Bar Louie vs Country Kitchen Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Bar Louie vs Country Kitchen including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Bar Louie Franchise
Country Kitchen Franchise
Investment $923,500 - $3,707,333$425,000 - $1,685,000
Franchise Fee $50,000$40,000
Royalty Fee 5%4%
Advertising Fee 2% local, 1%Nat'l3% local + 1% Int'l
Year Founded 19911939
Year Franchised 20101958
Term Of Agreement -20 years
Term Of Agreement -20 years
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Bar Louie Franchise
Country Kitchen Franchise
Experience

Just as there is no cookie cutter location, there is no cookie-cutter franchisee. A company's objective should determine if a potential franchisee is a good fit. For franchisees looking to build on a unique culture, franchisees should be excited for the opportunity to customize. Someone who wants to expand quickly through a replication and repetition rollout approach will not deliver the guest experience that customers should come to expect from the brand.

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Financing Options

 
Bar Louie Franchise
Country Kitchen Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees -/--/-
Start-up Costs -/--/-
Equipment -/--/-
Inventory -/--/-
Receivables -/--/-
Payroll -/--/-

Training & Support

 
Bar Louie Franchise
Country Kitchen Franchise
Training -Our Education and Training programs help you build an enthusiastic Country Kitchen team with a passion for Absolute Guest Satisfaction. Training videos, operations manuals and on-site training crews are just a few of the tools designed to help your restaurant run efficiently as a team. In addition, we offer a 6 to 10 week hands-on training course at a certified training restaurant, new store opening support and Management Leadership Seminars to build and strengthen your management team.
Support

We offer extensive support along the way, including: * Full support through the site identification and construction process * A comprehensive training program for restaurant teams * MALT (Music, Atmosphere, Lighting, Temperature) - the secret to creating the Bar Louie experience * Access to leading software and restaurant management tools * Compelling advertising and local store marketing materials * Extensive PR and social media programming

We will provide on-site visitations with a Franchise Consultant. They will cover topics such as financial performance review, operational evolution, sales building, cost controls, and staff (management and hourly) development providing you with sound business advice and direction. We provide such operational tools like our Recruitment, Selection and Retention Library, our Recipe Card System, and our customized M.O.R.E. Operations Manual. And while you can't replace on-site visits and one-on-one interaction, it's nice to know we have programs in place structured to help you overcome every obstacle along the way.
Marketing -Our brand-building promotions offer innovative products with excellent profit margins. We provide effective point-of-purchase materials, award-winning menus and multimedia advertising opportunities to support your operation. Additionally, Country Kitchen offers full local restaurant marketing support with our in-house creative team. From grand opening events and simple advertisements to local market research, we help drive the success of you and your operation.
Operations -With almost 70 years of successful operations, we've just about seen it all. We've created the operational synergies that make us a world-class franchise system. Driving this synergy is our team of seasoned franchise consultants, who provide you with the building blocks for a successful operation.

Expansion Plans

 
Bar Louie Franchise
Country Kitchen Franchise
US Expansion YesYes
Canada Expansion --
International Expansion --

Company Overviews

About Bar Louie

Bar Louie is a national collection of neighborhood bars featuring hand-crafted cocktails and spirits, delectable food and an inviting atmosphere for people to enjoy time with friends and mingle with new people. Founded in 1990 by Ted Kasmir and Roger Greenfield, Bar Louie has more than 100 locations across the United States and is growing through both franchising and corporate locations. Open during four parts of the day - lunch, happy hour, dinner and late night - Bar Louie is an award-winning concept with a progressively hip and lively atmosphere. Each Bar Louie is a local social, casual gathering spot - neighborhood bars and eateries that feature hand-crafted cocktails, spirits and delectable scratch food in an inviting, urban atmosphere. Each Bar Louie has a modern, relaxed vibe that expresses the brand’s identity, and no two locations are alike. Some are a cozy 5,000 square feet, while another boasts a roomy 11,000 square feet, with many other locations somewhere between. Layouts vary, as do local food and drink specials. Just as no two locations are like, there is no "cookie-cutter" type of franchise partner for Bar Louie. While existing franchisees have owned a business, each owner comes from a unique facet of life. Similarly, guests range from ages 25 to 54 and more than 50 percent are women. Another distinction is Bar Louie's four distinct day-parts - lunch, happy hour, dinner and late night - with the entire food and drink menu available all day, every day. This provides guests a perfect gathering place for family dinners, drinks with friends, watching sporting events and everything between. The average customer visit lasts longer than two hours.
Financially we require per location: $500K liquid assets, $1.5 million net worth.

The total investment necessary to begin operations of a Bar Louie Restaurant franchised business ranges from $923,500 to $3,707,333. This includes $50,500 that must be paid to the franchisor or an affiliate.
The total initial investment necessary to begin operation as a Bar Louie Area Developer is $25,000 multiplied by the number of Bar Louie restaurants to be developed under the Development Agreement. This is the same amount that must be paid to the franchisor or an affiliate.

About Country Kitchen

For over 80 years, Country Kitchen has been a place where guests feel like they’re coming home. The food is always fresh, the smiles stretch a country mile and breakfast can be any time of the day! Light and fluffy pancakes, skillets and omelettes packed with fresh ingredients, thick and juicy burgers, savory sandwiches, hearty dinners, and homemade desserts can be enjoyed at one of our many locations throughout the country!

The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Country Kitchen ranges from $575,000 to $1,685,000 for a standard Country Kitchen and $425,000 to 895,000 for a limited service café style Country Kitchen , exclusive of the cost of real estate. These totals include $40,000 that must be paid to the franchisor. The amount paid to the franchisor will increase if you also sign an Area Development Agreement because that agreement requires that in addition to payment of the $40,000 initial franchise fee for the first Country Kitchen you also are required to pay us a deposit of $20,000 for each additional Country Kitchen to be opened under the Area Development Agreement.