Papa Romano's vs Cottage Inn Pizza Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
Papa Romano's Franchise
Cottage Inn Pizza Franchise
Investment $175,000 - $325,000$200,000 - $350,000
Franchise Fee $9,500$15,000
Royalty Fee -5%
Advertising Fee -3%
Year Founded 19701948
Year Franchised 19851986
Term Of Agreement --
Term Of Agreement --
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
Papa Romano's 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

 
Papa Romano's Franchise
Cottage Inn Pizza Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees -/--/-
Start-up Costs -/--/-
Equipment -/--/-
Inventory -/--/-
Receivables -/--/-
Payroll -/--/-

Training & Support

 
Papa Romano's Franchise
Cottage Inn Pizza Franchise
Training We provide you with comprehensive training. If you are purchasing a new franchise, there is no additional charge for training. There may be a fee for training if you are purchasing an existing Papa Romano's unit. Training will take place at one of our designated Metro Detroit training stores. Once your store is opened we will provide you with an onsite training instructor to help you get off to a great start.

Cottage Inn offers a world-class training program

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

Support -

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 We provide you with ongoing support from the day of your grand opening and beyond. We strive to work with our franchisees to develop programs that will assist in their success. All of our marketing and advertising programs (television, radio, and direct mail) support our continued commitment to quality.

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

 
Papa Romano's Franchise
Cottage Inn Pizza Franchise
US Expansion -Yes
Canada Expansion -Yes
International Expansion --

Company Overviews

About Papa Romano's

In 2007 we had approximately 45 franchised Papa Romano's Units located in Michigan. Most of our units are located in the Metropolitan Detroit area. However, we also have franchised stores located in Holland and Lewiston, MI. Our organization has established standards and may well afford you financial independence. However, YOUR management skills, drive and desire are an essential ingredient to your success. At Papa Romano's, we have proven that quality speaks for itself. We offer franchises for operating a carryout, delivery and/or sit-down restaurant that offers pizza, subs, salads, chicken, pasta, breads and other Italian prepared foods.
Research and Development
We are always looking for new menu items to meet customer demand, more efficient production methods and state of the art equipment. As an independent businessperson you would be able to take advantage of this ongoing research and development.
What do I do Next? GIVE US A CALL AT (248) 888-7272 and we'll be happy to mail you a Franchise Application.

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