Denny's vs Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Denny's vs Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Denny's Franchise
Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen Franchise
Investment $305,000 - $2,404,695$302,450 - $558,950
Franchise Fee $10,000 - $30,000$25,000
Royalty Fee 4.5%-7%6%
Advertising Fee 3%-3.5%2% local +1% Nat'l
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
 
Denny's Franchise
Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Operations experience
    		• While it does help to have prior food or restaurant experience, Gandolfo's does not require it. We have franchisees from all walks of life. What is most important to us is that we have franchisees with a willingness to work hard and a passion for their business.

    Financing Options
     
    Denny's Franchise
    Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen 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/No-/-
    Payroll No/No-/-

    Training & Support
     
    Denny's Franchise
    Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen Franchise
    Training On-The-Job Training: 91 hours Classroom Training: 16 hours Additional Training: At existing Denny's restaurantsPrior to your restaurant opening, we will furnish initial training on the operation of a Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen � restaurant. The training lasts for four weeks: two of those weeks will be held in an operating deli and the other two will take place in our Lawrenceville, GA corporate office. We require that two people attend training prior to the store opening.
    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 PlatformThe week of your grand opening, you will have at least one corporate trainer in your store in addition to any other member of our team to help you start off on the right foot. The corporate trainer will stay with you for two weeks during your grand opening and will visit you again within the first two months of your deli being open. We will also help you organize and execute your training and hiring process, along with overcoming any obstacles that may arise in the days prior to opening. Gandolfo's corporate will offer you continuous marketing support, emphasizing a neighborhood marketing strategy. We have a Marketing Coordinator in the corporate office who will work hand-in-hand with you to create a marketing plan that is not only something that will work for your deli, but that is also something you feel comfortable with. We want to make sure that every program you implement is something that will be successful for you. Effective marketing is crucial to the profitability and growth of any business; our Marketing Coordinator will help you track your sales and evaluate the success of every promotion. You will also benefit from the on-going training offered by our corporate trainers and the information found from the research and development of current and future products. Gandolfo's operates with an open-door policy, meaning that you have a direct line to any person in the company who may be able to help you in your daily operations.
    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

    		You need a staff of approximately 12 people, including 10 part-time employees and 2 full-time employees

    Expansion Plans
     
    Denny's Franchise
    Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen Franchise
    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 Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen

    A Note from the Owner, Dan Pool: I have been in the restaurant business since I was 14 years old. I have done about every job there is in the industry: from a fast food cook at age 14 to a Division President of a multi-million-dollar company in my 30's. I have worked in the corporate world, the franchise world and all worlds in between. I have always believed that the restaurant business is very, very simple, but it's not easy. I believe the biggest mistake made in the restaurant industry is that people mistake simple with unimportant. Usually in life, the simple things are not that important; in the restaurant business, it is the simple things done consistently, day in and day out that are the key to having a successful business. I was in the process of opening a full service restaurant in Atlanta, GA when I came across an article. Fast-casual restaurants had just passed fast-food chains in the number of units sold, and some were even opening a store every 18 hours. I had not spent much time in the sandwich industry, and I never felt like there was much of a difference between the various chains. Yet, the article caught my attention so I took the next several weeks and flew all over the United States visiting all these concepts, searching for what set them apart from each other. What I found was one might toast a sub, one might only have cold subs-they all had chips and no personality. In my search I came across Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen and New York native Craig Gandolph. I knew I wanted to be a part of Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen after my first bite. I realized what I was looking for was not a sandwich shop like all the rest but a deli. In Gandolfo's, I found a true New York deli with a variety of homemade deli salads, premium meats, freshly baked breads and the best sandwiches I had ever eaten. I loved the sandwiches so much that I bought the company. I tried all the sandwich shops and I bought a New York Deli. Visit our stores, speak to our people, try our food and realize the satisfaction and competitive advantages of owning a Gandolfo's New York Deli. Dan Pool, CEO