for those interested in Quiznos….

It’s worth reading the comments from the Quiznos blog posting last year. The comments keep coming.

It’s also worth reading the forum posts regarding Quiznos.

Finding complimentary businesses and locating next door is an obviously smart move for a budding franchisee. For example, if you are starting a coffee franchise, locating next to an Ace Hardware (caffeine hungry contractors) or CVS (heavy foot traffic) can double your sales over a generic strip mall.

In this instance, an Advance Realty locates next to a Daily Grind coffee house in an old firehouse.

In case you are curious….Daily Grind: $300K estimated initial investment, 5% royalty fee, 1% advertising fee, $30K franchise fee…about average

Radio Shack and Duckwall-ALCO in a co-branding deal.

The company said that the agreement will enable those ALCO stores to sell RadioShack’s product line and enable RadioShack to further grow its franchise retail presence in the area.

Paul Rickels, RadioShack’s vice president-dealer franchise said, “This enables us to offer our broad line of consumer electronics to customers who otherwise might not have access to the latest products and technologies. Convenient store locations in neighborhoods across the country are a part of our heritage, and Duckwall-ALCO enables us to cost-effectively build on that tradition.”

Many franchises that require frequent travel or rely on a gas-intensive system (delivery drivers, UPS Store, etc.) may want to consider the impact higher commodity prices will have on their business, and whether they could survive a double-digit percent swings.

I didn’t realize the Million Air fixed-base operator (FBO) was a franchise. With the small jet sales and small airport demand rising, servicing that industry seems like sensible option.

Million Air is indeed a clever name.

Interesting background read on franchise shows. It discusses things mostly from a franchisor’s perspective.

I frequently use online ordering for food delivery purchases, and so do many other people I know. I know my purchases are signifcantly more than it would be if walked in and I order online from restaurants I wouldn’t otherwise visit.
Regardless of my positive personal experience with online ordering, it is a cheap way to increase sales and introduce your product to new customers. I would favor a restaurant franchisor who offers an online ordering system.

Take this recent example from Pizza Pan:

Pizza Pan launched eOrderManager, a new software package that lets customers place food orders online. The ordering system, which was created by Cleveland-based O-Web Technologies, is designed specifically for the quick-service and casual dine-in restaurant industry. Without yet promoting the online ordering option in-store, Pizza Pan has already attracted 327 new members within the first month. The average online ticket is $22.32, which is significantly more than the average in-store check. The system runs off the franchisor’s Web site, yet it was designed for individual franchise owners. “Our online ordering system increases order accuracy and improves productivity by keeping our employees off the phone,” said Mike DeGirolamo, director of franchise development and a franchisee. Pizza Pan currently uses eOrderManager in 15 of its 96 locations and plans to expand online ordering to the majority of its locations by the end of the year.

Texas Roadhouse: Sales at restaurants open at least a year increased 1.2 percent at company restaurants and 0.5 percent at franchise restaurants during the quarter.

Panera: The company said that during the second quarter, systemwide same-store sales, for stores open at least one year, grew 3.2 percent: 3.7 percent in company-owned locations and 3 percent in franchise operated units.

Same store revenues (revenues earned in Company-operated stores open for the entirety of both periods) in the Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership division increased 9.1% during the second quarter of 2006 compared to the second quarter of 2005. Same store revenues also increased 6.0% for Aaron’s Sales & Lease Ownership stores open over two years at the end of June 2006.

IHOP: Year-over-year same-store sales growth was a respectable 3.1% for the quarter, driven by increased traffic. Promotions such as the Cinn-A-Stack definitely appear to be working for IHOP, and the company has three more planned for the year, including the current funnel cake-related campaign.

Dominos: The same-store sales slide was made up of a 3.2 percent decline at U.S. company-owned stores and 5.2 percent drop at franchised stores. According to a regulatory filing, domestic comps rose 6.9 percent in the same period last year.

International second-quarter comps rose 5.7 percent compared to an increase of 7.8 percent last year. The increase marks the fiftieth-consecutive quarter Domino’s has enjoyed international comps growth.

Overall revenue for the period declined 5.5 percent, a decline that Domino’s attributed to lower domestic distribution revenues tied to lower food prices and volumes at domestic franchise stores.

Lone Star Steakhouse: The company’s sales at the same stores fell .3 percent and the average check decreased 3.1 percent, while the number of customers increased 2.8 percent. The company has closed 33 underperforming Lone Star restaurants in the first six months of 2006.

McDonald’s: Comparable or same-store sales, a widely used industry gauge of performance, rose 5.5 percent over a year ago, led by a 6.3 percent increase in Europe. U.S. comparable sales gained 4.2 percent despite the flop of its new spicy chicken sandwich, which is being pulled from the menu.

Frisch’s Restaurants: During the year, the company’s Big Boy restaurants had an unspecified same-store sales increase, while the company’s Golden Corral buffet-style restaurants saw a 6.5 percent same-store sales decline.

Yum: For the quarter, Taco Bell posted U.S. same-store sales growth of 5 percent and KFC was up 2 percent. Pizza Hut was down 7 percent.