Donatos Pizzeria vs Cottage Inn Pizza Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Donatos Pizzeria vs Cottage Inn Pizza including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Donatos Pizzeria Franchise
Cottage Inn Pizza Franchise
Investment $386,500 - $698,900$200,000 - $350,000
Franchise Fee $30,000$15,000
Royalty Fee 5%5%
Advertising Fee 5%3%
Year Founded 19631948
Year Franchised 19911986
Term Of Agreement --
Term Of Agreement --
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Donatos Pizzeria Franchise
Cottage Inn Pizza Franchise
Experience -

A minimum net worth of $100,000 A minimum of $60,000 in liquid assets or financing or a combination thereof Five Star Customer Service for staff and customers alike Product Quality — using only approved ingredients and the amounts set forth by the Cottage Inn Standard Operating Procedures Professional Image — uniforms should be clean and pressed, and employees should be well-groomed at all times. The Right Personality As a member of the food service industry, our franchisees must have the right personality, too. We look for clean-cut professionals who will take pride in being a Cottage Inn franchisee. We also look for candidates who are strong leaders, can motivate a staff, and treat customers with the utmost care and respect. In the food service industry, it’s important that your store pass the white glove test every day. Safety is always a concern when it comes to proper food handling. To be a successful Cottage Inn franchisee you must also understand profit and loss statements. You need to input tools to measure your expenses on an on-going basis. We lay out what has been successful for Cottage Inn throughout our corporate stores and we want to make sure each franchisee who joins the Cottage Inn family follows the same equation to success.


Financing Options

 
Donatos Pizzeria Franchise
Cottage Inn Pizza Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees -/Yes-/-
Start-up Costs -/Yes-/-
Equipment -/Yes-/-
Inventory -/Yes-/-
Receivables -/Yes-/-
Payroll -/Yes-/-

Training & Support

 
Donatos Pizzeria Franchise
Cottage Inn Pizza Franchise
Training On-The-Job Training: 454 hours Classroom Training: 4 hours

Cottage Inn offers a world-class training program

On-The-Job Training: 240 hours Classroom Training: 6 hours

Support Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform

On-going support to keep your store running successfully and smoothly. We want you to succeed, which is why we offer our support and advice gained from years of experience in the pizza industry. We’ve been in the business since 1948 and operate 40 locations in two states, so it’s safe to say we know how to run a business. Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform

Marketing Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app

We collaborate with a digital marketing agency to help make Cottage Inn the top-ranked pizza company in relevant markets across Michigan, Ohio and Indiana. Cottage Inn employs an in-house creative team and offsite agency to produce a myriad of digital marketing vehicles, including e-blasts, mobile CRM, social media (Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, FourSquare, Instagram). We also leverage traditional print solutions such as bulk mail menus, EDDM (every day direct mail) cards, magnets, box toppers and door hangers. We also invest in branding the Cottage Inn name, making us more desirable across all relevant markets. Cottage Inn is the Preferred Pizza Provider at MIS (Michigan International Speedway) where we serve over 100,000 guests at NASCAR events and the Country Music Festival. Cottage Inn engages franchisees in strategic marketing meetings to receive their input on marketing campaigns and new product development. We also help franchisees market their specific stores via community fairs, business expos, entertainment venues and more. We are family first at Cottage Inn, having been owned by the same family for over 65 years! How we market each of our franchises: Dynamic corporate website with pages dedicated to each franchise location Convenient online ordering A loyalty program to attract and retain customers Mobile marketing to engage with the on-the-go world E-marketing to offer the best deals to our dedicated customers Traditional print marketing menus, direct mail, door hangers, box toppers, magnets and specialty pieces Social media to engage our most dedicated consumers. Branding by way of special event sponsorships

Operations -

Cottage Inn maintains control of its product and distribution by operating a 22,000 square foot commissary in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Fresh products are delivered weekly and our warehouse staff is always on call in case of emergency. Cottage Inn produces fresh dough daily. For locations more than 200 miles away from Ann Arbor, we encourage and assist franchisees with setting up their own dough production. This assures a fresh, high-quality product and will help you secure a customer for life.

Absentee Ownership Allowed

Number of Employees Required to Run: 15


Expansion Plans

 
Donatos Pizzeria Franchise
Cottage Inn Pizza Franchise
US Expansion -Yes
Canada Expansion -Yes
International Expansion --

Company Overviews

About Donatos Pizzeria

BE A PART OF A PIZZA BUSINESS THAT'S ON THE RISE. With $1,300 in his pocket and a dream to own his own business, Jim Grote bought a small pizzeria on the south side of Columbus, Ohio and went to work to create a business that was truly unique. Although Donatos has grown and moved into almost 200 neighborhoods, our belief remains the same: "Treat people the way you want to be treated."
You are responsible for:
* Leasehold improvements
* Leasing or purchasing equipment
* Hiring and restaurant operation
Donatos provides:
* Product formulas and operational systems
* Store design guidance
* Equipment ordering guidance
* Edge-u-cation training
* Cultural orientation
* Operations manual
* Periodic evaluations
* Ongoing support
Additional information and qualifications:
Single-Store and Multi-Unit Development Agreements are available depending upon prospective Franchise Partner qualifications as well as geographical considerations. Prospective Franchise Partner groups need to designate an Operating Partner who must live in the area to be developed and possess prior restaurant or retail management and supervision experience commensurate with the number of restaurants to be developed. An Operating Partner may also be a member of the Franchise Group. A full Franchise Application, including a Personal Financial Statement, needs to be submitted for each member of the Franchise Partner group. If the Operating Partner is a separate individual, they will need to submit a full resume with work history and skill-set qualifications.

The total investment necessary to begin operation of a Donatos franchised business is $386,500 to $698,900. This includes $40,500 to $42,500 that must be paid to the franchisor or its affiliate. If this is the second Donatos franchised business, you choose to receive additional training services or you hire a Donatos Manager for your franchised business, you must pay the franchisor an additional $15,000 to $40,000.

The company continues to franchise throughout the Midwest, South and Southeast, with franchised locations serving pizza, subs, salads and desserts.
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"Entrepreneur

#181 in Franchise 500 for 2020.
#313 in Franchise 500 for 2021.





About Cottage Inn Pizza

At Cottage Inn we believe that if you're going to craft a pizza, it should be to a certain degree of perfection and that you should never skimp on the quality of your ingredients. It's these two simple statements that drive our process for constructing truly gourmet pizzas.

Veteran Incentives  10% off franchise fee