Melt Gelato & Crepe Cafe vs Au Bon Pain Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Melt Gelato & Crepe Cafe Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
Investment $260,000 - $650,000$2,000,000 - $3,000,000
Franchise Fee $25,000$30,000
Royalty Fee 6%5%
Advertising Fee -2% Marketing commitment
Year Founded 2003-
Year Franchised 2005-
Term Of Agreement 7 years-
Term Of Agreement 7 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Melt Gelato & Crepe Cafe Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
Experience --

Financing Options
 
Melt Gelato & Crepe Cafe 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/No-/-
Payroll No/No-/-

Training & Support
 
Melt Gelato & Crepe Cafe Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
Training --
Support --
Marketing --
Operations --

Expansion Plans
 
Melt Gelato & Crepe Cafe Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
US Expansion --
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion No-

Company Overviews

About Melt Gelato & Crepe Cafe

The Melt Cafe and Gelato Bar concept is a fresh, new experience that not only excites the customer but is also a great business opportunity. They serve traditional gelato, as well as a host of other delicious products. Gelato's intense flavors and creamy texture come from the density not the fat. In fact all our sorbetto flavors are fat free and their gelato flavors have significantly lower fat content than regular ice cream. They use milk as opposed to butter fat, and they increase the density by reducing the air content significantly as compared to regular ice cream.

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.