Culver vs Hot Fries Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Culver vs Hot Fries including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Culver Franchise
Hot Fries Franchise
Investment $2,349,000 - $5,356,000$166,997 - $374,900
Franchise Fee $55,000$30,000
Royalty Fee 4%-
Advertising Fee 2.5%-
Year Founded 1984-
Year Franchised 1988-
Term Of Agreement 15 years-
Term Of Agreement 15 years-
Renewal Fee $30K-


Business Experience Requirements
 
Culver Franchise
Hot Fries Franchise
Experience -Strong Sales and Client Service Abilities • Good with Timing and Schedule Management • High Personal Standards • Able to Meet Initial Investment Requirements • Strong Sense of Integrity in Corporate and Client Relationships • A Willingness and Commitment to Excellent Service Targeted experiences for potential franchise owners may include: • Franchise Operations or Hospitality Service Industry Experience • Business Owner and/or Managerial Experience • Entrepreneurial team who wants to start a business

Financing Options
 
Culver Franchise
Hot Fries 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
 
Culver Franchise
Hot Fries Franchise
Training -2-3 Weeks of training at Hot Fries HQ in Southern California beginning approximately 8 weeks before the franchise is scheduled to open for business • 1 week of training at your location to get your business started • 2 sessions per year, which can be up to 2 days of refresher/update training or meetings in each session • Ongoing support and guidance in building and operating your business
Support Newsletter, Meetings, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperativesWhen you join the Hot Fries team as a franchise owner, you will receive outstanding support in a number of different exciting areas: • Operational Support • Marketing Support • Purchasing Support • Accounting and Legal Support • Ongoing Research and Development
Marketing Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertising-
Operations 30% of all franchisees own more than one unit

Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 40 - 50

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

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Expansion Plans
 
Culver Franchise
Hot Fries Franchise
US Expansion YesYes
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion No-

Company Overviews

About Culver

After working with his parents in their restaurants, Craig Culver decided it was time to open one for himself. In 1984 Culver, with the help of his wife Lea and parents George and Ruth, transformed the A&W his parents owned since the sixties into Culver's Frozen Custard. Its founder's family inspired the menu for the initial Sauk City, Wisconsin, restaurant. When Culver's mother made hamburgers, she would put a dab of butter on the crown of the hamburger buns before toasting them; something her children felt made them taste better. Today, employees at each Culver's location use the same technique when making their ButterBurgers. There are Culver's locations in twelve states. All Culver's franchisees are owner/operators.
 
We’re looking for leaders with the initiative and skills to take a team of people and operate a Culver’s according to our high standards. You need energy and enthusiasm. You have to be willing to work hard. You have to love people and believe, as we do, that having a great heart is also good business.

Culver’s has grown to over 500 restaurants in 22 states.

Culver's is leading the way in the industry and in our communities. If you are craving a restaurant business made to order for you, where your financial success is directly related to how well you and your team execute against Culver’s mission that every guest who chooses Culver’s leaves happy, we invite you to consider becoming a Culver’s franchisee.

Seeking new franchise units in: Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Wisconsin and Wyoming

"Entrepreneur


#9 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
#5 in Franchise 500 for 2021






About Hot Fries

Never heard “gooder” before? That’s okay, you’ve never seen an opportunity like this before, either. Maybe we’ve let all that seasonings go to our heads, but we like to stay on top of the trends by offering an extensive menu with a local edge that includes regionalized fries, chicken and drinks. Hot Fries is hot because we’re everything that mega corporations aren’t. Passionate people instead of cold-hearted committees. Cooked-with-care instead of made-by-
machine. Got-your-back instead of stab-in-the-back. If this sounds like your kind of business, we’ll be proud to have you.

We start with the finest potatoes, slice them for maximum crispiness, flash-fry them to a perfect golden brown, and hand-season them while they’re hot.
That’s what turns regular fries into Hot Fries!

Hot Fries came into existence in order to offer to the world the best potatoes ever. Beside the fries, we have formulated a variety of special seasonings to enhance your experience when enjoying our fries. Our packaging, in which we serve the fries, has been designed so that you can eat the fries while walking around or enjoy them while sitting. It is our goal that you enjoy the tastes offered by Hot Fries as well as the experience of choosing, ordering and consuming our specialties that feature no trans fat oils & support sustainable farming!