Franchise Pundit franchise opinion and research

Jimmy Johns sales were almost twice Subway. Read More »

As you’ve probably heard, Papa Murphy’s was acquired by a private investment firm for $180 million, about $150,000 per store.  I think it will turn out to be a good acquisition even with the steep price.  Papa Murphy’s has a combination of economic advantages that no other pizza chain has – 1)  it doesn’t have the overhead and capital costs ... Read More »

Current CEO Rick Shaden in a Fox Business interview talks about his competition with Subway and the new torpedo sandwich.  A few notes: Blames slowdown on “economy and increased costs” Says customers want cheaper sandwiches Touts the $4 Torpedo sandwich, claims it is the “first portable sub”, “modern sandwich” Head to head to Subway, more innovative and edgy Frames Quiznos as a ... Read More »

Entrepreneur.com’s Janean Chun posted an article entitled,  Can You Buy a Big Franchise?  The topic seemed interesting so I read it.  The article essentially says you too can own popular franchise brands, if you meet the net worth requirements.  She supports her proposition by interviewing a Subway agent in California as a credible source, where he implies that Subway is ... Read More »

Quiznos seems to be in perpetual defeat.  Here is another money-losing franchisee from Quiznos:   “We can’t make money,” said Quiznos franchisee Marty Tate, who said his Erie, Pa., store leads the region in sales. Mr. Tate, who is not part of the lawsuit, said 40% of his sales go directly into advertising, royalties and food for the next week. He ... Read More »

As if the sub sandwich category wasn’t crowded enough, Domino’s Pizza is adding sub sandwiches to its menu and delivery service.  The $4.99 oven-baked sub sandwiches will include classic favorites like Philly Cheese Steak and Chicken Bacon Ranch. The move comes five months after Pizza Hut began delivering baked pasta dishes as well as pizzas. And it will be a ... Read More »

Below is the Small Business Administration’s annual compilation of performance data on thousands of franchisee loans it has guaranteed covering loans made from October 1, 2000, to September 30, 2007. A “failed loan” below is when the SBA must step in and pay back a loan that it has guaranteed. However, does failure rate of a loan equal the number ... Read More »

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/4599872a13.html Keely Clements also says her repeated pleas for support from Subway management were ignored, despite telling them her Northlands Mall store was losing money. That franchise was closed on Monday, after mall management terminated the lease, because it was owed $164,000 in unpaid rent. Clements also stands to lose her second store, in Kaiapoi, after Subway served her ... Read More »

Ace Hardware helping their franchisees by project weather-related sales: Ace Hardware’s Director of Inventory Control, Paul Sikes, pointed out that, “We have been able to make weather part of the DNA and culture at Ace, so that when we talk about sales opportunity, sales risk and past performance, weather is now just a part of that.” Sikes shared an example ... Read More »

Clever. Pay for a survey about Super Bowl eating habits, get free publicity, get your brand associated with “healthy” and “Super Bowl”. SUBWAY Restaurants, which has long been committed to promoting “better-for-you” meal options among both children and adults, conducted an Omnibus survey of more than 1,000 Americans regarding their Game Day snack consumption habits and learned they overeat the ... Read More »

This should be obvious to franchisees, but do not act or allow employees to act, point out, or otherwise draw unnecessary attention to an employee’s disability. As the below Subway franchisee discovered, it cost him $166k in court awards plus (I’m guessing here) another $75,000 in legal fees. Subway Franchise to Pay $166,500 for Disability Bias, Jury Rules in EEOC ... Read More »

After growing a successful franchise selling desserts, Bruster’s Real Ice Cream  is ready to serve up a full meal.Tim Schooley reports in the Pittsburgh Business Times, that the Bridgewater, PA, based ice cream chain recently began a strategy to co-brand its stores with The Nathan’s Famous Corp., the publicly traded New York-based hot dog chain known for its nationally televised ... Read More »

Quiznos CEO puts turnaround skills to work The former Burger King boss is applying his turnaround expertise to the troubled sandwich chain, whose dissatisfied franchise owners have complained about low profits, company operating requirements and the franchisee recruiting process. Since jumping into the fray in January, Brenneman has worked to reduce food costs by as much as 4 percent, improve ... Read More »

Article link in Business Week Birkel and Mauk [former district managers for McDonald’s) thought they could use their know-how to start their own business — as franchisees for Subway, the US sandwich chain. Full of hope, they scraped together their savings, took out a loan for €184,000 ($243,000) and opened a new fast food outlet in the town of Michelfeld ... Read More »

Entrepreneur’s Franchise 500′s Best Franchise Businesses — Franchise 500 Top 10 Entrepreneur managezine’s best of the best. Subway Dunkin’ Donuts Jackson Hewitt Tax Service 7-Eleven (the recently bought out the White Hen chain in Illinois) UPS Store Domino’s Jiffy Lube Sonic Drive In Restaurants McDonald’s Papa John’s Pizza link to the the remaining 500. Here are a few I noticed ... Read More »

In its first major overhaul of its franchising regulations in nearly 30 years, the Federal Trade Commission is finally calling for greater disclosure by franchisors. The FTC aims to insure that prospective franchisees “avoid harm” when considering a franchised business, the FTC said in publishing the revisions, which will become mandatory next year. Under the revised franchise rule, confidentiality agreements ... Read More »