Off The Grill vs Hickory River Smokehouse Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Off The Grill vs Hickory River Smokehouse including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Off The Grill Franchise
Hickory River Smokehouse Franchise
Investment $350,000$400,000 - $800,000
Franchise Fee $25,000$18,000
Royalty Fee 4%4%
Advertising Fee --
Year Founded 19982006
Year Franchised 19992006
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Renewal Fee $12.5K-


Business Experience Requirements

 
Off The Grill Franchise
Hickory River Smokehouse Franchise
Experience
  • General business experience
  • Marketing skills
  • -

    Financing Options

     
    Off The Grill Franchise
    Hickory River Smokehouse Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/No-/-
    Start-up Costs No/Yes-/-
    Equipment No/Yes-/-
    Inventory No/No-/-
    Receivables No/No-/-
    Payroll No/No-/-

    Training & Support

     
    Off The Grill Franchise
    Hickory River Smokehouse Franchise
    Training --
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives-
    Marketing Co-op advertising, National media-
    Operations 95% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 20

    Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (75% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    -

    Expansion Plans

     
    Off The Grill Franchise
    Hickory River Smokehouse Franchise
    US Expansion --
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion No-

    Company Overviews

    About Off The Grill

    Off the Grill was founded in 1998 by Alan Thompson. It began franchising in 1999. The privately held company is based in Maryland Heights, Missouri

    About Hickory River Smokehouse

    To understand why Hickory River Smokehouse, a small, quickservice restaurant chain based in Tipp City OH, Champaign-Urbana IL, is without a doubt one of the Best Undiscovered Franchises in our solar system, you need to understand two things. The first is Barbecue. The second is Brad & Krista Bowman. What you need to know is that Barbecue is a religion. There is no more passionate of a congregation than the devotees of Barbecue.
    Hickory River Smokehouse serves real Texas barbecue, in the tradition of the legendary barbecue pits that Brad, literally, visited and studied from one end of the Lone Star state to the other.
    The Bowmans created Hickory River Smokehouse to provide authentic, incredible Texas-style barbecue to the rest of the country without compromising flavor or quality. A powerful advantage of the Hickory River Smokehouse concept and product line is its suitability for both take-out and off-premise catering business, two of the most highly prized revenue centers in the restaurant industry. To find out more about this tasty opportunity, you need to contact Brad Bowman or request some more information right away. But be forewarned: you may gain a few pounds before you even get through training. Voted as one of the Top 10 Best Undiscovered Franchises by IdeaFarm, Hickory River Smokehouse and its "Real Texas Barbecue" may be your true ground-floor opportunity to join a Brand with broad appeal and unlimited growth potential. By smoking all meats on site, we create the most tender, flavorful meats possible, then serve it with our proprietary Texas-style barbecue sauce. With complete support, begin building your net worth with our unique concept and be an entrepreneur.