Max & Erma's vs Hard Times Cafe Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Max & Erma's vs Hard Times Cafe including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Max & Erma's Franchise
Hard Times Cafe Franchise
Investment $622,500 - $3,100,000$449,000 - $1,000,000
Franchise Fee $40,000$30,000
Royalty Fee 4%-
Advertising Fee --
Year Founded 1972-
Year Franchised 1998-
Term Of Agreement --
Term Of Agreement --
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Max & Erma's Franchise
Hard Times Cafe Franchise
Experience --

Financing Options

 
Max & Erma's Franchise
Hard Times Cafe 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

 
Max & Erma's Franchise
Hard Times Cafe Franchise
Training --
Support --
Marketing --
Operations --

Expansion Plans

 
Max & Erma's Franchise
Hard Times Cafe Franchise
US Expansion --
Canada Expansion No-
International Expansion No-

Company Overviews

About Max & Erma's

In 1972, Max & Erma created a fun, unique, gourmet hamburger restaurant you could take friends & family to, decorating it with quirky artifacts & local paraphernalia. Since that day, we've been committed to providing our guests with delicious all-American food & friendly service in a relaxed atmosphere the whole neighborhood can enjoy. We've grown over the years, but always remain true to what made us successful - delivering a great guest experience. After all, Max & Erma wouldn't have it any other way.

We believe that a great experience starts with our food. That's why we use the freshest, highest quality ingredients in everything we serve. Freshness and quality are truly the foundations upon which Max & Erma's was built. We make every effort to do things the right way, not the easy way. We believe this dedication and passion is the reason we're better and the reason our guests return more often. Our market research tells us that our guests know what they are going to order before they get to our restaurant because they crave certain items, our signature dishes. Many guest favorites include our delicious Chocolate Chip Cookies, Tomato Mozzarella Chicken Sandwich, Cajun Shrimp & Pasta, Laredo Steak, Santa Fe Salad, Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, Hand-Battered Onion rings and our famous Gourmet Hamburgers.

About Hard Times Cafe

Hard Times Cafe and Hard Times Cafe & Cue is an American Chili Parlor with a 26 year history in the Washington DC area. World Famous for it's Chili recipes, Hard Times serves Chili, Chili Macs, Wings, Onion Rings, Nachos, Chili Dogs, Char-Grilled Burgers and more. To be considered as a Franchisee you must have 5 years restaurant operational experience with a minimum cash investment ability of $200,000 and sufficient net worth to secure financing for the development of a Hard Times Cafe.