Arthur Treacher's vs Denny's Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Arthur Treacher's vs Denny's including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Arthur Treacher's Franchise
Denny's Franchise
Investment $145,000 - $268,000$305,000 - $2,404,695
Franchise Fee $30,000$10,000 - $30,000
Royalty Fee 5%4.5%-7%
Advertising Fee -3%-3.5%
Year Founded 19691953
Year Franchised 19691984
Term Of Agreement 10 years20 years
Term Of Agreement 10 years20 years
Renewal Fee Current fee$10K for 10 years


Business Experience Requirements
 
Arthur Treacher's Franchise
Denny's Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience

  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Operations experience
    		•

    Financing Options
     
    Arthur Treacher's Franchise
    Denny's Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/NoNo/Yes
    Start-up Costs No/NoNo/Yes
    Equipment No/NoNo/Yes
    Inventory No/NoNo/Yes
    Receivables No/NoNo/No
    Payroll No/NoNo/No

    Training & Support
     
    Arthur Treacher's Franchise
    Denny's Franchise
    Training -On-The-Job Training: 91 hours Classroom Training: 16 hours Additional Training: At existing Denny's restaurants
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Grand opening, Field operations/evaluationsPurchasing 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 slicks, Regional advertisingCo-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app
    Operations

    Number of employees needed to run franchise unit: 10

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (90% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    		 44% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 80

    Absentee Ownership Allowed


    Expansion Plans
     
    Arthur Treacher's Franchise
    Denny's Franchise
    US Expansion -Yes
    Canada Expansion NoNo
    International Expansion NoYes

    Company Overviews

    About Arthur Treacher's

    Did you know fish and chips were the first convenience food? Back in the 1860s, a London restaurant called Malin's of Bow began serving deep-fried whitefish with a dousing of malt vinegar accompanied by oversized fries. The fish and chips craze soon spread throughout England, and the dish became the world's first convenience food. In 1969 the founders of Arthur Treacher's purchased Malin's and with it, the original fish and chips recipe. Since then we've adjusted the menu to accommodate American tastes and expanded it to include shrimp, clams, fried chicken, and popular side orders including tasty hush puppies and unique cole slaw. All of which makes Arthur Treacher's Fish & Chips the traditional English meal perfect for today's All-American appetite!

    About Denny's

    In 1953, Harold Butler opened Danny's Donuts, a Lakewood, California, stand that served coffee and doughnuts 24 hours a day. The following year, the stand grew and its name was changed to Danny's Coffee Shops. Five years later, there were 20 shops in the chain, and the company changed its name to Denny's. Denny's locations serve breakfast, lunch and dinner choices 24 hours a day. Denny's New & Emerging Markets incentive program is designed to help us recruit exceptional new franchisees to seize valuable market share in new & emerging markets. Under the program, new franchisees can save up to $1 million by developing 4 new restaurants in new & emerging markets. The estimated savings include reduced: initial fees, royalty rate, marketing fees, market planning fee, store design fees, NRO training, and MGIP (development fees). With a flexible, cost-effective prototype & best-in-class systems, Denny's is positioned for sustained franchise growth.

    The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Denny’s franchise is from $1,330,525.50 to $2,404,695.50 for a Denny’s Heritage facility; from $305,000 to $826,000 for a nontraditional Denny’s, including The Den; and from $1,025,528.50 to $1,659,695.50 for Denny’s within a Travel Center (these numbers exclude real estate). This includes the initial franchise fee of $10,000 to $30,000 and the New Restaurant Opening fee of $0 to $36,000, for a total of $10,000 to $66,000, which must be paid to the franchisor or affiliate.

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