Round Table Pizza vs Mellow Mushroom Pizza Franchise Comparison
Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Round Table Pizza vs Mellow Mushroom Pizza including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
Investment |
$327,300 - $1,061,250 | $1,624,000 |
Franchise Fee |
$25,000 | $50,000 |
Royalty Fee |
4% | - |
Advertising Fee |
4% | 2% |
Year Founded |
1959 | - |
Year Franchised |
1962 | - |
Term Of Agreement |
10 years | 15 years +5 |
Term Of Agreement |
10 years | 15 years +5 |
Renewal Fee |
- | - |
Business Experience Requirements |
Experience |
* Foodservice industry experience as an owner/operator or manager with P & L responsibility
* Demonstrated ability to lead and manage people
* Customer service skills
* Strong business acumen and financial management skills
* $200,000 in unleveraged liquid assets
* $500,000 net worth
| - |
Financing Options |
|
In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party |
Franchise Fees |
-/- | No/- |
Start-up Costs |
-/- | No/- |
Equipment |
-/- | No/- |
Inventory |
-/- | No/- |
Receivables |
-/- | No/- |
Payroll |
-/- | No/- |
Training & Support |
Training |
Round Table's Skills Training Program (STP) is a comprehensive management training curriculum designed to support the ongoing training needs and requirements of our franchisees. The program encompasses modules for new franchise owners and multi-unit operators, managers and assistant managers, shift managers and crew leaders and general crewmembers. Prior to opening, new franchise owners are required to successfully complete a one-week business planning and leadership class at our Concord, CA headquarters.
On-The-Job Training: 180 hours
Classroom Training: 16 hours
| Your ownership group and senior management staff will train for three weeks at our Shroom University training facility in Douglasville, Georgia prior to opening. When your store opens our training staff will assist you for a week prior to opening, and for two weeks after the opening.
Shroom University offers a comprehensive program designed to teach you about the Front of House, Back of House, and Administrative aspects of running a Mellow Mushroom. You and your managers will learn how to make food, place orders, hire and retain personnel & maintain your POS system and mine the data it collects. A special emphasis is given to teaching you proven methods of supervising your store to decrease food and labor costs and increase cash flow. Quality control systems are also shared with you at Shroom University, and you will be provided with several financial and cost management spreadsheets. |
Support |
Purchasing Co-ops
Newsletter
Meetings/Conventions
Toll-Free Line
Grand Opening
Online Support
Security/Safety Procedures
Field Operations
Site Selection
Franchisee Intranet Platform
| Members of our operations team will visit your store(s) to ensure that our standards and practices are being upheld. These visits are also opportunities for us to continue to train your staff and help train any new employees. Our operations team will also help you implement new initiatives that are developed in conjunction with the marketing department. Our marketing team will advise you on coordinating local promotions and create collection-wide campaigns in which your store can participate. The marketing team will also provide you with designs for business cards, banners, stickers, magnets, and spec ads for use in your local market. |
Marketing |
Co-op Advertising
Ad Templates
National Media
Regional Advertising
Social media
SEO
Email marketing
Loyalty program/app
| - |
Operations |
- | - |
Expansion Plans |
US Expansion |
Yes | - |
Canada Expansion |
- | - |
International Expansion |
Yes | - |
Company Overviews
About Round Table Pizza
Round Table Pizza is the fifth largest pizza chain in the U.S. with over 500 restaurants in nine western states and five foreign countries. Headquartered in Concord, California, in the San Francisco Bay Area, Round Table has built a reputation as the pizza brand of choice and market share leader in the most competitive and discriminating restaurant markets in the country. We are recognized throughout the West for gourmet taste, quality and menu innovation.
The key differentiator between Round Table and other branded pizza chains is our product. Every Round Table restaurant rolls fresh dough every day and tops every pie with fresh cheese and only the freshest ingredients. In this day and age of frozen dough, frozen cheese and frozen toppings, Round Table is unique in the pizza segment.
One of the major reasons for the success of the Round Table brand is our franchise owners and their strong commitment to product quality, service and proactive local community involvement. We are committed to franchising as our primary business model. Approximately 80% of Round Table restaurant businesses are owned and operated by franchisees.
Our evaluation and selection of new franchise candidates is based upon a number of different factors. We look for individuals with a track record of success in business, the ability to manage and develop people and strong customer service skills. Foodservice industry experience as an owner/operator or manager with P & L responsibility is strongly required.
Round Table is seeking qualified individuals who want to partner with a proven brand leader in the pizza segment to join our system.
The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Restaurant that
offers and sells menu items for dining at the Restaurant premises as
well as via delivery and carryout services (the “Dine-In Model”), is
$471,500 to $1,061,250, which includes $25,000 that must be paid to the
franchisor or their affiliate prior to opening; and a Restaurant that is
only authorized to offer and sell menu items for delivery and carry out
from the Restaurant premises (a “DCU Model”) is $327,300 to $510,250,
which includes $25,000 that must be paid to the franchisor or their
affiliate prior to opening.
#172 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
About Mellow Mushroom Pizza
The Mellow Mushroom experience is unique in the restaurant industry. We have been operating outside the perimeters of traditional casual dining for over 30 years. As an owner, you are submersed into a world of boundless creativity. The brand allows for great expression and individuality. My Mellow Mushroom is successful because I serve Mellow Mushroom products in a restaurant that feels like it is my own. The atmosphere entices you to take pride in being a quality operator. Simply said, I want to be in my own Mellow Mushroom. It is the kind of place I want to hang out in. The culture and community are second only to the quality of food; and this is what sets us apart from other restaurants. There is no other Mellow like my Mellow.
Congratulations! You are on your way to owning your slice of the pie! Owning and operating a Mellow Mushroom is an exciting, life-altering journey.
The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Mellow Mushroom
restaurant franchise ranges from $1,624,000 to $2,391,000 if you lease
shell premises for the Restaurant, from $1,624,000 to $2,591,000 if you
lease premises for the Restaurant that must be retrofit, and from
$2,824,000 to $4,498,000 if you buy the real estate upon which you will
construct a new building for the Restaurant. This includes between
$78,000 and $88,500 that must be paid to the franchisor or affiliate. If
you want development rights, you must pay us a development fee equal to
$50,000 (the initial franchise fee for the first Restaurant) plus a
$25,000 deposit for each additional Restaurant’s initial franchise fee.
The total investment necessary to begin operation if you acquire
development rights is $1,649,000 to $4,523,000 (depending on your real
estate decision). This includes $78,000 to $113,500 that must be paid to
the franchisor or affiliate.