Bar Louie vs Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Bar Louie vs Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Bar Louie Franchise
Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen Franchise
Investment $923,500 - $3,707,333$302,450 - $558,950
Franchise Fee $50,000$25,000
Royalty Fee 5%6%
Advertising Fee 2% local, 1%Nat'l2% local +1% Nat'l
Year Founded 1991-
Year Franchised 2010-
Term Of Agreement --
Term Of Agreement --
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Bar Louie Franchise
Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen 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.

While it does help to have prior food or restaurant experience, Gandolfo's does not require it. We have franchisees from all walks of life. What is most important to us is that we have franchisees with a willingness to work hard and a passion for their business.

Financing Options

 
Bar Louie Franchise
Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees -/--/-
Start-up Costs -/--/-
Equipment -/--/-
Inventory -/--/-
Receivables -/--/-
Payroll -/--/-

Training & Support

 
Bar Louie Franchise
Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen Franchise
Training -Prior to your restaurant opening, we will furnish initial training on the operation of a Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen � restaurant. The training lasts for four weeks: two of those weeks will be held in an operating deli and the other two will take place in our Lawrenceville, GA corporate office. We require that two people attend training prior to the store opening.
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

The week of your grand opening, you will have at least one corporate trainer in your store in addition to any other member of our team to help you start off on the right foot. The corporate trainer will stay with you for two weeks during your grand opening and will visit you again within the first two months of your deli being open. We will also help you organize and execute your training and hiring process, along with overcoming any obstacles that may arise in the days prior to opening. Gandolfo's corporate will offer you continuous marketing support, emphasizing a neighborhood marketing strategy. We have a Marketing Coordinator in the corporate office who will work hand-in-hand with you to create a marketing plan that is not only something that will work for your deli, but that is also something you feel comfortable with. We want to make sure that every program you implement is something that will be successful for you. Effective marketing is crucial to the profitability and growth of any business; our Marketing Coordinator will help you track your sales and evaluate the success of every promotion. You will also benefit from the on-going training offered by our corporate trainers and the information found from the research and development of current and future products. Gandolfo's operates with an open-door policy, meaning that you have a direct line to any person in the company who may be able to help you in your daily operations.
Marketing --
Operations -You need a staff of approximately 12 people, including 10 part-time employees and 2 full-time employees

Expansion Plans

 
Bar Louie Franchise
Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen Franchise
US Expansion Yes-
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 Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen

A Note from the Owner, Dan Pool: I have been in the restaurant business since I was 14 years old. I have done about every job there is in the industry: from a fast food cook at age 14 to a Division President of a multi-million-dollar company in my 30's. I have worked in the corporate world, the franchise world and all worlds in between. I have always believed that the restaurant business is very, very simple, but it's not easy. I believe the biggest mistake made in the restaurant industry is that people mistake simple with unimportant. Usually in life, the simple things are not that important; in the restaurant business, it is the simple things done consistently, day in and day out that are the key to having a successful business. I was in the process of opening a full service restaurant in Atlanta, GA when I came across an article. Fast-casual restaurants had just passed fast-food chains in the number of units sold, and some were even opening a store every 18 hours. I had not spent much time in the sandwich industry, and I never felt like there was much of a difference between the various chains. Yet, the article caught my attention so I took the next several weeks and flew all over the United States visiting all these concepts, searching for what set them apart from each other. What I found was one might toast a sub, one might only have cold subs-they all had chips and no personality. In my search I came across Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen and New York native Craig Gandolph. I knew I wanted to be a part of Gandolfo's New York Delicatessen after my first bite. I realized what I was looking for was not a sandwich shop like all the rest but a deli. In Gandolfo's, I found a true New York deli with a variety of homemade deli salads, premium meats, freshly baked breads and the best sandwiches I had ever eaten. I loved the sandwiches so much that I bought the company. I tried all the sandwich shops and I bought a New York Deli. Visit our stores, speak to our people, try our food and realize the satisfaction and competitive advantages of owning a Gandolfo's New York Deli. Dan Pool, CEO