Wetzel's Pretzels vs Great American Cookie Company Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Wetzel's Pretzels vs Great American Cookie Company including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
	Wetzel's Pretzels Franchise	Great American Cookie Company Franchise
Investment	$126,600 - $405,850	$177,700 - $476,135
Franchise Fee	$35,000	$15,000 - $35,000
Royalty Fee	7%	6%
Advertising Fee	1%	1.5%
Year Founded	1994	1977
Year Franchised	1996	1977
Term Of Agreement	10 years	Concurrent with lease
Term Of Agreement	10 years	Concurrent with lease
Renewal Fee	-	-
Business Experience Requirements
	Wetzel's Pretzels Franchise	Great American Cookie Company Franchise
Experience	General business experience	Industry experience General business experience Marketing skills
Financing Options
	Wetzel's Pretzels Franchise	Great American Cookie Company Franchise
	In-House/3rd Party	In-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees	No/Yes	No/Yes
Start-up Costs	No/Yes	No/Yes
Equipment	Yes/Yes	No/Yes
Inventory	No/Yes	No/Yes
Receivables	No/No	No/No
Payroll	No/No	No/No
Training & Support
	Wetzel's Pretzels Franchise	Great American Cookie Company Franchise
Training	On-The-Job Training: 40 hours Classroom Training: 40 hours	On-The-Job Training: 37 hours Classroom Training: 36.5 hours
Support	Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Franchisee Intranet Platform	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Field Operations Site Selection
Marketing	Ad Templates Social media SEO Email marketing Loyalty program/app	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app
Operations	20% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 10 Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)	Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed.
Expansion Plans
	Wetzel's Pretzels Franchise	Great American Cookie Company Franchise
US Expansion	Yes	-
Canada Expansion	No	No
International Expansion	Yes	No

Company Overviews

About Wetzel's Pretzels

Wetzel's Pretzels founded by Rick Wetzel & Bill Phelps, former marketing executives in 1994. 1st Wetzel's Pretzels located in South Bay Galleria in Southern California. First store was opened in 1995 Century City, Hollywood.
In 1996 Wetzel's Pretzels began franchising. Currently they have locations across United States (Universal City, Staples Center, Dodgers Stadium, Disneyland, Disney world) & internationally. Currently co-branding relationship with Cold Stone Creamery, Swensen's, Juice It Up and more.
Beginning of 2016 Wetzel's franchise fast food restaurants had 298 locations out of them 269 US locations; 2 in Canada; 19 worldwide; and 8 owned by the company itself.

The franchisor offers 3 franchise programs:

1. A single Wetzel's Pretzels Bakery. The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Wetzel's Pretzels Bakery ranges from $164,950 to $405,850. This includes approximately between $42,350 and $50,750 that must be paid to the franchisor. If Wetzel's Pretzels grants you a license to operate a Remote Mobile Unit under a Remote Mobile Unit Addendum to your Franchise Agreement, you will also pay it a fee of $5,000 for a Remote Mobile Unit.
2. Multiple Wetzel's Pretzels Bakeries within a defined area pursuant to a Multi-Unit Development Agreement. There is an initial development fee of $15,000 multiplied by the number of Bakeries which you must open, plus the balance of the initial franchise fee ($20,000) for your first Franchise Agreement. You will pay an initial franchise fee of $35,000 for each Bakery ($22,500 for a second Bakery in the same mall). However, the franchisor will credit the development fee against the initial franchise fees (at the rate of $15,000 for the second and each subsequent Franchise Agreement).
3. A single Wetzel's Pretzels Concession Truck or Trailer. The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Wetzel's Pretzels Concession Truck or Trailer ranges from $126,600 to $275,850. This includes approximately between $9,000 and $14,750 that must be paid to the franchisor.

About Great American Cookie Company

Beginning an establishment is an interest in your vocation AND your group! Don't you need to be the one to convey the treat cake to your neighborhood?

On August 24, 1998, Mrs. Fields Original Cookies Inc. procured the organization. Mrs. Fields Famous Brands incorporates The Original Cookie Company, Pretzel Time, Hot Sam, Pretzelmaker and Mrs. Fields Cookies

Franchisor is seeking new franchise units throughout the U.S., Africa, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Central America, Middle East, Mexico, South America

Veteran Incentives  25% off first-store franchise fee