Denny's vs Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Denny's Franchise
Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Franchise
Investment $305,000 - $2,404,695$1,027,075 - $3,588,244
Franchise Fee $10,000 - $30,000$35,000
Royalty Fee 4.5%-7%4%
Advertising Fee 3%-3.5%1%
Year Founded 19531976
Year Franchised 19841976
Term Of Agreement 20 years15 years
Term Of Agreement 20 years15 years
Renewal Fee $10K for 10 years-


Business Experience Requirements

 
Denny's Franchise
Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Operations experience
  • �Has prior management level experience in food service and/or restaurant operations. �Willingness to follow our proven operating system �A solid business person with a strong desire to succeed �Possesses experience in restaurant franchising �Meets the financial requirements


    Financing Options

     
    Denny's Franchise
    Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/YesNo/No
    Start-up Costs No/YesNo/Yes
    Equipment No/YesNo/Yes
    Inventory No/YesNo/Yes
    Receivables No/NoNo/No
    Payroll No/NoNo/No

    Training & Support

     
    Denny's Franchise
    Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Franchise
    Training On-The-Job Training: 91 hours Classroom Training: 16 hours Additional Training: At existing Denny's restaurantsBennigan's, or a designated third party, will provide training to you and your restaurant team. Your management team will be required to complete a 6 to 8 week training program based on prior experience. Onsite training will be provided to entire team before restaurant opening. All parties must successfully complete the training to the satisfaction of the Bennigan's Operations/Training team prior to opening your restaurant. We believe great training equals lower turnover and stronger guest retention. Therefore, we provide continued support to team members. Bennigan's University, our online learning module, helps drive the retention of both staff and guests.
    Support Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet PlatformFor the pre-opening of your first Bennigan's, members of our Operations and Marketing Teams will assist you from 45 days prior to your Grand Opening. Marketing Support: Our goal is to help you successfully market your brand. We put a marketing calendar in place to help drive sales, increase check average and guest count. Marketing tools provided include: Intranet, Email Marketing, Social Media Support, New Photography, Pipeline Items/Menu Development.
    Marketing Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/appCo-op advertising
    Operations 44% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 80

    Absentee Ownership Allowed

    Franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 98% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 100

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


    Expansion Plans

     
    Denny's Franchise
    Bennigan's Grill & Tavern Franchise
    US Expansion Yes-
    Canada Expansion NoNo
    International Expansion YesYes

    Company Overviews

    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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    #59 on Franchise Rankings.com
    #83 on Franchise 500 for 2021  Not on Franchise 500 for 2020


    About Bennigan's Grill & Tavern

    Bennigan's was established in Atlanta, Georgia in 1976 by Norman Brinker, a legend among restaurateurs.  Bennigan's is still the iconic brand loved by all and is re-establishing itself as the leader in casual dining. Committed to the welcoming, friendly and festive spirit of Irish Hospitality, Bennigan's offers more generous pours and portions and goes above and beyond the call of duty to deliver Legendary experiences to every guest, every meal, every day. In 2011, Bennigan's began a Legendary comeback by re-energizing the beloved brand with a commitment to bring memorable dining experiences to every guest, every day. This remarkable resurgence began with a brand refresh at the company's two corporate locations and a plan to bring the same menu optimization and service enhancements to current and future franchise partners.
    The mission at Bennigan's is to deliver exceptional service to every guest, every meal, every day. In order to deliver this service, we must remember to focus on those essential elements that will allow us to provide quality service with a bit of Irish hospitality on the side.