source: http://www.coloradoan.com/story/money/business/2016/09/26/farm–table-restaurant-pizza-brewery-tap-fort-collins/90935204/ A franchisee is planning to open 25 Mod Pizza locations in Colorado over the next few years. This segment has been growing rapidly, with contenders Blaze Pizza from Wetzel Pretzel founders and Pie 5 from Pizza Inn corporate. I’ve tried them all and Blaze Pizza does have the best tasting and textured dough. Blaze bakes pizza in a Woodstone oven which gives it a different taste profile from the conveyor belt bakes from Pie 5. It is less efficient in the Woodstone oven, and consistency does suffer when 15 seconds can make the pizza go from perfect to burnt, but the vast majority turn out well baked. Any of the concepts are a safe bet at this point. Expansion through delivery, especially through services like Uber Eats, will help this business model. I’d buy it!

I have close friends in the pretzel and snack-food business (and worked in the snack food industry for a short time), so I think I can speak from an especially knowledgeable perspective on this. Stores like Auntie Anne’s, We’re Rolling Pretzel Company, Pretzel Time (by Mrs. Fields), and Wetzel’s Pretzels must have some of the highest margins in the QSR business. The dough is literally a few pennies per serving, if that. The seasoning and butter is another few pennies, and your selling the product for almost $2 each. I’m sure the franchisors significantly increase the cost of dough and supplies force margins more inline with the typical mall store. Fresh pretzel businesses need very little square footage, and can often be served from a kiosk. They have the added advantage of smell in a mall, drawing people in with the scent of fresh baked buttery bread (OK, can you tell I love soft pretzels?). Most malls already have at least two pretzel franchises, but some do not. Depending on the rent, storefronts along a busy downtown street can capture enough of the afternoon foot-traffic to possibly turn a profit. Let’s look at some fees charged by franchisors: Pretzel Time: Initial Franchise Fee: $25,000 Ongoing Royalties: 7% of Gross Sales Advertising Fee: 1-3% of Gross Sales Initial Training Fee: No charge for first two individuals Total Estimated Initial Investment: $107,000 – $238,500 Wetzel’s Pretzels: Initial Franchise Fee: $30,000 Ongoing Royalties: 6% of Gross Sales Advertising Fee: 1% of Gross Sales Initial Training Fee: No charge for first two individuals Total Estimated Initial Investment: $102,000 – $211,000 Auntie Anne’s: Initial Franchise Fee: $30,000 Ongoing Royalties: 7% of Gross Sales (paid weekly) Regional Advisory Council Dues: $300/year Audit Fee: All expenses unless if receipts were understated by more than 2% Advertising …

VERY OUT OF DATE.  Do a search instead.  This was manually updated March 21, 2006 Companies Mentioned in Posts (likely incomplete):Automotive 1-800 RADIATORS Oil Butler Lube N’ Go On-Site-Lube Business & Home Services 1-800-WATER-DAMAGE Bartercard Garagetek Help-U-Sell Home Instead Homewatch Caregivers My Girl Friday PropertyGuys.com Sears Carpet & Upholstery Tax Centers of America Cleaning & Maintenance none Computer & Internet (some are listed in “Retail”) Screenz Food and Restaurant Arby’s Auntie Anne’s Blimpies Cheeburger Cheeburger Chipotle Dippin’ Dots Dream Dinners Doc Green’s Gourmet Salad Dominic’s of New York The Dugout Durango Grill Fazoli’s Fire of Brazil Fogo de Chao Goldstar Chili Jamba Juice Jerq’zine Krispy Kream Lenny’s Sub Shops Mauwi Wauwi Original Hamburger Stand Panaderia Taza Papa John’s Pizza Factory Pizza Patron Pretzel Time Quiznos Red Rock Chili San Francisco Soup Co Shane’s Rib Shack Skyline Chili Smoothie King Smotthie Planet Soup Nazi Steak-out Subway Submarina Sub Station II Super Suppers The Soup Box Supercuts Suzanne’s Kitchen We’re Rolling Pretzel Company Wetzel’s Pretzels Z Pizza Zoup! Fresh Soup Co (List all sub franchises) Health & Fitness Curves Liberty Fitness Home Building & Repair Services See “Business and Home Services” above Personnel & Staffing none Pet Retail and Services Camp Bow Wow Doody Calls The Pet Pantry Wag My Tail Interquest Detection Canines Pets Are Inn Retail Franchises Ace Hardware AuctionDrop Battery Plus Best Cuts GNC Educational Outfitters Fantastic Sams Fastframe Foot Solutions Friendly Computers Geeks on Call GNC Hair Cuttery Herman’s World of Sports Imagine This Sold Orbit Drop Play It Again Sports QuikDrop Roosters Men’s Grooming Centers Screenz Snips Its Sports Clips Stone Mountain Carpet Mill Tom’s Foods We the People Categories: eBay drop offs (generally) Hair Travel & Hotel none Industry Lists & Research 2004 Same Store Sales Growth of QSRs (quick service restaurants) Royalty and Advertising …