Golden Griddle vs Houlihan's Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Golden Griddle Franchise
Houlihan's Franchise
Investment $100,000 - $450,000$1,600,000 - $4,300,000
Franchise Fee $25,000$40,000
Royalty Fee 5%4%
Advertising Fee --
Year Founded 19641972
Year Franchised 19771994
Term Of Agreement 10 years20 years
Term Of Agreement 10 years20 years
Renewal Fee -$5K


Business Experience Requirements

 
Golden Griddle Franchise
Houlihan's Franchise
Experience
  • General business experience

  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Must live in same market being developed

  • Financing Options

     
    Golden Griddle Franchise
    Houlihan'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/Yes
    Payroll No/NoNo/Yes

    Training & Support

     
    Golden Griddle Franchise
    Houlihan's Franchise
    Training --
    Support Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluationsMeetings, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives
    Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertisingCo-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertising
    Operations Franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 10% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 20 - 30

    Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    Franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 78

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (80% of current franchisees are owner/operators)


    Expansion Plans

     
    Golden Griddle Franchise
    Houlihan's Franchise
    US Expansion -Yes
    Canada Expansion NoNo
    International Expansion YesNo

    Company Overviews

    About Golden Griddle

    Golden Griddle was established in 1964, and started franchising in 1977. Their head office is located in Toronto, Ontario Canada, and the company is privately owned. Each Golden Griddle Family Restaurant is owned and operated by a franchisee in their local area, you can find many of these franchises open 24 hours. The Golden Griddle is famous for their great delicious pancakes and all day breakfast. They have a Kids menu, and serve a wide variety of meals for lunch and dinner, and are licensed to serve beer, wine and alcohol. There are Golden Griddle locations in the Greater Toronto area, South Western Ontario, Central Ontario and Eastern Ontario.

    About Houlihan's

    Houlihan's has been known for exceptional food at an affordable price since we entered the casual dining segment in 1972. Our menu features a great mix of contemporary pop American cooking - classic dishes reinvented in a fresh modern way and brought to the table with simple, stylish plating and presentations. And then there's the bar. It's always the best place to feel the great energy of Houlihan's. Our bar strategy unites pop culture, trendy premium brands, the newest drinks and vendor insights for a winning combination, resulting in an enviable liquor mix.

    To help us more quickly expand to new markets and trade areas, Houlihan's is seeking sophisticated restaurant operators with experience building out entire markets. At this time, we are not pursuing single-site franchise agreements.

    Our ideal candidate to become a franchise market developer is a successful full-service, multi-unit operator with expertise in one or more large markets (e.g. the top 75 MSAs in the United States). We are seeking entrepreneurial organizations that can thrive in our flexible franchise environment, while having access to growth capital and capital reserves, but experiencing growth constraints with their current restaurant concept(s).