Big Apple Bagels vs CafeMia Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Big Apple Bagels vs CafeMia including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Big Apple Bagels Franchise
CafeMia Franchise
Investment $298,000 - $405,000$221,000 - $374,000
Franchise Fee $25,000$25,000
Royalty Fee 5%4.5%
Advertising Fee 3%2% local +2%Nat'l
Year Founded 1993-
Year Franchised 1993-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements
 
Big Apple Bagels Franchise
CafeMia Franchise
Experience
  • General business experience
    		• -

    Financing Options
     
    Big Apple Bagels Franchise
    CafeMia Franchise
      In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
    Franchise Fees No/No-/-
    Start-up Costs No/No-/-
    Equipment No/No-/-
    Inventory No/No-/-
    Receivables No/No-/-
    Payroll No/No-/-

    Training & Support
     
    Big Apple Bagels Franchise
    CafeMia Franchise
    Training Our Training Sets Your Business Apart! Our goal is to help you achieve excellence in every aspect of your business. Towards that ambitious goal, you and your key personnel will receive intensive training that covers all areas of the operation. Our training program, comprised of hands-on learning in our company-owned location and classroom instruction includes:
  • Day-to-day restaurant operations
  • Hiring, training, and retaining good employees
  • Maintaining financial controls
  • Orientation to your Marketing team that will coordinate your local advertising
  • Operational training at your location as you open
    		• Caf�Mia provides franchisees with a comprehensive training program at its headquarters in North Carolina. This program includes a combination of classroom and in-store hands-on training. We will also provide on-site pre-opening support via our field training team prior to opening of each new store.
    Support Our Support Sets Your Business Apart! As a franchisor, BAB Systems, Inc. has always focused heavily on the level of support it provides to its franchisees and the importance of open lines of communication to foster strong franchisee relationships. Franchisees know they can count on us to watch our position within the industry and do what it takes to keep up with ever-changing consumer preferences and innovations in franchise support. Of course, since the first franchise, technological advancements have changed the face of franchising. Accordingly, as its product offering has evolved, so has its franchise support program, which now includes an exclusive franchise intranet web site. As a BAB Systems, Inc. franchisee, you'll receive guidance and assistance with the key steps involved in getting your new business up and running. Pre-opening support includes:
  • Site selection assistance.
  • Restaurant layout and design.
  • Coordination with national and regional suppliers.
  • Equipment, merchandise and services at negotiated rates.
  • Grand Opening marketing campaign.
  • Full seasonal marketing strategies, complete with compact disc for local production of advertising and other marketing materials.
  • E-Mail subscription program, through which participating franchisees are kept informed up to the minute on important breaking news as well as surveyed for their feedback.
  • A password-protected BAB Franchisee Intranet featuring a download center, on-line sales reporting, resource center and trading post. The BAB Systems, Inc. franchise program is designed to help franchise owners reach their individual growth potential. Whether you are interested in owning one or several BAB Systems, Inc. stores, we'll work with you to determine the growth options that are right for you.
    		• * operating manuals & training documentation; * site selection & demographic research; * real estate support; * business planning services; * complete equipment package specification; * modular store design plans; * full training program for store managers and employees; * branded packaging, marketing and merchandising material; * on-going 24/7 support; * use of registered Caf�Mia� name and logo
    Marketing Ad slicks, Regional advertising-
    Operations International franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 20% of all franchisees own more than one unit

    Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 15

    Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (80% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

    		-

    Expansion Plans
     
    Big Apple Bagels Franchise
    CafeMia Franchise
    US Expansion --
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion Yes-

    Company Overviews

    About Big Apple Bagels

    Big Apple Bagels is on the forefront of the fast casual dining boom. We stand apart from the crowd with growth and consumer appeal because of our commitment to excellence in all aspects of our business. The Big Apple Bagels restaurant concept was developed to delight not only customers, but our franchise owner-operators as well. As a Big Apple Bagels franchisee, you'll be able to produce freshly baked Big Apple Bagels brand bagels, My Favorite Muffin brand gourmet muffins, a wide assortment of delicious sandwiches and salads, and serve our own Brewster's brand of brewed coffee and specialty drinks. The Big Apple Bagels menu offers a broad range of lunch options to round out our menu and keep our customers coming back. Unlike other sandwich concepts, Big Apple Bagels has a proven breakfast program. With the strength of the Big Apple Bagels, My Favorite Muffin and Brewster's coffee brands your restaurant doubles as a bakery-cafe. As another example of its multiple identities, the restaurant is not only a retail destination, but also a wholesale distributorship from which your baked-from-scratch bagels and muffins can be sold in bulk to corporate clients, restaurants, convenience stores and other businesses for resale. If you've been to one of our restaurants, you've seen -- and tasted -- what keeps our customers coming back for more: Big freshly baked bagels, made from scratch ... enhanced with our exclusive varieties of cream cheese, or made into a fresh deli or breakfast sandwich ... served with a cup of one of our gourmet Brewster's coffees.

    The total initial investment necessary to begin operation of your first Big Apple Bagels Production Store ranges from $298,000 - $405,000, including $32,500 you must pay the franchisor or its affiliates.
    The total initial investment necessary to begin operation of your first Big Apple Bagels Satellite Store ranges from $104,250 - $283,000, including $18,000 you must pay the franchisor or its affiliates.
    The total investment necessary to begin operation of your franchised Big Apple Bagels Area Development business is from $45,000 to $205,000, all of which you must pay the franchisor. That investment is in addition to the initial investment for your Big Apple Bagels Store. Under the Area Development Agreement, you must open a minimum of 2 Big Apple Bagels Stores.






    About CafeMia

    IT WOULD APPEAR CAFEMIA IS CLOSED Caf�Mia is a remarkable gelato boutique. Balanced revenue model. The "ice cream-only" model is an extremely risky proposition in a highly competitive retail world. Although freshly-made gelato is clearly the centerpiece of Caf�Mia's product offerings� we are much more than just a gelato shop. We have designed our product offerings to address four distinct ‘dayparts' which create a very stable revenue stream. Very few competitors do this. None do it as well as Caf�Mia. Simple operations. Our store procedures, recipes and management systems have been designed to facilitate day to day operations and create a consistent experience. We are not a full service restaurant� we aim for stores no larger than 2,000 square feet in order to keep things simple, streamlined and consistent. Remarkable products. Every Caf�Mia product offering has a "wow factor". The gelato is fresh, silky and intensely flavored. The paninis are made using warm, crusty ciabatta bread and premium ingredients. The chocolates and pastries are blissful and indulgent. In short, everything has been selected to create a unique customer experience. Gelato is big and getting bigger. The frozen desserts in the U.S. represent more than a $21 billion market. The super premium segment has grown twice the rate of the overall industry. People clearly love really good ice cream. Gelato is merely the purest, most indulgent, healthiest form of ice cream in the world. Gelato buzz getting stronger all the time. Caf�Mia is the best positioned company to take advantage of this major market opportunity.