duty to deliver Legendary experiences to every guest, every meal, every day. In 2011, Bennigan's began a Legendary comeback by re-energizing the beloved brand with a commitment to bring memorable dining experiences to every guest, every day. This remarkable resurgence began with a brand refresh at the company's two corporate locations and a plan to bring the same menu optimization and service enhancements to current and future franchise partners.
    The mission at Bennigan's is to deliver exceptional service to every guest, every meal, every day. In order to deliver this service, we must remember to focus on those essential elements that will allow us to provide quality service with a bit of Irish hospitality on the side.