The Flame Broiler Restaurant vs Buffalo's Southwest Cafe Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of The Flame Broiler Restaurant vs Buffalo's Southwest Cafe including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
The Flame Broiler Restaurant Franchise
Buffalo's Southwest Cafe Franchise
Investment $380,116 - $609,763$491,500 - $1,464,000
Franchise Fee $35,000$50,000
Royalty Fee 5%6%
Advertising Fee 3%2%
Year Founded 19951985
Year Franchised 19991989
Term Of Agreement --
Term Of Agreement --
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
The Flame Broiler Restaurant Franchise
Buffalo's Southwest Cafe Franchise
Experience -
  • Buffalo's requires a minimum net worth of $1,500,000 (excluding automobiles, furnishings and personal residences), with a minimum of $500,000 in liquid assets. Liquid assets are defined as those which can be converted to cash within thirty (30 days).
  • The cost of establishing a Buffalo's restaurant will vary according to the size of the facility, relative land issues and the extent of necessary leasehold improvements. Twenty-five percent of the total cost must be funded from personal resources. The remainder may be funded through traditional financial institutions or our approved lending sources.

Financing Options

 
The Flame Broiler Restaurant Franchise
Buffalo's Southwest Cafe Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees -/--/-
Start-up Costs -/--/-
Equipment -/--/-
Inventory -/--/-
Receivables -/--/-
Payroll -/--/-

Training & Support

 
The Flame Broiler Restaurant Franchise
Buffalo's Southwest Cafe Franchise
Training On-The-Job Training: 68-148 hours Classroom Training: 12 hours Proper training is absolutely essential for maintaining the consistency and integrity of the Buffalo's operation. To that end, we set rigorous standards for staff development. Franchisees will receive a detailed and comprehensive curriculum on operating their Buffalo's business. Every franchisee receives a set of Buffalo's manuals containing the entire training program. These can be kept on hand for reference to direct their daily operations. They provide quick and convenient information -- answering franchisee's questions regarding all operating procedures. Before a Franchisee can open their first Buffalo’s Cafe restaurant, the proposed primary operators of the restaurant will attend the Buffalo’s Cafe training course for 4-6 weeks. A Principal Owner will also participate in a 2 week Executive Training program. The franchisee is responsible for all costs incurred including travel and lodging of the management team
Support Meetings/Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations When a franchisee joins the Buffalo's Cafe family they benefit from the experience of a professional management team and a well-thought-out plan to help get their store(s) up and running quickly. When a franchisee joins the Buffalo's Cafe family, they receive support from an organization committed to success.
Marketing Regional Advertising Following the development of a new site, the Buffalo's Cafe New Store Opening Guide and marketing department will assist a franchisee in planning their store opening. Franchisee's can rest assured that the Buffalo's team will be there to make sure the opening is a successful one. A handy Local Store Marketing Guide full of great promotional ideas and instructions for building store traffic is also available to franchisees.
Operations Absentee Ownership Allowed

Number of Employees Required to Run: 8

Each franchisee is assigned a Buffalo's Cafe Franchise Consultant. The Buffalo's Cafe Franchise Consultants are available at all times to support franchisees, assure consistency of the Buffalo's Cafe brand and to assist franchisees in all areas of operations including financial analysis, marketing promotions and vendor selection.

Expansion Plans

 
The Flame Broiler Restaurant Franchise
Buffalo's Southwest Cafe Franchise
US Expansion Yes-
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion No-

Company Overviews

About The Flame Broiler Restaurant

The first The Flame Broiler, The Rice Bowl King restaurant opened in 1995 in Fullerton, California. Young Lee, who had graduated from UCLA with a degree in Economics and had joined the workforce, often found himself on the road during his workday. As a result, he often found himself grabbing a quick bite to eat for lunch at many different fast food restaurants. Very entrepreneurial in nature, Young Lee set out to create a better, healthier alternative to the fast food he had to choose from while working. This led him to open the first The Flame Broiler, The Rice Bowl King restaurant, which served simple, healthy, fast food and family-style Korean food.

Word about the new restaurant spread, and Young Lee found himself extremely busy during lunch. He quickly developed a very broad customer base; The Flame Broiler, The Rice Bowl King appealed to all ethnicities. The restaurant was a success. Not only did the concept appeal to a diverse group of people, but Young Lee was able to operate on a very low budget, with virtually no waste.

Because of the restaurant’s popularity and success, Young Lee opened a second restaurant in Santa Ana in 1995. Both restaurants have continued to prosper over the years. Then in April of 1999, Young Lee opened a third restaurant in Anaheim, which would be owned and run by his brother. And he has also developed his own proprietary recipe for the Teriyaki sauce served at The Flame Broiler The Rice Bowl King.

Word about The Flame Broiler The Rice Bowl King continued to spread. The Flame Broiler The Rice Bowl King had become so popular on the West Coast that customers began asking Young Lee to franchise, which is what he decided to do in 1999. Young Lee saw franchising as a way to provide even more customers with a better, healthy alternative to fast food while maintaining the high level of service and food quality for which The Flame Broiler The Rice Bowl King is so well known.

Young Lee realizes that franchisees, who have a vested interest in their businesses, will be more dedicated partners in the growth process. By successfully operating their individual The Flame Broiler The Rice Bowl King restaurants, the entire franchise network will have the ability to expand (first through California, then across the nation and eventually internationally), benefit from each others' innovations, and maintain long-term stability. He also realizes that future growth and success can be achieved through the combined efforts of franchisees who have ownership in a business and who have ties to their local communities.

About Buffalo's Southwest Cafe

Our first restaurant opened its doors in 1985 in Roswell, Georgia. Since then, we’ve grown to over 25 Buffalo’s Cafe restaurants around the world (with plenty more coming soon to a city near you). Revered by our fans for our world-famous buffalo-style chicken wings and sauces - Buffalo’s Cafe is committed to serving the highest quality, fresh never frozen, buffalo-style chicken wings and sauces in a family-friendly environment with an exceptional guest experience. Most importantly, all you really need to know "About Us” are these two things: Wings and Family. Why are these so important to us? Because that’s what our fans want and that’s what we care about - making our fans happy.
For qualified individuals, Buffalo's Southwest Cafe can be a great opportunity for single or multi-unit operators.