The Steak Escape vs Hickory River Smokehouse Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of The Steak Escape vs Hickory River Smokehouse including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
The Steak Escape Franchise
Hickory River Smokehouse Franchise
Investment $190,200 - $1,300,000$400,000 - $800,000
Franchise Fee $25,000$18,000
Royalty Fee 6%4%
Advertising Fee --
Year Founded 19822006
Year Franchised 19832006
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
The Steak Escape Franchise
Hickory River Smokehouse Franchise
Experience
  • General business experience
    		• -

    Financing Options
     
    The Steak Escape Franchise
    Hickory River Smokehouse Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/No-/-
    Start-up Costs No/No-/-
    Equipment No/No-/-
    Inventory No/No-/-
    Receivables No/No-/-
    Payroll No/No-/-

    Training & Support
     
    The Steak Escape Franchise
    Hickory River Smokehouse Franchise
    Training --
    Support Newsletter, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Field operations/evaluations-
    Marketing --
    Operations International franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 20 - 25

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (75% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    		-

    Expansion Plans
     
    The Steak Escape Franchise
    Hickory River Smokehouse Franchise
    US Expansion --
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion Yes-

    Company Overviews

    About The Steak Escape

    The Steak Escape was established in Columbus, Ohio, in 1982 by Ken Smith and Mark Turner. One year later, Escape Enterprise Ltd. was formed, and Steak Escape started franchising mall sites, as well as locations in college campuses, airports and sports arenas. The privately held company specializes in genuine Philadelphia cheesesteaks and operates in more than 30 states as well as overseas.

    About Hickory River Smokehouse

    To understand why Hickory River Smokehouse, a small, quickservice restaurant chain based in Tipp City OH, Champaign-Urbana IL, is without a doubt one of the Best Undiscovered Franchises in our solar system, you need to understand two things. The first is Barbecue. The second is Brad & Krista Bowman. What you need to know is that Barbecue is a religion. There is no more passionate of a congregation than the devotees of Barbecue.
    Hickory River Smokehouse serves real Texas barbecue, in the tradition of the legendary barbecue pits that Brad, literally, visited and studied from one end of the Lone Star state to the other.
    The Bowmans created Hickory River Smokehouse to provide authentic, incredible Texas-style barbecue to the rest of the country without compromising flavor or quality. A powerful advantage of the Hickory River Smokehouse concept and product line is its suitability for both take-out and off-premise catering business, two of the most highly prized revenue centers in the restaurant industry. To find out more about this tasty opportunity, you need to contact Brad Bowman or request some more information right away. But be forewarned: you may gain a few pounds before you even get through training. Voted as one of the Top 10 Best Undiscovered Franchises by IdeaFarm, Hickory River Smokehouse and its "Real Texas Barbecue" may be your true ground-floor opportunity to join a Brand with broad appeal and unlimited growth potential. By smoking all meats on site, we create the most tender, flavorful meats possible, then serve it with our proprietary Texas-style barbecue sauce. With complete support, begin building your net worth with our unique concept and be an entrepreneur.