Great Harvest vs Big Dad's Pies Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Great Harvest vs Big Dad's Pies including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Great Harvest Franchise
Big Dad's Pies Franchise
Investment $69,613 - $704,873$220,000 - $250,000
Franchise Fee $35,000N/A
Royalty Fee 5%-
Advertising Fee 2.5%-
Year Founded 1976-
Year Franchised 1978-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Great Harvest Franchise
Big Dad's Pies Franchise
Experience
  • General business experience
  • No special education or prior experience in our type of business is required for a person to be considered as a possible Big Dad�s Pies franchisee. Even if you haven�t worked in retail before, we will ensure you the opportunity to succeed. It is essential that our franchisees become personally involved in every facet of their business. You should be willing and able to perform all sales, on-site production and other functions required on a daily basis. By recruiting, training and retaining quality staff, the individual demands on you can be lessened, but your personal involvement is essential to maximise the potential of your business.

    Financing Options

     
    Great Harvest Franchise
    Big Dad's Pies 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

     
    Great Harvest Franchise
    Big Dad's Pies Franchise
    Training On-The-Job Training: 120 hours Classroom Training: 120 hours Additional Training: When necessary-
    Support Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Field Operations Site Selection Franchisee Intranet Platform We provide a comprehensive franchise support program: * Regular support & supervision from the franchise team through site visits and telephone support * Ongoing business advice & coaching on how to operate the franchise and improve your bottom line * Assistance with your individual strategic plan * Local Marketing advise specific to your store * Continual improvements & updates to the Franchisee Operations Manual * Research & development of new products * Regular quality control in shop standards across the total franchise network * Quarterly business operations review for every franchisee * Weekly franchisee newsletter * Latest equipment advice * Negotiating product supply agreements
    Marketing Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social media Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/appWe nurture the Big Dad's brand in a number of ways, including: * Point of sale displays * Cross media advertising including newspapers, radio, billboards & flyers * Production of quality advertising & promotional materials * Good internet presence * Excellent signage at every location * Special offers to customers
    Operations 10% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 5 - 7

    Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (100% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    -

    Expansion Plans

     
    Great Harvest Franchise
    Big Dad's Pies Franchise
    US Expansion Yes-
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion Yes-

    Company Overviews

    About Great Harvest

    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.
    Veteran Incentives  15% off franchise fee
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    About Big Dad's Pies

    Over the last few years, Big Dad's Pies has been developing the business with an increased emphasis in establishing well-branded and easily accessed Pie Shops. National expansion plans are now a reality with the recently completed Heathwood manufacturing facility, which includes five large SNAP freezers. The SNAP freezers (a $500 000 investment), which were commissioned in December 2008, will enable products to be produced in advance and stored in the freezers so that not only will product shortage never be a problem, but now products can be delivered to stores at greater distances away from the manufacturing facility. Previously stores had to be located within a 20 km radius to the manufacturing facility to ensure a fresh product could be delivered each day. Now product can be produced, frozen and then delivered via freezer trucks to stores around Australia.
    Benefits of owning a Big Dad's Pie Shop * Excellent range of products * No trade qualifications needed * Low operating costs * Strong, yet managed growth * Operate out of sites from 60m2 * Work well as both stand alone and strip mall sites without the demands of shopping centre food courts * High customer service standards * Excellent well managed branding * Upfront and ongoing training * Benefits of group purchasing * Site identification, lease negotiation & store design * Excellent support & leadership * Ready to bake products * Is a turn-key operation * Standardised products & systems * Cash based takings * Professionally developed franchise system * Comprehensive operations manual * Modern well-equipped new store * Ongoing research and development * Touch screen Point of Sale system with excellent reporting capabilities