Shoney's Restaurants vs Symposium Cafe Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Shoney's Restaurants Franchise
Symposium Cafe Franchise
Investment $568,000 - $2,800,000$625,000 - $675,000
Franchise Fee $25,000 - $35,000$40,000
Royalty Fee 2.5-3.5%4%
Advertising Fee -1%
Year Founded 19681996
Year Franchised 19712004
Term Of Agreement --
Term Of Agreement --
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Shoney's Restaurants Franchise
Symposium Cafe Franchise
Experience

Solid business experience Multi-unit management Proven expertise in retail (food and beverage a plus) Previous franchise experience advantageous

-

Financing Options

 
Shoney's Restaurants Franchise
Symposium 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

 
Shoney's Restaurants Franchise
Symposium Cafe Franchise
Training -3 full months of training for up to three individuals at an existing Symposium Cafe location.
Support -A transition tutor is assigned to directly assist you on a regular basis in your restaurant franchise for a period of 10 weeks. This tutor works closely with you through the opening stages of your cafe, the day-to-day operating systems and procedures to ensure a successful start-up of your restaurant. This program is designed to strengthen and build the Franchise operators commitment to our proven systems. Our unique 10 weeks in-store program is crucial to building your team, establishing a strong customer base, growing restaurant sales and operating a successful Symposium Cafe franchise. The field consulting team provides ongoing support and training through restaurant visits and coaching. They ensure all Symposium Cafe systems, specifications and standards are in place to drive consistent operations and profitable sales. Professional operations staff makes ongoing visits to your restaurant to hear any concerns you may have. They'll also conduct restaurant audits, which expose areas of concern within your operation. Our regional managers work with our Franchisees to develop action plans to correct and eliminate any problems uncovered.
Marketing --
Operations --

Expansion Plans

 
Shoney's Restaurants Franchise
Symposium Cafe Franchise
US Expansion --
Canada Expansion NoYes
International Expansion No-

Company Overviews

About Shoney's Restaurants

Since 1947, Shoney’s has been known for authentic southern dishes that are available for breakfast, lunch, supper and to-go.
Today, after completing an extensive revitalization program that includes a focus on freshly prepared, innovative menu items, beautifully redesigned restaurants with flat screen TV’s and modern furnishings and the commitment to give back to the communities we serve, Shoney’s truly is better than ever.
Shoney’s is a Nashville-based company with more than 140 restaurants located in 16 states. Each restaurant strives to give back and be a pillar to the community, which is the hallmark of Shoney’s culture. We support local schools, sports teams, the military, firefighters, police, EMTs and more.
From San Antonio, Texas to Dover, Ohio and every location in between, our restaurants are committed to partner with the communities we serve.

Grow with us! Make Shoney’s a part of your future and invest in a business you’ll be proud to own.

About Symposium Cafe

The Symposium Cafe Restaurant - a unique cafe and restaurant franchising opportunity, that is both challenging and rewarding and is redefining the cafe experience. Our competitive advantages stem from the foundation of our gourmet restaurant franchises through to the corporate infrastructure, operational systems and support, and our supplier partnerships. Our franchise system guides each of the franchisees through every facet of the restaurant operation. Upon becoming familiar with our system each franchisee will be able to train and develop each of their associates in all areas of the restaurant business. Our system revolves around the philosophy of "Continued Training" to guarantee our team meets and exceeds our dining patrons expectations. All positional training techniques are clearly outlined in our restaurant manuals with easy to implement instructions. Our restaurant cost management system, indexed in our operations manual, is designed to provide you with the necessary tools to completely analyze and understand your restaurant franchises business both from a sale and cost perspective. Informative and educational restaurant symposiums are held with the main focus and discussion revolving around driving and developing our restaurant and patio sales while controlling costs using our proven cafe systems. All of these elements make The Symposium Cafe franchise a successful, rewarding restaurant franchises opportunity.