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Updated RecentlyHoulihan's vs Friendly's Restaurants Franchise Comparison
Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Houlihan's vs Friendly's Restaurants including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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| Investment | $1,600,000 - $4,300,000 | $498,500 - $1,950,000 |
| Franchise Fee | $40,000 | $30,000 - $35,000 |
| Royalty Fee | 4% | 4% |
| Advertising Fee | - | 3.5% |
| Year Founded | 1972 | 1935 |
| Year Franchised | 1994 | 1996 |
| Term Of Agreement | 20 years | 20 years |
| Term Of Agreement | 20 years | 20 years |
| Renewal Fee | $5K | $5K |
Business Experience Requirements |
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| Experience | ||
Financing Options |
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| In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
| Franchise Fees | No/Yes | No/No |
| Start-up Costs | No/Yes | No/No |
| Equipment | No/Yes | No/No |
| Inventory | No/Yes | No/No |
| Receivables | No/Yes | No/No |
| Payroll | No/Yes | No/No |
Training & Support |
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| Training | - | - |
| Support | Meetings, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives | Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations |
| Marketing | Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertising | Ad slicks, National media |
| Operations |
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) |
Franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 62% of all franchisees own more than one unit
Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators) |
Expansion Plans |
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| US Expansion | Yes | Yes |
| Canada Expansion | No | No |
| International Expansion | No | No |
Company Overviews
About Houlihan's
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).
About Friendly's Restaurants
In Springfield, Massachusetts at the height of the Great Depression in 1935, 20 year-old Prestley Blake and his 18 year-old brother Curtis opened an ice cream shop called 'Friendly' that served double-dip cones for 5 cents. The brothers opened a second shop five years later in West Springfield, Massachusetts and added food to the menu. Within a decade, locations opened throughout western Massachusetts and Connecticut. In 1988 Donald N. Smith, the company's current CEO, purchased the company and a year later added an 's' to the name, making it 'Friendly's.'
In May 2000, Friendly's introduced a new food and dessert menu featuring colossal burgers, sandwich wraps, splits, sundaes and Cyclones. Friendly's produces 10 million snack cups and 230,000 gallons of fudge every year. In addition to its restaurants and cafes, Friendly's manufactures a complete line of frozen desserts.