Melting Pot Restaurants vs Au Bon Pain Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Melting Pot Restaurants vs Au Bon Pain including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Melting Pot Restaurants Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
Investment $1,404,320 - $1,824,210$2,000,000 - $3,000,000
Franchise Fee $20,000 - $45,000$30,000
Royalty Fee 5%5%
Advertising Fee 1.19-3%2% Marketing commitment
Year Founded 1975-
Year Franchised 1984-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Renewal Fee 50% of current franchise fee-


Business Experience Requirements
 
Melting Pot Restaurants Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
Experience
  • General business experience
    		• -

    Financing Options
     
    Melting Pot Restaurants Franchise
    Au Bon Pain 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
     
    Melting Pot Restaurants Franchise
    Au Bon Pain Franchise
    Training On-The-Job Training: 288 hours Classroom Training: 40 hours -
    Support Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform -
    Marketing Co-op Advertising Ad Templates Social media SEO Website development Email marketing -
    Operations 45% of all franchisees own more than one unit

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

    		-

    Expansion Plans
     
    Melting Pot Restaurants Franchise
    Au Bon Pain Franchise
    US Expansion No-
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion No-

    Company Overviews

    About Melting Pot Restaurants

    Since 1984, The Melting Pot franchises have opened nationwide, serving a variety of cheese and dessert fondues, salads and entrees including filet mignon, lobster tail, sirloin and breast of chicken, all prepared in different fondue cooking styles. No restaurant experience is required to become a franchisee.

    Seeking new franchise units throughout the U.S., Africa, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Central America, Eastern Europe, Middle East, Mexico,
    South America and Western Europe
    Veteran Incentives  20% off franchise fee

    "Entrepreneur
    #360 in Franchise 500 for 2020.

    About Au Bon Pain

    Because we want to prepare our franchise partners for optimal success from the beginning, we only sign Area Development Agreements (ADA) based on a territorial market with a minimum unit potential of 10-20 locations. (We do not sell single unit agreements.) This ADA multi-unit potential enables our franchisees to build a significant business in an area with solid earnings potential. In order to be considered for an Au Bon Pain franchise, you must have the financial and management resources necessary to develop multiple cafes
    Criteria include: * Open cafes in one of the listed expansion areas. * Offer quality real estate sites in the selected territory. * Sign an ADA for a minimum of 10 units. * Have a liquid net worth of $350k per unit, or approximately $2-3M. * Provide poof of financing from a bank or other financial institution. * Offer multi-unit restaurant business experience. * Offer an established management infrastructure within the market you wish to franchise. * Willingness to adhere to the Au Bon Pain system. * A strong desire to succeed, work hard and be part of a winning team.