Great American Cookie Company vs Mara's Cafe and Bakery Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Great American Cookie Company vs Mara's Cafe and Bakery including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees
	Great American Cookie Company Franchise	Mara's Cafe and Bakery Franchise
Investment	$177,700 - $476,135	N/A
Franchise Fee	$15,000 - $35,000	$25,000
Royalty Fee	6%	5%
Advertising Fee	1.5%	2% local + 1% Nat'l
Year Founded	1977	1984
Year Franchised	1977	2004
Term Of Agreement	Concurrent with lease	10 years
Term Of Agreement	Concurrent with lease	10 years
Renewal Fee	-	-
Business Experience Requirements
	Great American Cookie Company Franchise	Mara's Cafe and Bakery Franchise
Experience	Industry experience General business experience Marketing skills	We are seeking motivated owner-operators with solid restaurant operating experience to join our system. In exchange, we will provide the tools and training you need to run your own Mara�s Caf� & Bakery location. We do, of course, also expect that you have the right amount of capital to invest in the franchise.
Financing Options
	Great American Cookie Company Franchise	Mara's Cafe and Bakery Franchise
	In-House/3rd Party	In-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees	No/Yes	-/-
Start-up Costs	No/Yes	-/-
Equipment	No/Yes	-/-
Inventory	No/Yes	-/-
Receivables	No/No	-/-
Payroll	No/No	-/-
Training & Support
	Great American Cookie Company Franchise	Mara's Cafe and Bakery Franchise
Training	On-The-Job Training: 37 hours Classroom Training: 36.5 hours	Franchise owners and their key management staff will receive at least two weeks and up to three weeks of training, including both classroom and on-the-job training.
Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Field Operations Site Selection	Your team will receive five days of onsite help at your own location around the time of your grand opening. You will have access to all Mara's Caf� & Bakery trademarks, recipes and supply chains, and our unique operational procedures. And, we'll provide you with a copy of our confidential operations manual to help you run your caf� properly.
Marketing	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app	-
Operations	Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed.	-
Expansion Plans
	Great American Cookie Company Franchise	Mara's Cafe and Bakery Franchise
US Expansion	-	Yes
Canada Expansion	No	-
International Expansion	No	-

Company Overviews

About Great American Cookie Company

Beginning an establishment is an interest in your vocation AND your group! Don't you need to be the one to convey the treat cake to your neighborhood?

On August 24, 1998, Mrs. Fields Original Cookies Inc. procured the organization. Mrs. Fields Famous Brands incorporates The Original Cookie Company, Pretzel Time, Hot Sam, Pretzelmaker and Mrs. Fields Cookies

Franchisor is seeking new franchise units throughout the U.S., Africa, Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Canada, Central America, Middle East, Mexico, South America

Veteran Incentives  25% off first-store franchise fee

About Mara's Cafe and Bakery

The concept behind Mara's Cafe & Bakery got its start in 1984 when Mara and Glenn's "mom and pop" business began offering customers the highest quality, delectable desserts made fresh in our own bakery and served with freshly roasted coffee. It was with the encouragement of our family and friends that we began creating delicious desserts from traditional family recipes and Glenn, a coffee perfectionist, distinguished a unique line of roasted coffee products. It wasn't long before we had customers coming in and out daily, requesting more of their favorite tasty treats and coffee beverages!

In 2004, sons Ian and Devan joined the family business with great plans of expansion. After nearly twenty years of establishing a reputation for serving up the best coffee and desserts in town, we knew it was time to expand not only our business, but our menu as well. The first Mara's Cafe & Bakery was opened in Denville, NJ. With the addition of sandwiches, salads, wraps, and more, this simple "mom and pop" concept quickly became a family-run business - and the dining destination of choice during all hours of the day. Customers from all over soon realized Mara's was the best place to enjoy a delicious meal in a cozy atmosphere and began asking for more locations within their own communities. Thus, the idea to franchise our concept was conceived - after all, we couldn't let our customers down!

Now is the time for you to take advantage of this incredible opportunity and bring our amazing concept to your home town. Discover how becoming a Mara's Cafe & Bakery franchise owner can be the greatest reward of your career - and possibly your life. With the help of our team of experts, our exclusive, award-winning recipes, and our time- tested business model, opening your own Mara's Cafe & Bakery could be as easy as.... pie!

We sincerely appreciate your interest in Mara's Cafe & Bakery, The Magley Family