Denny's vs Bar Louie Franchise Comparison
Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Denny's vs Bar Louie including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
Investment |
$305,000 - $2,404,695 | $923,500 - $3,707,333 |
Franchise Fee |
$10,000 - $30,000 | $50,000 |
Royalty Fee |
4.5%-7% | 5% |
Advertising Fee |
3%-3.5% | 2% local, 1%Nat'l |
Year Founded |
1953 | 1991 |
Year Franchised |
1984 | 2010 |
Term Of Agreement |
20 years | - |
Term Of Agreement |
20 years | - |
Renewal Fee |
$10K for 10 years | - |
Business Experience Requirements |
Experience |
Industry experience General business experience Operations experience | Just as there is no cookie cutter location, there is no cookie-cutter franchisee. A company's objective should determine if a potential franchisee is a good fit. For franchisees looking to build on a unique culture, franchisees should be excited for the opportunity to customize. Someone who wants to expand quickly through a replication and repetition rollout approach will not deliver the guest experience that customers should come to expect from the brand. |
Financing Options |
|
In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party |
Franchise Fees |
No/Yes | -/- |
Start-up Costs |
No/Yes | -/- |
Equipment |
No/Yes | -/- |
Inventory |
No/Yes | -/- |
Receivables |
No/No | -/- |
Payroll |
No/No | -/- |
Training & Support |
Training |
On-The-Job Training: 91 hours
Classroom Training: 16 hours
Additional Training: At existing Denny's restaurants | - |
Support |
Purchasing Co-ops
Newsletter
Meetings/Conventions
Toll-Free Line
Grand Opening
Online Support
Security/Safety Procedures
Field Operations
Site Selection
Proprietary Software
Franchisee Intranet Platform | We offer extensive support along the way, including:
* Full support through the site identification and construction process
* A comprehensive training program for restaurant teams
* MALT (Music, Atmosphere, Lighting, Temperature) - the secret to creating the Bar Louie experience
* Access to leading software and restaurant management tools
* Compelling advertising and local store marketing materials
* Extensive PR and social media programming |
Marketing |
Co-op Advertising
Ad Templates
National Media
Regional Advertising
Social media
Website development
Email marketing
Loyalty program/app | - |
Operations |
44% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 80
Absentee Ownership Allowed
| - |
Expansion Plans |
US Expansion |
Yes | Yes |
Canada Expansion |
No | - |
International Expansion |
Yes | - |
Company Overviews
About Denny's
In 1953, Harold Butler opened Danny's Donuts, a Lakewood, California, stand that served coffee and doughnuts 24 hours a day. The following year, the stand grew and its name was changed to Danny's Coffee Shops. Five years later, there were 20 shops in the chain, and the company changed its name to Denny's. Denny's locations serve breakfast, lunch and dinner choices 24 hours a day.
Denny's New & Emerging Markets incentive program is designed to help us recruit exceptional new franchisees to seize valuable market share in new & emerging markets.
Under the program, new franchisees can save up to $1 million by developing 4 new restaurants in new & emerging markets. The estimated savings include reduced: initial fees, royalty rate, marketing fees, market planning fee, store design fees, NRO training, and MGIP (development fees).
With a flexible, cost-effective prototype & best-in-class systems, Denny's is positioned for sustained franchise growth.
The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Denny’s franchise
is from $1,330,525.50 to $2,404,695.50 for a Denny’s Heritage facility;
from $305,000 to $826,000 for a nontraditional Denny’s, including The
Den; and from $1,025,528.50 to $1,659,695.50 for Denny’s within a Travel
Center (these numbers exclude real estate). This includes the initial
franchise fee of $10,000 to $30,000 and the New Restaurant Opening fee
of $0 to $36,000, for a total of $10,000 to $66,000, which must be paid
to the franchisor or affiliate.
#59 on Franchise Rankings.com
#83 on Franchise 500 for 2021 Not on Franchise 500 for 2020
About Bar Louie
Bar Louie is a national collection of neighborhood bars featuring hand-crafted cocktails and spirits, delectable food and an inviting atmosphere for people to enjoy time with friends and mingle with new people. Founded in 1990 by Ted Kasmir and Roger Greenfield, Bar Louie has more than 100 locations across the United States and is growing through both franchising and corporate locations. Open during four parts of the day - lunch, happy hour, dinner and late night - Bar Louie is an award-winning concept with a progressively hip and lively atmosphere. Each Bar Louie is a local social, casual gathering spot - neighborhood bars and eateries that feature hand-crafted cocktails, spirits and delectable scratch food in an inviting, urban atmosphere. Each Bar Louie has a modern, relaxed vibe that expresses the brand’s identity, and no two locations are alike. Some are a cozy 5,000 square feet, while another boasts a roomy 11,000 square feet, with many other locations somewhere between. Layouts vary, as do local food and drink specials.
Just as no two locations are like, there is no "cookie-cutter" type of franchise partner for Bar Louie. While existing franchisees have owned a business, each owner comes from a unique facet of life. Similarly, guests range from ages 25 to 54 and more than 50 percent are women. Another distinction is Bar Louie's four distinct day-parts - lunch, happy hour, dinner and late night - with the entire food and drink menu available all day, every day. This provides guests a perfect gathering place for family dinners, drinks with friends, watching sporting events and everything between. The average customer visit lasts longer than two hours.
Financially we require per location: $500K liquid assets, $1.5 million net worth.
The total investment necessary to begin operations of a Bar Louie
Restaurant franchised business ranges from $923,500 to $3,707,333. This
includes $50,500 that must be paid to the franchisor or an affiliate.
The total initial investment necessary to begin operation as a Bar Louie
Area Developer is $25,000 multiplied by the number of Bar Louie
restaurants to be developed under the Development Agreement. This is the
same amount that must be paid to the franchisor or an affiliate.