Box Lunch vs The Submarine Station Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Box Lunch vs The Submarine Station including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Company Overviews

About Box Lunch

Box Lunch is a no-frills fast service Sandwich Shop. We don't cook!! We feature Rolled PITA bread sandwiches (the Rollwich?) and use only the best quality ingredients. The perception of the general public is that we are a healthy alternative to Fried food. Our ingredients appeal to a broad demographic, and are neither healthfood nor ethnically oriented. Our speed results from our basic operating system. We can easily feed 250 people per hour with a small crew and in a small space. We are perfectly suited to take-out, and to drive-up service. Our average per-customer is about $7.00, food costs of about %30, and our competition is anyone else in that price range. Start-up costs for Box Lunch are reasonable (usually under $120,000) and our fees are low. Some freedom of menu offerings is possible, and "home-cooked" sides and desserts are encouraged, but optional. We do NOT allow fried food or alcohol to be sold from our stores; it's just bad for our image.

About The Submarine Station

As a company grows there are three main methods of growth to choose from: sole proprietorship, joint venture, or franchising. The franchise system is an exciting model because of the common shared interest in the founding company (the Franchisor) and the small business owner (the Franchisee) that both want the system to work. The problem with most franchising models is that a Franchisee is under such stringent restrictions from the Franchisor. Understandably, the Franchisor has a huge interest in protecting the brand. This interest in protecting the brand has inherent drawbacks that now become the Franchisee's issues. A few of these drawbacks are: real estate long-term leasing or purchasing, expensive proprietary equipment, forced product price points, etc. Who pays for this in the end? Well, the Franchisee does. Who looks out for the Franchisee? The Submarine Station will!