Carl's Jr vs The Flame Broiler Restaurant Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Carl's Jr vs The Flame Broiler Restaurant including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
	Carl's Jr Franchise	The Flame Broiler Restaurant Franchise
Investment	$1,603,000 - $2,168,000	$380,116 - $609,763
Franchise Fee	$25,000 - $35,000	$35,000
Royalty Fee	4%	5%
Advertising Fee	6%	3%
Year Founded	1945	1995
Year Franchised	1984	1999
Term Of Agreement	20 years	-
Term Of Agreement	20 years	-
Renewal Fee	Varies	-
Business Experience Requirements
	Carl's Jr Franchise	The Flame Broiler Restaurant Franchise
Experience	Industry experience General business experience Preferable operational experience in a restaurant, but will consider people who have owned their own business	-
Financing Options
	Carl's Jr Franchise	The Flame Broiler Restaurant Franchise
	In-House/3rd Party	In-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees	No/No	-/-
Start-up Costs	No/No	-/-
Equipment	No/No	-/-
Inventory	No/No	-/-
Receivables	No/No	-/-
Payroll	No/No	-/-
Training & Support
	Carl's Jr Franchise	The Flame Broiler Restaurant Franchise
Training	Available at franchisee's location, 12 weeks of management training & at grand opening	On-The-Job Training: 68-148 hours Classroom Training: 12 hours
Support	Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives	Meetings/Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations
Marketing	Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, National media, Regional advertising	Regional Advertising
Operations	Franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 100% of all franchisees own more than one unit Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed.	Absentee Ownership Allowed Number of Employees Required to Run: 8
Expansion Plans
	Carl's Jr Franchise	The Flame Broiler Restaurant Franchise
US Expansion	Yes	Yes
Canada Expansion	No	No
International Expansion	Yes	No

Company Overviews

About Carl's Jr

Carl's Jr. is known all through the Western U.S. as the place to go for premium quality burgers, specifically its 100% Angus hamburger Six Dollar Burger line.

At Hardee's® and Carl's Jr.® our brand sets us apart from the competition. Our advertisements are created to be so bold and memorable that they've been known to crash internet video servers. Our taglines deliver bold statements and our visuals are designed to keep viewers wanting more. EAT LIKE YOU MEAN IT.

Hardee's® and Carl's Jr.® have a strong track record of successfully developing new premium products to lead the category in taste, quality, and innovation. As an industry leader, we have consistently out-delivered all other quick-service restaurants in product development since our founding. Staying on top requires that we continue to lead the way in the products we serve through taste, quality, and innovation.

#202 in Franchise 500 for 2021.

About The Flame Broiler Restaurant

The first The Flame Broiler, The Rice Bowl King restaurant opened in 1995 in Fullerton, California. Young Lee, who had graduated from UCLA with a degree in Economics and had joined the workforce, often found himself on the road during his workday. As a result, he often found himself grabbing a quick bite to eat for lunch at many different fast food restaurants. Very entrepreneurial in nature, Young Lee set out to create a better, healthier alternative to the fast food he had to choose from while working. This led him to open the first The Flame Broiler, The Rice Bowl King restaurant, which served simple, healthy, fast food and family-style Korean food.

Word about the new restaurant spread, and Young Lee found himself extremely busy during lunch. He quickly developed a very broad customer base; The Flame Broiler, The Rice Bowl King appealed to all ethnicities. The restaurant was a success. Not only did the concept appeal to a diverse group of people, but Young Lee was able to operate on a very low budget, with virtually no waste.

Because of the restaurant’s popularity and success, Young Lee opened a second restaurant in Santa Ana in 1995. Both restaurants have continued to prosper over the years. Then in April of 1999, Young Lee opened a third restaurant in Anaheim, which would be owned and run by his brother. And he has also developed his own proprietary recipe for the Teriyaki sauce served at The Flame Broiler The Rice Bowl King.

Word about The Flame Broiler The Rice Bowl King continued to spread. The Flame Broiler The Rice Bowl King had become so popular on the West Coast that customers began asking Young Lee to franchise, which is what he decided to do in 1999. Young Lee saw franchising as a way to provide even more customers with a better, healthy alternative to fast food while maintaining the high level of service and food quality for which The Flame Broiler The Rice Bowl King is so well known.

Young Lee realizes that franchisees, who have a vested interest in their businesses, will be more dedicated partners in the growth process. By successfully operating their individual The Flame Broiler The Rice Bowl King restaurants, the entire franchise network will have the ability to expand (first through California, then across the nation and eventually internationally), benefit from each others' innovations, and maintain long-term stability. He also realizes that future growth and success can be achieved through the combined efforts of franchisees who have ownership in a business and who have ties to their local communities.