Friendly's Restaurants vs Browns Socialhouse Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Friendly's Restaurants Franchise
Browns Socialhouse Franchise
Investment $498,500 - $1,950,000$2,000,000 - $2,500,000
Franchise Fee $30,000 - $35,000$50,000
Royalty Fee 4%6%
Advertising Fee 3.5%-
Year Founded 1935-
Year Franchised 1996-
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Renewal Fee $5K-


Business Experience Requirements
 
Friendly's Restaurants Franchise
Browns Socialhouse Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience

    • A PROVEN TRACK RECORD + EXPERIENCE in the restaurant and hospitality industry. Passionate + highly motivated about running a business. That's how serious we are about partnering with only the best. We don't compromise on this because it's what our guests deserve.

    Financing Options
     
    Friendly's Restaurants Franchise
    Browns Socialhouse 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
    Browns Socialhouse 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
    Browns Socialhouse Franchise
    US Expansion YesYes
    Canada Expansion NoYes
    International Expansion No-

    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 Browns Socialhouse

    Browns Restaurant Group offers a variety of partnership opportunities. We are uniquely social.
    Browns Socialhouse is designed to be highly competitive in smaller urban and suburban markets. We're big and aspirational enough to appeal to dedicated urbanites, yet small and "familiar" enough to ensure everyone feels welcome. We have a "secret formula" and below you'll get a sneak peek. Our main competitive advantages include: 1. Site Placement: because of our smaller footprint, Browns Socialhouses can pop up in places where many other brands simply won't fit. Being smaller, we can target "A" locations without the burden of a huge rental factor. For Guests, Browns' smaller footprint provides for a much warmer overall experience. How many people would rather see a band play in a stadium than a club? Exactly. At Browns, our Guests and team members come together and are all part of the action. This makes for a truly social eating, drinking and working experience! 2. Efficiency: building and up-keep costs stay relatively low because of Browns' smaller footprint, and Socialhouses are efficiently designed to require less staff (which lowers labour costs). 3. Kitchen + Menu: Regular menu updates keep our offerings fresh while ensuring solid margins for franchisees and excellent perceived value for Guests. Our Culinary Mission is to produce great-looking menu items with delicious, approachable flavour profiles that can be prepared consistently and cost-effectively across the system. Our Chefs embrace the role of "part menu developer" and "part quality controller," and they're constantly tasting, testing and re-evaluating current menu items for quality, consistency and Guest acceptance. 4. Bar + Lounge: Central to the Socialhouse concept is a signature bar that brings life and energy to the entire operation. Our great selection of drinks delivers great value to Guests. As with our Menu Program, drink pricing is set aggressively to enable financial targets. 5. Owner-Operator Focus: We ensure every Socialhouse we open is owned and operated by someone dedicated to the community it serves. We are able to deliver excellent product and service required to provide a "WOW Experience" to our Guests. Each and every time. Using sophisticated systems and partnering with savvy Franchisees, Browns Restaurant Group successfully competes with independent restaurants and larger chains in local markets.