Friendly's Restaurants vs Black Bear Diners Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Friendly's Restaurants vs Black Bear Diners including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
 
Friendly's Restaurants Franchise
Black Bear Diners Franchise
Investment $498,500 - $1,950,000$1,133,800 - $2,114,200
Franchise Fee $30,000 - $35,000$55,000
Royalty Fee 4%4.5%
Advertising Fee 3.5%1%
Year Founded 19351995
Year Franchised 19962002
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Term Of Agreement 20 years-
Renewal Fee $5K-


Business Experience Requirements
 
Friendly's Restaurants Franchise
Black Bear Diners Franchise
Experience
  • Industry experience
    		• -

    Financing Options
     
    Friendly's Restaurants Franchise
    Black Bear Diners 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
     
    Friendly's Restaurants Franchise
    Black Bear Diners Franchise
    Training - On-The-Job Training: 240 hours Additional Training: At certified training restaurants
    Support Newsletter, Meetings, Toll-free phone line, Grand opening, Internet, Security/safety procedures, Field operations/evaluationsNewsletter Meetings/Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Field Operations Franchisee Intranet Platform
    Marketing Ad slicks, National media Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing
    Operations Franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 62% of all franchisees own more than one unit

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

    		Number of Employees Required to Run: 65

    Expansion Plans
     
    Friendly's Restaurants Franchise
    Black Bear Diners Franchise
    US Expansion YesYes
    Canada Expansion No-
    International Expansion No-

    Company Overviews

    About Friendly's Restaurants

    In Springfield, Massachusetts at the height of the Great Depression in 1935, 20 year-old Prestley Blake and his 18 year-old brother Curtis opened an ice cream shop called 'Friendly' that served double-dip cones for 5 cents. The brothers opened a second shop five years later in West Springfield, Massachusetts and added food to the menu. Within a decade, locations opened throughout western Massachusetts and Connecticut. In 1988 Donald N. Smith, the company's current CEO, purchased the company and a year later added an 's' to the name, making it 'Friendly's.'

    In May 2000, Friendly's introduced a new food and dessert menu featuring colossal burgers, sandwich wraps, splits, sundaes and Cyclones. Friendly's produces 10 million snack cups and 230,000 gallons of fudge every year. In addition to its restaurants and cafes, Friendly's manufactures a complete line of frozen desserts.

    About Black Bear Diners

    Black Bear Diner is proud of the training and support we provide to our franchisees. Through this we have earned the honor of being one of Franchise Business Review’s “Top 50 Franchisors” for two years. We have an experienced support team to make sure you and your staff are fully supported and well trained.

    "Entrepreneur
    #469 in Franchise 500 for 2020.