Me-N-Ed's Pizzerias vs Buscemi's Pizza Franchise Comparison
Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Me-N-Ed's Pizzerias vs Buscemi's Pizza including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
Investment |
$175,000 - $486,000 | $36,000 - $55,000 |
Franchise Fee |
$25,000 | $10,000 |
Royalty Fee |
5% | $700/ month |
Advertising Fee |
- | - |
Year Founded |
1958 | 1955 |
Year Franchised |
1958 | 0 |
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 | -/- |
Start-up Costs |
No/No | -/- |
Equipment |
No/No | -/- |
Inventory |
No/No | -/- |
Receivables |
No/No | -/- |
Payroll |
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 | - |
International Expansion |
Yes | - |
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 Buscemi's Pizza
In the years ahead, the outlook for the franchise food industry is impressive. More families are eating out, and homemade prepared Italian foods are in ....so is Buscemi's.The 2000's have held great potential, particularly for the Original Buscemi's because it appeals to the population of Americans who have been brought up on convenience, fast foods and an informal way of life. Nationwide convenience store chains are adding brand name fast food operation to their stores.
Many working parents today have raised their families on convenience foods and an "eat-as-you-can" basis. These facts bring our ideas right into focus: Americans today, because of their fast pace and many activities, would just as soon "grab a bite on the way".
With Pizza and Subs being two of the most popular foods, gaining to be the favorites, we feel that Buscemis's provides the answer to a hungry America.
After you've read over the material on this website and taken all necessary considerations, we think you'll be convinced, as we are, that there is a great future in Buscemi's.
Buscemi’s present competition comes from single unit operators of party
stores. Consequently, as the only party store chain of any real size in
Michigan, Buscemi’s has for years enjoyed a good measure of leadership
in the Southeastern Michigan marketplace.
Management believes the superior food products and services offered
in the Buscemi’s Party Shoppes, if coupled with greater marketing and
advertising, could place the Company in a truly dominant position in
Michigan. If rapid growth can be attained in the Michigan market area, Buscemi’s may eventually consider expansion into the national market for
party and convenience stores.
Growth in Michigan will be through the conversion of existing party
and liquor stores in southeastern Michigan, which hold state liquor,
beer and wine licenses, and lottery licenses. New licenses are becoming
increasingly difficult to obtain, so the purchase of an existing license
is a much surer method. These stores will then be converted by
remodeling with a new Buscemi’s decor package, signage and menu. The
Submarine sandwiches. Such stores can be converted to the Buscemi’s concept and reopened in as little as 60-90 days.
The initial focus for selling new franchises will be accomplished
through store conversions and offering reduced franchise fees and
royalty payments to persons who convert their stores to Buscemi’s Party Shoppes.