Great Harvest vs Great Canadian Bagel Franchise Comparison

Pete Wakeman had been baking bread most of his life. As a child, he would help his aunt. In high school, he baked for his friends. During summer vacations, he sold bread from the roadside. In 1976, when Wakeman heard about a bakery in Great Falls, Montana, that was going under, he bought it. With the help of his wife, Laura, Wakeman established the Great Harvest Bread Co. and set about baking loaves for people in the Great Falls community. Soon, people from neighboring communities starting asking about setting up their own Great Harvest locations. The first franchise opened in Kalispell, Montana. In 1983, the Wakemans converted their Great Falls bakery into a franchise and moved company headquarters to Dillon, Montana, so they could concentrate on the franchising end of their business. Great Harvest bakeries serve a variety of breads each day including honey whole wheat, white cheddar garlic, sunflower and cranberry orange.

The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Great Harvest bakery cafe franchise in a “Hub” location is $144,100 to $704,873. This includes $35,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or affiliate.

The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Great Harvest bakery cafe franchise in a “Spoke” location is $69,613 to $447,536. This includes $15,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or affiliate.

If you want development rights, you must pay the franchisor a development fee equal to the full initial franchise fee for the first bakery cafe ($35,000) plus a deposit of $7,500 (of the $15,000 initial franchise fee) for each additional bakery cafe you agree to develop. The total investment necessary to begin operation if you acquire development rights is $151,600 to $712,373. This includes $42,500 that must be paid to the franchisor or affiliate.

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In April, 1993 "The Great Canadian Bagel, Ltd." began operations with an initial store in Metropolitan Toronto. Featuring 24 varieties of fresh baked bagels, 21 flavours of cream cheese spreads and a selection of soups, salads, and made-to-order sandwiches, the store was an immediate success.

At The Great Canadian Bagel all bagels are baked fresh from recipes calling for only the finest natural ingredients with no preservatives. The majority of stores are equipped with an on-premise bakery enabling customers to watch the bagels being made and smell the aroma as they are taken from the oven. This combination of high quality product, attractive store atmosphere and their constant focus on providing the highest level of customer service all work together to set The Great Canadian Bagel a notch above the competition in the fast growing Bagel segment of the Foodservice market.