Friendly's Restaurants vs Applebee's Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Friendly's Restaurants vs Applebee's including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Friendly's Restaurants Franchise
Applebee's Franchise
Investment $498,500 - $1,950,000$2,009,038 - $8,267,250
Franchise Fee $30,000 - $35,000$35,000
Royalty Fee 4%4% initially, 5% possible after
Advertising Fee 3.5%not less than 4%
Year Founded 19351980
Year Franchised 19962014
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Renewal Fee $5K-


Business Experience Requirements
 
Friendly's Restaurants Franchise
Applebee's Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
    		• Our Ideal Franchise Partner -Is committed to a long term franchise relationship built on trust and respect -Knows how to build a brand -Understands that accessible pricing and value are core components of casual dining -Has prior hospitality experience or knowledge, particularly in critical areas like supply chain, quality assurance, real estate development, and marketing -Has or will have infrastructure dedicated to the development of our brand -Has material liquidity and net worth, with access to capital -Has a track record of developing multi-unit restaurant systems

    Financing Options
     
    Friendly's Restaurants Franchise
    Applebee's 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
     
    Friendly's Restaurants Franchise
    Applebee's Franchise
    Training --
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations-
    Marketing Ad slicks, National media-
    Operations Franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 62% of all franchisees own more than one unit

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

    		-

    Expansion Plans
     
    Friendly's Restaurants Franchise
    Applebee's Franchise
    US Expansion YesYes
    Canada Expansion NoNo
    International Expansion NoYes

    Company Overviews

    About Friendly's Restaurants

    In Springfield, Massachusetts at the height of the Great Depression in 1935, 20 year-old Prestley Blake and his 18 year-old brother Curtis opened an ice cream shop called 'Friendly' that served double-dip cones for 5 cents. The brothers opened a second shop five years later in West Springfield, Massachusetts and added food to the menu. Within a decade, locations opened throughout western Massachusetts and Connecticut. In 1988 Donald N. Smith, the company's current CEO, purchased the company and a year later added an 's' to the name, making it 'Friendly's.'

    In May 2000, Friendly's introduced a new food and dessert menu featuring colossal burgers, sandwich wraps, splits, sundaes and Cyclones. Friendly's produces 10 million snack cups and 230,000 gallons of fudge every year. In addition to its restaurants and cafes, Friendly's manufactures a complete line of frozen desserts.

    About Applebee's

    Applebee's is the largest casual dining chain in the world with sales of $4.7 billion in 2006. Already the business staple of friendly casual dining, Applebee's is pursuing expansion opportunities, and is looking for individuals/firms with a serious interest in developing our successful brand internationally. For years Applebee's has embraced neighborhood culture, providing high-quality food and drinks in a friendly and informal atmosphere. Compared to the competition, Applebee's consistently delivers food to the consumer faster as well as more affordably. We plan to take this same mantra abroad, creating a warm, inviting dining experience designed around location-specific demographics and customer preference information.

    "franchiserankingscom"
    #96 on Franchise Rankings.com