Finding the Restaurant Franchise that Fits Your Future

Investing in a restaurant franchise is much more than finding a profitable brand and signing a franchising agreement.

It’s about finding the best restaurant franchise that matches the business culture you want to foster. It’s about researching restaurant franchises for sale in the concept style that appeals to you the most. It’s about developing a sizzling relationship with your franchisor so you know you’ve invested in one of the best restaurant franchise opportunities for you. 

When the menu is flavorful, your spatula is ready, and your grill is on fire, you’ll know it.

But how do you find the right restaurant franchise? In this article, we’ll demonstrate the answers you should look for to determine which opportunities hit your sweet tooth and how to embrace your future in franchising with confidence and enthusiasm.

Question 1: Which Restaurant Franchise Concept Fits You Most?

There are a few restaurant types that can help you narrow down what kind of restaurant you would like to open. Knowing which is your bread and butter can help narrow down the top restaurant franchises for you quickly.

Quick-Serve Restaurants

These restaurants are what most of us think about when we consider restaurant franchises: the fast-food chains that started franchising in the first place. The highest-grossing brands like Chick-fil-A and Raising Cane’s may have unseated McDonald’s from the top spot, but the concept is still the same. The customer orders at the counter and carries their food to a table of their choosing, and the food is served fast without much customization.

Fast-Casual Restaurants

This style of restaurant franchise takes the fast-food concept and makes it more comfortable. Customers still order at a counter and sit at a table of their choosing, but the ambiance is usually more inviting. Fast-casual also offers customers a higher standard of ingredients and the ability to customize their meals. Chipotle and Panera top this segment.

Full-Service Restaurants

A full-service restaurant franchise still has many subcategories into which it can be divided, including homestyle, cuisine-specific, bar & grill, fine dining, and many more. However, full-service is where guests are seated by a host, and they place their order with a server who then brings their food and anything else they need to the table, including the final bill.

Once you determine which franchise style appeals to your business experience and the type of restaurant you wish to operate, you can dig into which restaurant brands match your needs and narrow your research further.

Question 2: Which Restaurant Franchises Are a Good Match for You?

The following questions are more personal, and only you can answer them. They involve your financial picture, where you live, and where you are willing to work.

What is My Net Worth and Liquid Capital?

Most restaurant franchises (and other industries) have financial qualifiers to ensure those interested in investing in their brand can afford to do so. During the opening phase of the new restaurant location, you’re going through the franchise training, signing a leasing agreement (or mortgage), altering your location to match the franchising criteria, purchasing equipment and inventory, setting up your administrative needs with computers, PoS and software for accounting, payroll, scheduling, and more. You’re hiring and training new staff members and marketing for your grand opening.

These things will cost money. Your ability to cover these start-up expenses is crucial when no revenue comes in. The first few months of operation may be slim until you begin turning a profit. The liquid capital and net worth requirements are vital to seeing this venture through during the start-up phase.

Can you meet the financial requirements for the restaurant franchises you’d like to sign with?

Are there Territories Available?

Most people interested in opening a restaurant want to operate in the town where they reside. 

Not all restaurant franchises are ready to open a new franchise location in the towns where they have interested potential franchisees.

When researching restaurant brands, look at where there are available territories, and ask yourself if they’re close enough to your home, and if they’re not, are you willing to move closer to those territories? 

For some people, moving is the best answer. For others, commuting is possible. Some restaurant brands will consider a territory not on their current map if the demographic data supports it. All you have to do is suggest it. 

The Restaurant Franchise That Fits More Franchise Owners

Huddle House first opened back in 1964 to host those looking for somewhere to “huddle” after high school football games in Decatur, GA. Other restaurants were closed by then, so Huddle House quickly became a community favorite.

60 years later, we’re still serving communities for many of the same reasons: people coming together to share good food with those they love at a restaurant franchise that treats them like family.

Our guests aren’t the only people we treat like family. Our franchise owners have expressed appreciation for how thorough and supportive our franchise model has been. Some of these franchisees are multi-unit owners of many different restaurant franchises, and they have plenty of experience to rely on.

While the big restaurant chains compete only in the big markets for the same audiences, we thrive in small and mid-sized markets. These underserved areas often have much less competition, and the guests become very loyal to Huddle House as a result.

Because we adopt these non-traditional markets, we’ve needed flexibility in our locations, so we offer different styles of restaurant franchises at different sizes to fit the demographics:

• In-line.
• End cap.
• Freestanding.
• Restaurant conversion.
• Truck stop/travel plaza.

This flexibility means our franchise options are more affordable than some of the other legacy restaurant brands of the same caliber.

If you’re ready for a restaurant franchise investment that supports franchisees to make the best of a bright future, fill out the form below or call us today to request information and get started on becoming the next Huddle House franchisee!