Restaurant Franchise Scorecards
A decade ago, Dateline did an intensive study of franchise restaurants’ health inspection reports. They chose 100 restaurants each from ten leading franchise restaurant chains across 38 states and analyzed 18 months’ worth of their health inspection reports.They looked specifically at critical violations. Critical violations are issues that could result…
Taco Bell Breaks the Fast Food Franchise Mold
Taco Bell’s new Taco Bell Cantina restaurants are not following the fast food crowd. They’re serving alcohol, they have murals by local painters gussying up their walls, they have no drive-through window, and franchisees are setting prices and choosing menu items. They’re offering open kitchens and plating foods in a…
Franchisee Conferences: What’s the Value?
Snap-On’s franchisee conference brought more than 8,000 franchisees together in Washington, D.C. this year. They roamed through a product expo, attended seminars on how to improve their businesses, and got hands-on training for new techniques. Many franchisors offer this kind of event annually. Is it worth going? Is it worth…
McWhopper for Franchise Peace Day Efforts
Burger King made a proposition to McDonald’s: a cooperative burger to commemorate September 21st, National Peace Day. The concept is simple. One of the most intense rivalries in the world makes an extremely public gesture of friendship. At one pop-up location, in Atlanta, Georgia, halfway between the two companies’ main…
Is Your Town Business Friendly?
When you plan to invest in a franchise opportunity, you’ll look at varying criteria. One thing that should be on your list — but isn’t about the specific franchise businesses you’re considering — is the business friendliness of the town or neighborhood where you’re planning to locate the business. What’s…
4 Screens Potential Franchise Investors Must Pass
You’re planning to invest in a franchise, and you’re probably shopping around. You’re checking out the various options, thinking about your personal goals and preferences, talking with other franchisees — really scoping out all the businesses you’re considering. That’s what you should be doing. Getting plenty of information helps you…
New “Joint Employer” Ruling from NLRB
The National Labor Review Board, which ruled that McDonld’s is a joint employer with its franchisees, has handed down another decision which could affect franchisees. In the new ruling, a waste control company was designated a joint employer with the staffing company that provides them with workers. The waste management…
What Your Franchise Fees Pay For
Investing in a franchise business is not exactly like buying an independent business. When you buy a business, you’ve made a purchase, and once you’ve paid for that purchase, you’re probably through with the people you purchased that business from. You’ve got their customer list, their intellectual property and trademarks,…
Your Franchise Competitors
As you consider a variety of franchise business investment opportunities, you’ll think about what you want to do, what you can afford, and what kind of company fits with your values and lifestyle. You should also scope out the competition. Do you see a landscaping business doing well? That may…
Franchise Cash Flow Questions
One of the most common complaints among people who have invested in a franchise business is that they aren’t earning enough, that they worry over meeting payroll and bills, or that they don’t have the sales they expected. As with so many franchise business problems, cash flow issues are often…
