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Updated RecentlyDenny's vs Hard Times Cafe Franchise Comparison
Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Denny's vs Hard Times Cafe including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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| Investment | $305,000 - $2,404,695 | $449,000 - $1,000,000 |
| Franchise Fee | $10,000 - $30,000 | $30,000 |
| Royalty Fee | 4.5%-7% | - |
| Advertising Fee | 3%-3.5% | - |
| Year Founded | 1953 | - |
| Year Franchised | 1984 | - |
| Term Of Agreement | 20 years | - |
| Term Of Agreement | 20 years | - |
| Renewal Fee | $10K for 10 years | - |
Business Experience Requirements |
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| Experience | - | |
Financing Options |
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| 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 |
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| 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 | - |
| 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 |
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| US Expansion | 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.
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#59 on Franchise Rankings.com
#83 on Franchise 500 for 2021 Not on Franchise 500 for 2020
About Hard Times Cafe
Hard Times Cafe and Hard Times Cafe & Cue is an American Chili Parlor with a 26 year history in the Washington DC area. World Famous for it's Chili recipes, Hard Times serves Chili, Chili Macs, Wings, Onion Rings, Nachos, Chili Dogs, Char-Grilled Burgers and more. To be considered as a Franchisee you must have 5 years restaurant operational experience with a minimum cash investment ability of $200,000 and sufficient net worth to secure financing for the development of a Hard Times Cafe.