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Updated RecentlySquisito Pizza vs Cottage Inn Pizza Franchise Comparison
Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Squisito Pizza vs Cottage Inn Pizza including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.
Start-Up Costs and Fees |
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| Investment | $269,000 - $596,900 | $200,000 - $350,000 |
| Franchise Fee | $35,000 | $15,000 |
| Royalty Fee | 5% | 5% |
| Advertising Fee | 1% -2% | 3% |
| Year Founded | 1998 | 1948 |
| Year Franchised | 2008 | 1986 |
| Term Of Agreement | - | - |
| Term Of Agreement | - | - |
| Renewal Fee | - | - |
Business Experience Requirements |
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| 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 |
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| In-House/3rd Party | In-House/3rd Party | |
| Franchise Fees | -/Yes | -/- |
| Start-up Costs | -/Yes | -/- |
| Equipment | -/Yes | -/- |
| Inventory | -/Yes | -/- |
| Receivables | -/Yes | -/- |
| Payroll | -/Yes | -/- |
Training & Support |
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| Training | Our initial training program consists of approximately four weeks of classroom and on-site training at one of our affiliate restaurants in Maryland. We request that you and two of your mangers attend training. In addition, we will provide you with one of our trained team members at your site for up to 14 days (to be scheduled around your opening). Your training program is intensive and includes: Recipes and Prep Procedures, Quality and Service Standards, Inventory Procedures, Equipment and Safety, Brand Compliance, Food Safety, and Sanitation and Health Code Compliance. On-The-Job Training: 86 hours Classroom Training: 95 hours | Cottage Inn offers a world-class training program On-The-Job Training: 240 hours Classroom Training: 6 hours |
| Support | Meetings/Conventions Grand Opening 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 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 | Absentee Ownership Allowed Number of Employees Required to Run: 10 - 15 | 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 |
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| US Expansion | Yes | Yes |
| Canada Expansion | - | Yes |
| International Expansion | - | - |
Company Overviews
About Squisito Pizza
Squisito is now offering franchise opportunities throughout the country. Our commitment to quality and family has created a unique franchise opportunity that is both profitable and a joy to own. As with the humble beginnings of the MONTE Restaurant Development Group of Gennaro and Lino DiMeo, Squisito Franchise Enterprises, Inc. began with the partnership of Gennaro and Michele DiMeo in spring of 2008. Michele joined the MONTE Restaurant Development Group to streamline and assist Gennaro with the corporate and Franchise expansion of his fast-casual brand, Squisito NY Style Pizza and Pasta. With this powerful union of conceptual restaurant experience--Gennaro DiMeo, with Michele DiMeo's franchise and executive operations / leadership experience--Squisito Franchise Enterprises began.Squisito has over 15 years of experience in successfully serving up classic, Italian dishes made with the finest, Italian ingredients. The combination of our hand-picked tomatoes from the fields of CA, our authentic family recipes for our sauces, and the brand-quality supremacy of Grande cheese promise the best taste experience to each and every guest in every franchise.
Working with each franchise location as a TEAM, we know we can achieve this goal.
Our franchise provides:
*Limited Competition in Fast-Casual, Italian Space
*Family-Friendly Environment
*Proprietary Sauces and Family Recipes
*Catering and To-Go Offerings
*The Best Italian Food at Family-Friendly Prices
*Extensive Menu
*A Team with Years of Experience in Creating Multiple, Successful Brands
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.