Pretzel Time vs Au Bon Pain Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Pretzel Time Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
Investment $145,000 - $254,000$2,000,000 - $3,000,000
Franchise Fee $25,000$30,000
Royalty Fee 7%5%
Advertising Fee 1-3%2% Marketing commitment
Year Founded 1991-
Year Franchised 1992-
Term Of Agreement 7 years-
Term Of Agreement 7 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Pretzel Time Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
Experience --

Financing Options
 
Pretzel Time 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
 
Pretzel Time Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
Training --
Support --
Marketing --
Operations --

Expansion Plans
 
Pretzel Time Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
US Expansion --
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion No-

Company Overviews

About Pretzel Time

Pretzel Time introduced their famous soft pretzel in 1991 and have grown to become leaders in the soft pretzel category, specializing in offering steaming hot, fresh-baked, fresh twisted pretzels, pretzel dogs, freshly squeezed lemonade, and cold beverages all over the world. Pretzel Time operates over 190 stores located in 30 states and five international locations. NexCen added Pretzel Time to its QSR segment in August 2007. With the brand's commitment to fresh quality products and innovative new menu items, NexCen's marketing and branding experts will build the pretzel business beyond "just the pretzel concept in the mall," into a unified brand with strong positioning, a product innovation focus and a compelling look and feel. NexCen plans to elevate the pretzel business in consumers' minds in both the domestic and international marketplace. For more information, please visit www.pretzeltime.com

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.