Farmer Boys vs O'Brien's Irish Sandwich Bars Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Farmer Boys vs O'Brien's Irish Sandwich Bars including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Farmer Boys Franchise
O'Brien's Irish Sandwich Bars Franchise
Investment $1,042,500 - $2,486,500$400,000 - $610,000
Franchise Fee $45,000$32,000
Royalty Fee 5%-
Advertising Fee 3%-
Year Founded 1981-
Year Franchised 1997-
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Farmer Boys Franchise
O'Brien's Irish Sandwich Bars Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
  • General business experience
    		• -

    Financing Options
     
    Farmer Boys Franchise
    O'Brien's Irish Sandwich Bars Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/Yes-/-
    Start-up Costs No/Yes-/-
    Equipment No/Yes-/-
    Inventory No/No-/-
    Receivables No/No-/-
    Payroll No/No-/-

    Training & Support
     
    Farmer Boys Franchise
    O'Brien's Irish Sandwich Bars Franchise
    Training On-The-Job Training: 480 hours Classroom Training: 60 hours -
    Support Purchasing Co-ops 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 Templates Regional Advertising Social media SEO Loyalty program/app -
    Operations 20% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 30

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    		-

    Expansion Plans
     
    Farmer Boys Franchise
    O'Brien's Irish Sandwich Bars Franchise
    US Expansion Yes-
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion No-

    Company Overviews

    About Farmer Boys

    During the 1970s, brothers Makis and Chris Havadjias worked in restaurants to earn money for college. They helped the owners of one of those restaurants rebuild the establishment, and later bought it. With the experience they gained at that first restaurant, the brothers bought a poorly performing restaurant in Perris, California, that they built into Farmer Boys. With the help of their three other brothers, the Havadjias expanded Farmer Boys throughout Riverside and San Bernardino counties in Southern California. Each location serves hamburgers, sandwiches, salads and a full breakfast menu. The company began franchising in 1998.

    #128 in Franchise 500 for 2021. Not ranked in 2020.

    About O'Brien's Irish Sandwich Bars

    While the focus for O'Briens has always been on healthier choices, they constantly strive to introduce a more ethical way of doing business with organic deli dishes and snacks, a wide variety of gourmet coffees where a growing percentage of beans come direct from the grower, and Fairtrade and organic tea. O'Briens has a greater variety within its Tossed Salads and healthy Wrappo ranges, which are perfect for lighter meals during the warmer spring and summer months. For autumn and winter, the menu moves more towards the warming hot organic roast carvery, traditional and specialty soups, not to mention toasted sandwiches, in all shapes and forms. O'Briens has more than 300 stores providing the healthy food option in 13 countries across Europe, Asia, Australia and Africa. Their reputation has been shaped on their famous made-to-order hot or cold sandwiches.