Denny's vs Country Kitchen Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Denny's Franchise
Country Kitchen Franchise
Investment $305,000 - $2,404,695$425,000 - $1,685,000
Franchise Fee $10,000 - $30,000$40,000
Royalty Fee 4.5%-7%4%
Advertising Fee 3%-3.5%3% local + 1% Int'l
Year Founded 19531939
Year Franchised 19841958
Term Of Agreement 20 years20 years
Term Of Agreement 20 years20 years
Renewal Fee $10K for 10 years-


Business Experience Requirements
 
Denny's Franchise
Country Kitchen Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Operations experience
    		• -

    Financing Options
     
    Denny's Franchise
    Country Kitchen Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/Yes-/-
    Start-up Costs No/Yes-/-
    Equipment No/Yes-/-
    Inventory No/Yes-/-
    Receivables No/No-/-
    Payroll No/No-/-

    Training & Support
     
    Denny's Franchise
    Country Kitchen Franchise
    Training On-The-Job Training: 91 hours Classroom Training: 16 hours Additional Training: At existing Denny's restaurantsOur Education and Training programs help you build an enthusiastic Country Kitchen team with a passion for Absolute Guest Satisfaction. Training videos, operations manuals and on-site training crews are just a few of the tools designed to help your restaurant run efficiently as a team. In addition, we offer a 6 to 10 week hands-on training course at a certified training restaurant, new store opening support and Management Leadership Seminars to build and strengthen your management team.
    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 PlatformWe will provide on-site visitations with a Franchise Consultant. They will cover topics such as financial performance review, operational evolution, sales building, cost controls, and staff (management and hourly) development providing you with sound business advice and direction. We provide such operational tools like our Recruitment, Selection and Retention Library, our Recipe Card System, and our customized M.O.R.E. Operations Manual. And while you can't replace on-site visits and one-on-one interaction, it's nice to know we have programs in place structured to help you overcome every obstacle along the way.
    Marketing Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/appOur brand-building promotions offer innovative products with excellent profit margins. We provide effective point-of-purchase materials, award-winning menus and multimedia advertising opportunities to support your operation. Additionally, Country Kitchen offers full local restaurant marketing support with our in-house creative team. From grand opening events and simple advertisements to local market research, we help drive the success of you and your operation.
    Operations 44% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 80

    Absentee Ownership Allowed

    		With almost 70 years of successful operations, we've just about seen it all. We've created the operational synergies that make us a world-class franchise system. Driving this synergy is our team of seasoned franchise consultants, who provide you with the building blocks for a successful operation.

    Expansion Plans
     
    Denny's Franchise
    Country Kitchen Franchise
    US Expansion YesYes
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion Yes-

    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 Country Kitchen

    For over 80 years, Country Kitchen has been a place where guests feel like they’re coming home. The food is always fresh, the smiles stretch a country mile and breakfast can be any time of the day! Light and fluffy pancakes, skillets and omelettes packed with fresh ingredients, thick and juicy burgers, savory sandwiches, hearty dinners, and homemade desserts can be enjoyed at one of our many locations throughout the country!

    The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Country Kitchen ranges from $575,000 to $1,685,000 for a standard Country Kitchen and $425,000 to 895,000 for a limited service café style Country Kitchen , exclusive of the cost of real estate. These totals include $40,000 that must be paid to the franchisor. The amount paid to the franchisor will increase if you also sign an Area Development Agreement because that agreement requires that in addition to payment of the $40,000 initial franchise fee for the first Country Kitchen you also are required to pay us a deposit of $20,000 for each additional Country Kitchen to be opened under the Area Development Agreement.