Cookies By Design/Cookie Bouquet vs Big Dad's Pies Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Cookies By Design/Cookie Bouquet vs Big Dad's Pies including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Cookies By Design/Cookie Bouquet Franchise
Big Dad's Pies Franchise
Investment $90,000 - $180,000$220,000 - $250,000
Franchise Fee $25,000N/A
Royalty Fee 6%-
Advertising Fee --
Year Founded 1983-
Year Franchised 1987-
Term Of Agreement 5 years-
Term Of Agreement 5 years-
Renewal Fee 25% of initial fee-


Business Experience Requirements

 
Cookies By Design/Cookie Bouquet Franchise
Big Dad's Pies Franchise
Experience
  • General business experience
  • Marketing skills
  • No special education or prior experience in our type of business is required for a person to be considered as a possible Big Dad�s Pies franchisee. Even if you haven�t worked in retail before, we will ensure you the opportunity to succeed. It is essential that our franchisees become personally involved in every facet of their business. You should be willing and able to perform all sales, on-site production and other functions required on a daily basis. By recruiting, training and retaining quality staff, the individual demands on you can be lessened, but your personal involvement is essential to maximise the potential of your business.

    Financing Options

     
    Cookies By Design/Cookie Bouquet Franchise
    Big Dad's Pies Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/No-/-
    Start-up Costs No/No-/-
    Equipment No/No-/-
    Inventory No/No-/-
    Receivables No/No-/-
    Payroll No/No-/-

    Training & Support

     
    Cookies By Design/Cookie Bouquet Franchise
    Big Dad's Pies Franchise
    Training --
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Internet, Field operations/evaluationsWe provide a comprehensive franchise support program: * Regular support & supervision from the franchise team through site visits and telephone support * Ongoing business advice & coaching on how to operate the franchise and improve your bottom line * Assistance with your individual strategic plan * Local Marketing advise specific to your store * Continual improvements & updates to the Franchisee Operations Manual * Research & development of new products * Regular quality control in shop standards across the total franchise network * Quarterly business operations review for every franchisee * Weekly franchisee newsletter * Latest equipment advice * Negotiating product supply agreements
    Marketing Ad slicks, National mediaWe nurture the Big Dad's brand in a number of ways, including: * Point of sale displays * Cross media advertising including newspapers, radio, billboards & flyers * Production of quality advertising & promotional materials * Good internet presence * Excellent signage at every location * Special offers to customers
    Operations 30% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 5

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

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    Expansion Plans

     
    Cookies By Design/Cookie Bouquet Franchise
    Big Dad's Pies Franchise
    US Expansion --
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion No-

    Company Overviews

    About Cookies By Design/Cookie Bouquet

    When she lost her job, single mother Gwen Willhite had to figure out what to do next. Combining two traditional gifts'flowers and sweets'Willhite developed a new business: Cookies by Design/Cookie Bouquet. Each bouquet was arranged with custom-molded, hand-decorated sugar and cinnamon brown sugar cookies in baskets for all holidays and occasions. The company, which Willhite started in her home, soon grew into a chain of shops that began franchising in 1987. Within 10 years, Cookies by Design/Cookie Bouquet had grown to more than 175 shops in 115 cities across the United States.

    Cookies by Design offers a low entry cost and scalable confectionery bakery franchise featuring custom hand decorated cookie bouquets, gourmet cookies, cupcakes and confectionery treats. For over 30 years, Cookies by Design has been delighting people across the US with a unique and delicious gifting alternative to flowers.Our ability to create custom cookie bouquet designs with a personalized message as well as provide local hand delivery set us apart. Our customers are thrilled with
    Cookies by Design’s ease of service and creativity that delivers their gift with a personal touch. We love being a part of people celebrations, special occasions and life events. From start to finish our cookie bouquets are all hand crafted using our sugar cookie dough, cinnamon brown sugar dough recipes and signature icing creating an unforgettable, tasty work of art. With over 300 unique cookie cutter shapes and thousands of design options Cookies by Design’s potential to deliver gift items that are unique, special & memorable are limitless. Cookies by Design has incorporated the business of gifting with the love of baked goods into one successful franchise. Combining the local bakery retail shop offering personalized gifts and local hand delivery with the cookiesbydesign.com online ordering site, gives each location has a national selling reach with a neighborhood delivery touch.

    About Big Dad's Pies

    Over the last few years, Big Dad's Pies has been developing the business with an increased emphasis in establishing well-branded and easily accessed Pie Shops. National expansion plans are now a reality with the recently completed Heathwood manufacturing facility, which includes five large SNAP freezers. The SNAP freezers (a $500 000 investment), which were commissioned in December 2008, will enable products to be produced in advance and stored in the freezers so that not only will product shortage never be a problem, but now products can be delivered to stores at greater distances away from the manufacturing facility. Previously stores had to be located within a 20 km radius to the manufacturing facility to ensure a fresh product could be delivered each day. Now product can be produced, frozen and then delivered via freezer trucks to stores around Australia.
    Benefits of owning a Big Dad's Pie Shop * Excellent range of products * No trade qualifications needed * Low operating costs * Strong, yet managed growth * Operate out of sites from 60m2 * Work well as both stand alone and strip mall sites without the demands of shopping centre food courts * High customer service standards * Excellent well managed branding * Upfront and ongoing training * Benefits of group purchasing * Site identification, lease negotiation & store design * Excellent support & leadership * Ready to bake products * Is a turn-key operation * Standardised products & systems * Cash based takings * Professionally developed franchise system * Comprehensive operations manual * Modern well-equipped new store * Ongoing research and development * Touch screen Point of Sale system with excellent reporting capabilities