Sheridan's Frozen Custard vs Au Bon Pain Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Sheridan's Frozen Custard Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
Investment $108,340 - And Up$2,000,000 - $3,000,000
Franchise Fee $24,000$30,000
Royalty Fee -5%
Advertising Fee -2% Marketing commitment
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Business Experience Requirements
 
Sheridan's Frozen Custard Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
Experience --

Financing Options
 
Sheridan's Frozen Custard Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
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Equipment -/--/-
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Training & Support
 
Sheridan's Frozen Custard Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
Training --
Support --
Marketing --
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Expansion Plans
 
Sheridan's Frozen Custard Franchise
Au Bon Pain Franchise
US Expansion --
Canada Expansion --
International Expansion --

Company Overviews

About Sheridan's Frozen Custard

Sheridan’s Frozen Custard is distinct from ice cream or frozen yogurt. It’s creamier for one thing, but also smoother and thicker, served about 25 degrees warmer than ice cream, custard has a smooth, velvety texture, containing very little air but packed with flavor, and there’s no one better than Sheridan’s Frozen Custard at creating the wonderful confection. That’s why loyal customers keep on returning to Sheridan’s Frozen Custard at all hours of the day and evening. Sheridan’s Frozen Custard uses only the best ingredients in its huge menu of custard, sundaes, and specialty dishes, like Dirt & Worms, vanilla frozen custard with Oreo cookies topped with chocolate sprinkles and gummy worms; or Caramel Pretzel Crunch. Or, consider a simple treat of custard in a cone. Sheridan’s offers more than 50 flavors.

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.