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Updated RecentlyZ Pizza vs Cottage Inn Pizza Franchise Comparison
Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Z Pizza vs Cottage Inn Pizza including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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| Investment | $249,000 - $359,000 | $200,000 - $350,000 |
| Franchise Fee | $30,000 | $15,000 |
| Royalty Fee | 6% | 5% |
| Advertising Fee | 3% | 3% |
| Year Founded | 1986 | 1948 |
| Year Franchised | 1999 | 1986 |
| Term Of Agreement | 10 years | - |
| Term Of Agreement | 10 years | - |
| Renewal Fee | - | - |
Business Experience Requirements |
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| Experience | A minimum net worth of $100,000 A minimum of $60,000 in liquid assets or financing or a combination thereof Five Star Customer Service for staff and customers alike Product Quality — using only approved ingredients and the amounts set forth by the Cottage Inn Standard Operating Procedures Professional Image — uniforms should be clean and pressed, and employees should be well-groomed at all times. The Right Personality As a member of the food service industry, our franchisees must have the right personality, too. We look for clean-cut professionals who will take pride in being a Cottage Inn franchisee. We also look for candidates who are strong leaders, can motivate a staff, and treat customers with the utmost care and respect. In the food service industry, it’s important that your store pass the white glove test every day. Safety is always a concern when it comes to proper food handling. To be a successful Cottage Inn franchisee you must also understand profit and loss statements. You need to input tools to measure your expenses on an on-going basis. We lay out what has been successful for Cottage Inn throughout our corporate stores and we want to make sure each franchisee who joins the Cottage Inn family follows the same equation to success. |
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Financing Options |
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| In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
| Franchise Fees | No/Yes | -/- |
| Start-up Costs | No/Yes | -/- |
| Equipment | No/Yes | -/- |
| Inventory | No/Yes | -/- |
| Receivables | No/Yes | -/- |
| Payroll | No/Yes | -/- |
Training & Support |
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| Training | Additional training available as required | Cottage Inn offers a world-class training program On-The-Job Training: 240 hours Classroom Training: 6 hours |
| Support | The zpizza support system is extremely detailed and begins from the moment your franchise agreement is signed, throughout your development phases, and through your store opening. Training is provided to the operational owners and managers for your store. The zpizza Training Program is a four week program comprehensive of all operational details involved in your business. zpizza provides a team to serve from pre-opening to opening. - Use of brand name, trademarks, recipes, operational systems and methods, and décor - Facility planning on site location and architectural design - Specifications for fixtures, equipment, and leasehold improvements - Assistance in site selection and lease negotiation - Corporate training for Owner/Operator and Director of Operations/General Managers - Kitchen/Back of the House Workflow design - Ongoing support from members of the Training and Operations Team - Ongoing updates for increasing profitability - Products with high industry demand - Favorable national contracts with suppliers of goods and services - Operating manuals, policies, procedures, and business management systems - Annual franchisee meetings - Access to zpizza's proprietary, Internet-based system that acts as a repository for all above-mentioned support materials, manuals, graphics and brand communications. | On-going support to keep your store running successfully and smoothly. We want you to succeed, which is why we offer our support and advice gained from years of experience in the pizza industry. We’ve been in the business since 1948 and operate 40 locations in two states, so it’s safe to say we know how to run a business. 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 slicks, National media, Regional advertising | We collaborate with a digital marketing agency to help make Cottage Inn the top-ranked pizza company in relevant markets across Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Cottage Inn employs an in-house creative team and offsite agency to produce a myriad of digital marketing vehicles, including e-blasts, mobile CRM, social media (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, FourSquare, Instagram). We also leverage traditional print solutions such as bulk mail menus, EDDM (every day direct mail) cards, magnets, box toppers and door hangers. We also invest in branding the Cottage Inn name, making us more desirable across all relevant markets. Cottage Inn is the Preferred Pizza Provider at MIS (Michigan International Speedway) where we serve over 100,000 guests at NASCAR events and the Country Music Festival. Cottage Inn engages franchisees in strategic marketing meetings to receive their input on marketing campaigns and new product development. We also help franchisees market their specific stores via community fairs, business expos, entertainment venues and more. We are family first at Cottage Inn, having been owned by the same family for over 65 years! How we market each of our franchises: Dynamic corporate website with pages dedicated to each franchise location Convenient online ordering A loyalty program to attract and retain customers Mobile marketing to engage with the on-the-go world E-marketing to offer the best deals to our dedicated customers Traditional print marketing menus, direct mail, door hangers, box toppers, magnets and specialty pieces Social media to engage our most dedicated consumers. Branding by way of special event sponsorships |
| Operations |
Franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 100% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 15 Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators) | Cottage Inn maintains control of its product and distribution by operating a 22,000 square foot commissary in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Fresh products are delivered weekly and our warehouse staff is always on call in case of emergency. Cottage Inn produces fresh dough daily. For locations more than 200 miles away from Ann Arbor, we encourage and assist franchisees with setting up their own dough production. This assures a fresh, high-quality product and will help you secure a customer for life. Absentee Ownership Allowed Number of Employees Required to Run: 15 |
Expansion Plans |
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| US Expansion | Yes | Yes |
| Canada Expansion | No | Yes |
| International Expansion | No | - |
Company Overviews
About Z Pizza
Z Pizza was founded in 1986 and began franchising in 1999. The Newport Beach, California-based company has more than 90 units in the United States.Z Pizza is a rapidly growing chain of gourmet, health conscious pizza stores operating in high-profile lifestyle centers and metropolitan retail centers. The store footprint is approximately 1,100 to 1,500 square feet. Z pizza serves four day parts which include, lunch, afternoon chill, dinner and catering. The wide menu serves pizza, pizza by the slice, salads and sandwiches.
About Cottage Inn Pizza
At Cottage Inn we believe that if you're going to craft a pizza, it should be to a
certain degree of perfection and that you should never skimp on the
quality of your ingredients. It's these two simple statements that drive
our process for constructing truly gourmet pizzas.