2009 Top Food Franchises

by Franchise Business Review

What do pizza, pretzels, fried chicken, bagels, lemonade and fresh Mongolian grill have in common? It’s a strange combination, covering a wide-range of tastes, but this year’s top food franchise opportunities do share one key ingredient – high franchisee satisfaction. The exclusive list of franchise companies includes Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Bruegger’s, Church’s Chicken, Einstein Bros. Bagels, Great Wraps, Happy and Healthy Products, HuHot Mongolian Grill, Lemon Heaven, Marco’s Pizza, Papa Murphy’s  Take-N-Bake Pizza, and Simple Simon’s Pizza.

While the last few years have been challenging for many businesses, these top-rated food franchises have demonstrated that strong systems, a proven business model, and solid franchisee support make all the difference.

“These top-rated food franchises have demonstrated that strong systems, a proven business model, and solid franchisee support make all the difference”
 

Auntie Anne’s Pretzels
Startup Investment: $197,875 – $439,100
Cash Requirement: $20,000 – $80,000
Domestic Franchises: 816
As the world’s largest hand-rolled soft pretzel franchise with nearly 1,000 locations, Auntie Anne’s stores hand-roll and bake pretzels to golden brown perfection in full view of customers. Auntie Anne’s specializes in on-the-go menu items and offers a diverse line-up of pretzel products, dipping sauces, and signature beverages to consumers in venues such as enclosed malls, transportation hubs, and entertainment/shopping complexes.

Bruegger’s
Startup Investment: $376,600 – $563,600
Cash Requirement: $300,000
Domestic Franchises: 288
Famous for authentic boiled and baked bagels, Bruegger’s bakers lend their expertise to crafting a variety of other stone-hearth baked breads, such as Ciabatta and the exclusive Softwich™, a softer, square bagel ideal for sandwiches. Bruegger’s offers a rock solid investment opportunity for franchisees that have the drive to succeed in a nationally recognized concept that places strong emphasis on the success and satisfaction of its franchisees.

Church’s Chicken
Startup Investment: $259,800 – $1,113,600
Cash Requirement: $300,000 (3 Unit minimum)
Domestic Franchises: 961
Church’s Chicken is a highly recognized brand in the QSR sector and is one of the largest chicken concepts in the world. Church’s serves freshly prepared, high quality, flavorful chicken and tenders with signature sides and hand-made biscuits at low prices and differentiates from its competitors in attention given to its products, it’s easy to execute menu, efficient systems, and is positioned as the value leader in the chicken QSR category.

Einstein Bros. Bagels
Startup Investment: $492,050 – 858,350
Cash Requirement: $400,000
Domestic Franchises: 12
Einstein Bros. Bagels has over 500 restaurants and offers over 20 varieties of fresh baked bagels and 5 different drip coffees every day. We started franchising in 2007. Contact us for more information on our 2,500 square foot prototype restaurant.

Great Wraps!
Startup Investment: $125,000 – $335,000
Cash Requirement: $100,000
Domestic Franchises: 70
Great Wraps: The new American sandwich is wowing crowds everywhere with their unique and healthy hot wraps and grilled sandwiches. Great Wraps franchisees share tremendous passion and pride in serving a hot sandwich menu that is fresher, tastier and just better than the traditional subs and sandwich. Our business formula
includes everything you’ll need to own your own business. And the operation is so simple to learn, you don’t even need prior food experience.

Happy and Healthy Products, Inc. (Fruitfull)
Startup Investment: $32,222 – $68,339
Cash Requirement: $32,222
Domestic Franchises: 75
Low investment, full/part-time, home-based distributorship for frozen fruit bars, snacks, breads and cookies. No royalties and low overhead with working capital built in. No store front. Initial accounts and training guaranteed.

HuHot Mongolian Grill
Startup Investment: $750,000 – $1,000,000
Cash Requirement: $1,500,000
Domestic Franchises: 29
One basic product – fresh stir-fry – personalized in infinite ways. HuHot restaurants retain all the profitable simplicity of a limited-menu concept like pizza, but demand the price point of a full-service dining experience. HuHot is all about unique healthy choices, made fresh.

Lemon Heaven
Startup Investment: $20,000 – $300,000
Cash Requirement: $35,000 – $350,000
Domestic Franchises: 63
Lemon Heaven Lemonade is the best tasting lemonade on earth. Lemon Heaven provides top quality, extremely popular products to arenas, stadiums, convention
centers, malls and special events. Lemon Heaven Beverages is actively seeking qualified individuals to own and operate exclusive territories around the world.

Marco’s Pizza
Startup Investment: $173,500 – $369,000
Cash Requirement: $110,000 – $120,000
Domestic Franchises: 196
Marco’s Pizza delivers the highest quality authentic Italian pizza on the market, where gourmet quality and better value deliver a taste that is truly different. We are in the midst of a strategic nationwide rollout and are seeking qualified individuals and/or groups who want to join our family and be on the ground floor of a truly rewarding franchise opportunity.

Papa Murphy’s Take ‘N’ Bake Pizza
Startup Investment: $225,000
Cash Requirement: $80,000
Domestic Franchises: 1,142
The concept of take ‘n’ bake pizza started with Papa Murphy’s in 1981. Since then, Papa Murphy’s has established itself as the largest take ‘n’ bake pizza company in the world — and is now the fifth-largest pizza company in the United States with over 1,150 stores in 32 states. Papa Murphy’s is headquartered in Vancouver, WA.

Simple Simon’s Pizza
Startup Investment: $15,000 – $125,000
Cash Requirement: $25,000
Domestic Franchises: 240
Simple Simon’s Pizza was founded in 1982 based on a simple philosophy to serve the best quality pizza, calizone, and sandwiches at the most affordable price in a family atmosphere that people can enjoy.

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