Hard Rock Cafe vs Applebee's Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Hard Rock Cafe Franchise
Applebee's Franchise
Investment $2,995,000 - $4,910,000$2,009,038 - $8,267,250
Franchise Fee $350,000 - $750,000$35,000
Royalty Fee -4% initially, 5% possible after
Advertising Fee -not less than 4%
Year Founded -1980
Year Franchised -2014
Term Of Agreement --
Term Of Agreement --
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Hard Rock Cafe Franchise
Applebee's Franchise
Experience -Our Ideal Franchise Partner -Is committed to a long term franchise relationship built on trust and respect -Knows how to build a brand -Understands that accessible pricing and value are core components of casual dining -Has prior hospitality experience or knowledge, particularly in critical areas like supply chain, quality assurance, real estate development, and marketing -Has or will have infrastructure dedicated to the development of our brand -Has material liquidity and net worth, with access to capital -Has a track record of developing multi-unit restaurant systems

Financing Options

 
Hard Rock Cafe Franchise
Applebee's Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees -/--/-
Start-up Costs -/--/-
Equipment -/--/-
Inventory -/--/-
Receivables -/--/-
Payroll -/--/-

Training & Support

 
Hard Rock Cafe Franchise
Applebee's Franchise
Training --
Support --
Marketing --
Operations --

Expansion Plans

 
Hard Rock Cafe Franchise
Applebee's Franchise
US Expansion -Yes
Canada Expansion NoNo
International Expansion NoYes

Company Overviews

About Hard Rock Cafe

You can buy an international Hard Rock Cafe franchise in Canada, Asia, Europe, the Caribbean, South America or South Africa. However, the chain is not expanding in the United States at the time of publication. The company franchises to other companies with substantial assets, as it estimates a new Hard Rock Cafe has initial costs of about $3 million to $5 million depending on size and location. Merchandise sales account for more than 40 percent of franchise income.

About Applebee's

Applebee's is the largest casual dining chain in the world with sales of $4.7 billion in 2006. Already the business staple of friendly casual dining, Applebee's is pursuing expansion opportunities, and is looking for individuals/firms with a serious interest in developing our successful brand internationally. For years Applebee's has embraced neighborhood culture, providing high-quality food and drinks in a friendly and informal atmosphere. Compared to the competition, Applebee's consistently delivers food to the consumer faster as well as more affordably. We plan to take this same mantra abroad, creating a warm, inviting dining experience designed around location-specific demographics and customer preference information.

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