Houlihan's vs Dunn's Famous Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Houlihan's Franchise
Dunn's Famous Franchise
Investment $1,600,000 - $4,300,000$150,000 - $800,000
Franchise Fee $40,000$20,000 - $50,000
Royalty Fee 4%5%
Advertising Fee -2%Nat'l+1% Local
Year Founded 19721927
Year Franchised 19940
Term Of Agreement 20 years10 years +10+10
Term Of Agreement 20 years10 years +10+10
Renewal Fee $5K-


Business Experience Requirements

 
Houlihan's Franchise
Dunn's Famous Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Must live in same market being developed
  • -

    Financing Options

     
    Houlihan's Franchise
    Dunn's Famous Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/Yes-/-
    Start-up Costs No/Yes-/-
    Equipment No/Yes-/-
    Inventory No/Yes-/-
    Receivables No/Yes-/-
    Payroll No/Yes-/-

    Training & Support

     
    Houlihan's Franchise
    Dunn's Famous Franchise
    Training -

    Four Week Training Program is compulsory prior to your Franchise opening at our headquarters in Montreal. We spend a minimum of one to two weeks with you at your store from your Franchise opening date and we will stay on longer should additional training be deemed necessary by our corporate training team.

    Support Meetings, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives

    We will assist you in: Location search Preparing a marketing and business plan Verification of specific lease clauses Designing your store Ordering equipment and furnishings Training you and your staff Store opening support

    Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional 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)

    -

    Expansion Plans

     
    Houlihan's Franchise
    Dunn's Famous Franchise
    US Expansion YesYes
    Canada Expansion NoYes
    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 Dunn's Famous

    Dunn's is a full service, casual dining family owned deli & neighbourhood eatery concept. We offer the finest cured "Old Fashioned Smoked Meat" in the world. Our specially seasoned and aged briskets are hand-carved daily on the premises and served to order. In addition to Smoked Meat, we offer our guests chargrilled burgers, hotdogs and steak, fresh cut fries, our Montreal famous poutines, salads, pizzas, pastas, wraps, soups, desserts, full breakfast and a fully serviced bar. The Dunn's corporate team is dedicated to ensuring the success of the Dunn's franchisees so Dunn's can become every city's favorite place for Montreal's authentic "Old Fashioned Smoked Meat" and so much more. Our philosophy is simple. We are more interested in working with quality franchise owners then how many franchises we can open. We have perfected our own proprietary world famous smoked meat with a solid complementary ancillary menu popular with people of all ages. We have limited to no competition when it comes to offering premium Old Fashion Smoked Meat. You're not buying a job you're investing in a business. We offer several revenue streams with the opportunity for 24 hour operations resulting in a quicker return on investment. We focus on our customer's comfort and offer an Urban Vintage decor that promotes a table d'hote dining experience enjoyed in a warm atmosphere. Need a quick lunch or running off to the game. From order to table Dunn's has perfected the "Dine and Dash" experience for people on the go. We can boast 88 years and counting as the go to place for an Urban Deli experience and can offer several retail concepts. We are well suited for locations situated in dense commercial sectors, urban streets, strip malls, power centers and shopping centers with outdoor access. Our food quality is the real secret for our nine decades of success. In order to achieve the Dunn's standard in restaurant services there can be no compromise. We have implemented tried, tested and proven kitchen systems, restaurant operations and ongoing product development. Our ability to create adaptable marketing and advertising plans is one of our greatest asset in conveying to the customer what Dunn's is all about and another important strength to our longevity in the restaurant industry. We offer a comprehensive training program, direct corporate communication and the stability of a well-established brand and company.