Great Harvest vs Original Cupcakes Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Great Harvest Franchise
Original Cupcakes Franchise
Investment $69,613 - $704,873$267,500 - $381,000
Franchise Fee $35,000$50,000
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
Original Cupcakes Franchise
Experience
  • General business experience
    		• -

    Financing Options
     
    Great Harvest Franchise
    Original Cupcakes 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
    Original Cupcakes 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 -
    Marketing Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social media Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app-
    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
    Original Cupcakes 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 Original Cupcakes

    Founded by best friends Heather White and Lori Joyce in 2002, Cupcakes bakes their products from scratch and uses preservative-free, basic ingredients, offering customers fresh batches of yummy goodness daily.

    The Cupcakes trademark has been globally recognized as the original cupcakes bakery. It was also the Cupcakes Bakery featured on the hit reality TV Show called, ‘The Cupcake Girls’ on the W Network. The TV Show airs in 90 countries worldwide, including the USA, Asia, and Latin America. The Cupcakes brand stands for fun, nostalgia, and celebration!

     Cupcakes has established the following minimum franchisee requirements: -You must have a minimum of 2 years business and/or management experience -You must be prepared to work full time in your store(s) with eagerness and enthusiasm -You must be in good health; operating your own business can be physically and mentally demanding -You must be willing to follow the systems and manuals provided to you by Cupcakes.
    In addition, every Franchisee must have, at a minimum, a satisfactory financial rating and the ability to finance the total capital investment, ongoing operating costs and working capital for the store as required.