Penn Station East Coast Subs vs Au Bon Pain Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Penn Station East Coast Subs vs Au Bon Pain including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Penn Station East Coast Subs Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
Investment $383,844 - $613,764$2,000,000 - $3,000,000
Franchise Fee $25,000$30,000
Royalty Fee to8%5%
Advertising Fee 2-3%2% Marketing commitment
Year Founded 1985-
Year Franchised 1988-
Term Of Agreement 5 years-
Term Of Agreement 5 years-
Renewal Fee $2500-


Business Experience Requirements

 
Penn Station East Coast Subs Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
Experience --

Financing Options

 
Penn Station East Coast Subs 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

 
Penn Station East Coast Subs Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
Training On-The-Job Training: 202-299 hours Classroom Training: 25-33 hours -
Support Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform-
Marketing Co-op Advertising National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app-
Operations Absentee Ownership Allowed Number of Employees Required to Run: 15 -

Expansion Plans

 
Penn Station East Coast Subs Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
US Expansion --
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion No-

Company Overviews

About Penn Station East Coast Subs

We pride ourselves in developing the best concept for our consumers and our franchisees. Unlike other concepts we run ONE company unit. Our focus is solely on you and growing your business. Our food is unmatched and cravable and we don’t tamper with what works. This keeps operations simple. We cultivate an owner mentality in all aspects of our operation - this is how we consistently produce unparalleled Return on Investment.
Ranked as one of the top 200 Franchise Opportunities in the U.S. by Entrepreneur Magazine in its 2007 Annual Franchise 500 listing. Ranked #1 Restaurant Franchise Company by Success Magazine in its October 2000 Annual ranking of the top 200 American franchises. Ranked as one of the top 40 Movers and Shakers by Fast Causual Magazine in its 2007 and 2008 Annual Movers and Shakers listing.

#271 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.