Denny's vs Cool-de-Sac Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Denny's Franchise
Cool-de-Sac Franchise
Investment $305,000 - $2,404,695$858,700 - $1,988,667
Franchise Fee $10,000 - $30,000$75,000
Royalty Fee 4.5%-7%6%
Advertising Fee 3%-3.5%-
Year Founded 19532008
Year Franchised 19842010
Term Of Agreement 20 years10 years
Term Of Agreement 20 years10 years
Renewal Fee $10K for 10 years-


Business Experience Requirements
 
Denny's Franchise
Cool-de-Sac Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
  • Operations experience
    		• -

    Financing Options
     
    Denny's Franchise
    Cool-de-Sac 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
    Cool-de-Sac Franchise
    Training On-The-Job Training: 91 hours Classroom Training: 16 hours Additional Training: At existing Denny's restaurants-
    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 Platform-
    Marketing Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app-
    Operations 44% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 80

    Absentee Ownership Allowed

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 60 - 80. Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed.

    Expansion Plans
     
    Denny's Franchise
    Cool-de-Sac Franchise
    US Expansion YesYes
    Canada Expansion NoYes
    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.

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


    About Cool-de-Sac

    Cool de Sac is an attractive family-style restaurant model that offers something for everyone: it's a wonderful place to meet, it's a fantastic place to eat, it's a great place to play and the perfect destination for an all-around family day. After talking to over 300 parents during our research and having served over 160,000 customers so far, we can confirm that Cool de Sac is a fantastic idea whose time has come. Customer Service ratings to our flagship Restaurants in Florida have been excellent. Cool de Sac has lucratively covered a market niche that fills an important urban lifestyle need and offers highly promising business potential to any entrepreneur in any suburb in the United States. As we seek to expand our presence to other cities in the U.S. �" not to mention other countries �" we look forward to forging lasting partnerships with enthusiastic franchisees like you. Join forces with us and you will become part of a network that is driven by professionalism, quality, consistency, and a true passion for excellence. To learn how our partnership can work to your advantage, read more about Cool de Sac. As you get to know our business better, you will see an opportunity you'll want to consider for the long term. We envision your entrepreneurial spirit and our expertise as the perfect combination with which to build a powerful international brand. We look forward to welcoming you on board!