The Donut Baker vs Mara's Cafe and Bakery Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of The Donut Baker vs Mara's Cafe and Bakery including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

 
The Donut Baker Franchise
Mara's Cafe and Bakery Franchise
Investment $68,000 - $150,000N/A
Franchise Fee $20,000$25,000
Royalty Fee 6%5%
Advertising Fee 2%local +2%Nat'l2% local + 1% Nat'l
Year Founded -1984
Year Franchised -2004
Term Of Agreement -10 years
Term Of Agreement -10 years
Renewal Fee --


Business Experience Requirements

 
The Donut Baker Franchise
Mara's Cafe and Bakery Franchise
Experience -We are seeking motivated owner-operators with solid restaurant operating experience to join our system. In exchange, we will provide the tools and training you need to run your own Mara�s Caf� & Bakery location. We do, of course, also expect that you have the right amount of capital to invest in the franchise.

Financing Options

 
The Donut Baker Franchise
Mara's Cafe and Bakery Franchise
  In-House/3rd PartyIn-House/3rd Party
Franchise Fees -/--/-
Start-up Costs -/--/-
Equipment -/--/-
Inventory -/--/-
Receivables -/--/-
Payroll -/--/-

Training & Support

 
The Donut Baker Franchise
Mara's Cafe and Bakery Franchise
Training The Donut Baker Academy offers a broad range of technical and managerial courses. The training is designed to provide you with the key skills required to run your stores with a passion for quality - a passion your customers will sense and appreciate through their overall experience at the store. The Donut Baker also offers onsite training by its experienced professionals and has a specialized team taht can assist your local team in opening a new store.Franchise owners and their key management staff will receive at least two weeks and up to three weeks of training, including both classroom and on-the-job training.
Support The Donut Baker will support you from the moment you sign a contract to the time your store - or stores - open. And the support continues during operation through continuous monitoring of your store, helping you to achieve a consistent high level of customer experience. We also help you promote your business by marketing the brand effectively within your territory. Because our ultimate goal is the same as yours - to generate solid returns on investment by running the business professionally and with the full support of The Donut Baker's proven systems.Your team will receive five days of onsite help at your own location around the time of your grand opening. You will have access to all Mara's Caf� & Bakery trademarks, recipes and supply chains, and our unique operational procedures. And, we'll provide you with a copy of our confidential operations manual to help you run your caf� properly.
Marketing --
Operations --

Expansion Plans

 
The Donut Baker Franchise
Mara's Cafe and Bakery Franchise
US Expansion -Yes
Canada Expansion --
International Expansion --

Company Overviews

About The Donut Baker

Becoming a successful franchisee with The Donut Baker isn't as daunting as it might seem. Naturally, there will be challenges but the basic requirements you need to overcome them and make your franchise work are assets you probably already possess. Essentially, we at The Donut Baker look for highly motivated organizations or entrepreneurs with a sincere commitment to building a retail brand in their territory. More specifically, we believe that to succeed in the franchise business one needs to have the 3 Cs - Capital, Commitment, and Competence. And the same applies to you as an aspiring franchisee.

About Mara's Cafe and Bakery

The concept behind Mara's Cafe & Bakery got its start in 1984 when Mara and Glenn's "mom and pop" business began offering customers the highest quality, delectable desserts made fresh in our own bakery and served with freshly roasted coffee. It was with the encouragement of our family and friends that we began creating delicious desserts from traditional family recipes and Glenn, a coffee perfectionist, distinguished a unique line of roasted coffee products. It wasn't long before we had customers coming in and out daily, requesting more of their favorite tasty treats and coffee beverages!

In 2004, sons Ian and Devan joined the family business with great plans of expansion. After nearly twenty years of establishing a reputation for serving up the best coffee and desserts in town, we knew it was time to expand not only our business, but our menu as well. The first Mara's Cafe & Bakery was opened in Denville, NJ. With the addition of sandwiches, salads, wraps, and more, this simple "mom and pop" concept quickly became a family-run business - and the dining destination of choice during all hours of the day. Customers from all over soon realized Mara's was the best place to enjoy a delicious meal in a cozy atmosphere and began asking for more locations within their own communities. Thus, the idea to franchise our concept was conceived - after all, we couldn't let our customers down!

Now is the time for you to take advantage of this incredible opportunity and bring our amazing concept to your home town. Discover how becoming a Mara's Cafe & Bakery franchise owner can be the greatest reward of your career - and possibly your life. With the help of our team of experts, our exclusive, award-winning recipes, and our time- tested business model, opening your own Mara's Cafe & Bakery could be as easy as.... pie!

We sincerely appreciate your interest in Mara's Cafe & Bakery, The Magley Family