East Coast Wings vs Buffalo's Southwest Cafe Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
East Coast Wings Franchise
Buffalo's Southwest Cafe Franchise
Investment $661,375 - $1,098,570$491,500 - $1,464,000
Franchise Fee $40,000$50,000
Royalty Fee 5%6%
Advertising Fee 2%2%
Year Founded 19951985
Year Franchised 20041989
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Term Of Agreement 10 years-
Renewal Fee 25% of then current fee-


Business Experience Requirements

 
East Coast Wings 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

 
East Coast Wings Franchise
Buffalo's Southwest Cafe Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-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

 
East Coast Wings Franchise
Buffalo's Southwest Cafe Franchise
Training On-The-Job Training: 240 hours Classroom Training: 48 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 Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Franchisee Intranet Platform 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 Co-op Advertising Ad Templates Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app 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: 25 - 50

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

 
East Coast Wings Franchise
Buffalo's Southwest Cafe Franchise
US Expansion Yes-
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion Yes-

Company Overviews

About East Coast Wings

East Coast Wings & Grill is a casual dining full service and counter service restaurant with an emphasis of buffalo style wings. East Coast Wings was originally founded in 1995. In 2000, Steve G. Kontos bought the concept, and in 2002, Sam G. Ballas joined with him, and re-organized it to what today's patrons know as "East Coast Wings & Grill".
With their 46 years of combined restaurant experience, East Coast Wings & Grill has become a local favorite in all markets the brand has entered.
 National Winner 1st place - Traditional hot sauce and 2nd place - creative spicy
 Our famous wings have consistently won, "Best Wings" in most all markets entered. And to boot, our brand has a very diversified menu: with our overstuffed sandwiches, super salads, deli style specialties and taste-tempting appetizers.
Unique to East Coast Wings & Grill is our over 75 different flavors and 675 combinations of wings - Teriyaki Ginger Garlic, Honey Barbeque, Mango Habanero, Jamaican Jerk, Blue Cheese, Honey Mustard, Bourbon Street, Kickin' Thai, Cajun and many more.
Our infamous Buffalo Shrimp, which is available in our 75 flavors, 9 heat indexes and 675 combinations, has quickly become the next best thing to our famous wings.

Veteran Incentives  $5,000 off franchise fee

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.