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Updated RecentlyHappy Joe's vs Mellow Mushroom Pizza Franchise Comparison
Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Happy Joe's vs Mellow Mushroom 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 | $24,470 - $1,030,625 | $1,624,000 |
| Franchise Fee | $15,000 - $17,000 | $50,000 |
| Royalty Fee | 4.5%-5% | - |
| Advertising Fee | 1.5% | 2% |
| Year Founded | 1972 | - |
| Year Franchised | 1973 | - |
| Term Of Agreement | 15 years | 15 years +5 |
| Term Of Agreement | 15 years | 15 years +5 |
| Renewal Fee | 10% of fee or $2K | - |
Business Experience Requirements |
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| Experience | - | |
Financing Options |
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| In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
| Franchise Fees | No/Yes | No/- |
| Start-up Costs | No/Yes | No/- |
| Equipment | No/Yes | No/- |
| Inventory | No/Yes | No/- |
| Receivables | No/Yes | No/- |
| Payroll | No/Yes | No/- |
Training & Support |
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| Training | On-The-Job Training: 300 hours Classroom Training: 40 hours | Your ownership group and senior management staff will train for three weeks at our Shroom University training facility in Douglasville, Georgia prior to opening. When your store opens our training staff will assist you for a week prior to opening, and for two weeks after the opening. Shroom University offers a comprehensive program designed to teach you about the Front of House, Back of House, and Administrative aspects of running a Mellow Mushroom. You and your managers will learn how to make food, place orders, hire and retain personnel & maintain your POS system and mine the data it collects. A special emphasis is given to teaching you proven methods of supervising your store to decrease food and labor costs and increase cash flow. Quality control systems are also shared with you at Shroom University, and you will be provided with several financial and cost management spreadsheets. |
| Support | Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software | Members of our operations team will visit your store(s) to ensure that our standards and practices are being upheld. These visits are also opportunities for us to continue to train your staff and help train any new employees. Our operations team will also help you implement new initiatives that are developed in conjunction with the marketing department. Our marketing team will advise you on coordinating local promotions and create collection-wide campaigns in which your store can participate. The marketing team will also provide you with designs for business cards, banners, stickers, magnets, and spec ads for use in your local market. |
| Marketing | Co-op Advertising Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social media Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app | - |
| Operations |
33% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 45 Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators) | - |
Expansion Plans |
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| US Expansion | Yes | - |
| Canada Expansion | No | - |
| International Expansion | Yes | - |
Company Overviews
About Happy Joe's
Lawrence Joseph Whitty had worked in the bakery business for years before becoming an assistant manager at a Shakey's pizzeria. He decided to combine his baking skills with the experience he had gained from working at a pizza restaurant, where he would often hear families decide to go out for ice cream for dessert. Combining pizza and ice cream, Whitty opened the first Happy Joe's Pizza & Ice Cream Parlor in East Davenport, Iowa, in 1972. His signature item was the Happy Joe's Special, a pizza with Canadian bacon and sauerkraut that Whitty created from leftovers in his mother's kitchen. After a franchisee suggested adding tacos to the menu, Whitty created the restaurant's best-selling product, the Taco Pizza.
Seeking new franchisees in the following regions/states:
Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota and Wisconsin
The total investment necessary to begin operations of a Happy Joe’s Full
Size Restaurant or Happy Joe’s PizzaGrille Restaurant is $279,750 to
$1,030,625. This includes $0 to $16,500 that must be paid to the
franchisor or an affiliate.
The total investment necessary to begin
operations of a Happy Joe’s DELCO Facility is $164,500 to $423,000. This
includes the $0 to $16,500 that must be paid to the franchisor or an
affiliate.
The total investment to begin operations of a Happy Joe’s
Satellite ranges from $24,470 to $132,340. This includes the $0 to
$16,500 paid to the franchisor or an affiliate.
The total investment necessary to begin operations of a Happy Joe’s Area
Developer business ranges from $17,625 to $94,100. This includes the
development fee ranging from $15,000 to $45,000 that must be paid to the
franchisor.
About Mellow Mushroom Pizza
The Mellow Mushroom experience is unique in the restaurant industry. We have been operating outside the perimeters of traditional casual dining for over 30 years. As an owner, you are submersed into a world of boundless creativity. The brand allows for great expression and individuality. My Mellow Mushroom is successful because I serve Mellow Mushroom products in a restaurant that feels like it is my own. The atmosphere entices you to take pride in being a quality operator. Simply said, I want to be in my own Mellow Mushroom. It is the kind of place I want to hang out in. The culture and community are second only to the quality of food; and this is what sets us apart from other restaurants. There is no other Mellow like my Mellow.
Congratulations! You are on your way to owning your slice of the pie! Owning and operating a Mellow Mushroom is an exciting, life-altering journey.
The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Mellow Mushroom
restaurant franchise ranges from $1,624,000 to $2,391,000 if you lease
shell premises for the Restaurant, from $1,624,000 to $2,591,000 if you
lease premises for the Restaurant that must be retrofit, and from
$2,824,000 to $4,498,000 if you buy the real estate upon which you will
construct a new building for the Restaurant. This includes between
$78,000 and $88,500 that must be paid to the franchisor or affiliate. If
you want development rights, you must pay us a development fee equal to
$50,000 (the initial franchise fee for the first Restaurant) plus a
$25,000 deposit for each additional Restaurant’s initial franchise fee.
The total investment necessary to begin operation if you acquire
development rights is $1,649,000 to $4,523,000 (depending on your real
estate decision). This includes $78,000 to $113,500 that must be paid to
the franchisor or affiliate.