Me-N-Ed's Pizzerias vs Green Mill Restaurant & Bar Franchise Comparison
Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Me-N-Ed's Pizzerias vs Green Mill Restaurant & Bar including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
Investment |
$175,000 - $486,000 | $1,000,000 - $1,500,000 |
Franchise Fee |
$25,000 | $40,000 |
Royalty Fee |
5% | 4% |
Advertising Fee |
- | - |
Year Founded |
1958 | 1975 |
Year Franchised |
1958 | 1991 |
Term Of Agreement |
- | - |
Term Of Agreement |
- | - |
Renewal Fee |
$1.5K | - |
Business Experience Requirements |
Experience |
- | - |
Financing Options |
|
In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party |
Franchise Fees |
No/No | No/No |
Start-up Costs |
No/No | No/Yes |
Equipment |
No/No | No/Yes |
Inventory |
No/No | No/No |
Receivables |
No/No | No/No |
Payroll |
No/No | No/No |
Training & Support |
Training |
Available at headquarters, Available at franchisee's location, Opening support | - |
Support |
Newsletter, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives | - |
Marketing |
Ad slicks, Regional advertising | - |
Operations |
40% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 10
- 25
Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. | - |
Expansion Plans |
US Expansion |
- | - |
Canada Expansion |
No | No |
International Expansion |
Yes | No |
Company Overviews
About Me-N-Ed's Pizzerias
The pizza world has never been the same since the first Me-n-Ed oven was fired up in Sacramento, California, in 1958. Russ "Me" Johnson and Ed Sandlin didn't set out to build a pizza parlor empire - it just happened.
From their modest beginnings, Russ and Ed began selling Me-n-Ed's franchises throughout California while operating their own restaurants around the San Francisco Bay area. Expanding into Fresno, Russ and Ed met Ben and Marcella Watters, who ran a boarding house and quickly became known for their frequent visits to Me-n-Ed's. As the story goes, during one particular visit, a potted plant in the restaurant caught Marcella's eye. She had to have it. When the owner refused to sell it to her, Marcella bought the entire restaurant. The plant was hers - along with the franchise rights to Me-n-Ed's.
Marcella and Ben moved the restaurant from the original Fresno location to a new site on Blackstone Avenue and joined forces with Bob Cox, who worked with a local baker to perfect a recipe for Me-n-Ed's signature thin crust pizza dough, which has since become the stuff of legends.
Through the mid-1960s, the Me-n-Ed's name continued to expand throughout Fresno and Orange County, along with a reputation for making some of the best pizza west of the Mississippi. In the summer of '62, Doug Price (Marcella's 15-year-old nephew) ventured to Fresno from North Battleford, Saskatchewan, to soak up the California sun and work at Me-n-Ed's.
By the time Doug graduated three years later, his Aunt Marcella and Uncle Ben had moved to Orange County, where they were operating Me-n-Ed's restaurants previously owned by Bob Cox. Doug left the prairies and headed to Orange County to go to college, but his plans quickly changed, and he ended up where he really belonged - working for the family business, Me-n-Ed's.
The Watters continued the Me-n-Ed's expansion into Santa Ana, Fullerton, Huntington Beach, Stanton and Long Beach. Then, in 1969, the Watters brought the Me-n-Ed's name north of the border to Burnaby, where the first Me-n-Ed's in Canada opened that summer - managed by 21-year-old co-owner Doug Price.'
Before long, the Burnaby Me-n-Ed's had become a community fixture - albeit more of a pub than a restaurant. Customers would line up to listen to a honky-tonk piano and savour Me-n-Ed's now-famous pizza along with a cold beer. As other neighbourhood pubs began popping up through the years, the Me-n-Ed's atmosphere shifted to one of family, where it remains.
Even now, some 50 years since Me-n-Ed's first came to Canada, you'll still find that same cozy, neighbourly feel that put us on the map - whether you're visiting a Me-n-Ed's in Burnaby, Abbotsford, Coquitlam, Port Coquitlam or Langley.
About Green Mill Restaurant & Bar
A legend has to start somewhere, right? Ours began in St. Paul in 1935.
For forty years, Green Mill was a neighborhood staple & is still the
oldest licensed pub in St. Paul. In 1975, on a trip to Chicago the Green Mill owners fell in love with the deep dish pizza and added their
version of it to the Green Mill menu. What happened next was pizza
history. Word spread. Lines formed. Awards were won. A legend was born.
Proven Concept
* Established in 1975
* Nearly 30 franchised locations
* Winners of over 100 food awards
* Full-service restaurant and bar
* Free-standing locations or hotel experience
- Currently connected to 14 hotel properties
Proven Catering
* On and off-site catering expertise
* Awarded Best Wedding Catering in 2012 by
Mpls.St.Paul Magazine
- Won judges and people's choice
* Best of The Knot 2014
* Best of The Knot 2015
* Cater thousands of events each year
- Weddings
- Banquets
- Business meetings
- Parties
Proven Business Model
* Strong brand
* Helps drive REV PAR in hotel properties
* Low royalty and advertising fees
* Comprehensive operations and training programs
* Ongoing menu development
* Marketing support
Proven Leadership
* Over 100 years of leadership and restaurant experience on team
- Paul Dzubnar, CEO (17 years)
- Mary Jule Erickson, President (31 years)
- John Hinz, CMO (18 years)
- Tim Kreiser, VP of Operations (15 years)
- Pete Waldon, Executive Chef (26 years)