Advice on SportsBar startup?

[dawgball]

To clarify, you won't use $1 million dollars for WH, but they require you to have it ready. Just a filtration process. That's probably why they are so successful.

If you are going to franchise, the corporate deserves a kickback IF they produce something for you. WH is a good example. I stop and eat there because I know their product. That doesn't have much to do with the individual owner.

Mellow Mushrooms franchise fees are one of the lowest that I have seen. They really work with you on finding location (they ahve to approve before you move forward), setting your store's theme, etc. I believe their fees are low because they do not do tv advertising. That is really what you pay for when you own a Subway or Quizno's.

On the subject of Subway. I have another good friend that owns five in KY. I think unless you are planning on owning several, you have missed the boat on this one. Prices are much higher now, so it is harder to recoup your costs. You do get a great avertising campaign working for you, though.

Good luck with what you decide.

 

[ORIENTAL EXPRES]

before u start any busineses,u better work in that field for at least 6 month and learn fast.u can forget about weekend.u better have enought saving to live on for a year or u be moving to mommy place.gl

 

[SimonSezs]

1 - Look for an area with no Subway
2 - Make sure a percentage of the population is over weight prefereably people aspiring to be like Clay Henry
3 - Open up a Subway and watch the cash roll in and the weight drop off your customers

Clay Henry, Clay Henry is the song you will be singing all the way to the bank.

Damn I hate those f-ing Subway commercials. That is the worse jingle to have stuck in your head.

 

[Doughboy]

UUUUUUUUUUMMMMMMMMMM!!!!!!!!!

Mellloooowww MMMUUUUSSHHHRROOMMM.

There was one in Auburn when I was in school there, and man do I miss it. Would love to open one here in Austin, but no money honey. I get to have it when we go visit the in-laws in Baton Rouge from time to time.

 

[edludes]

Re:speculation about the food/bar biz

Re:speculation about the food/bar biz

No one has mentioned the most important thing an owner and manager has to control in the bar business,your liquor liability.If someone gets legally trashed at "your" bar and kills or injures someone,it isn't going to be your bar anymore.You want 'em to drink,but you can't let 'em drink too much!It's a very fine line and one must factor in the drinkers body weight,the speed of consumption,and if they have recently eaten or not.I always wince when I hear that someone thinks the food and beverage ownership game is the way to retire happily and make big bucks(Most people have never worked so hard in their lives as when they would opening a business thats open say 12 or 16 hours a day.)There are a million factors that can eat into your profits,not just stealing employees(and just being there isn't the answer to this,many of them could do it while being watched and unless you really knew what to look for you wouldn't be able to tell that its happening.Its subtle.)Knowing proper food and liquor handling procedures,portioning the food and pouring the booze so that you make a profit but give the customer a fair deal,having recipes and cooking the food well enough so they'll want to eat it,cooking it fast enough so allow great service,hiring employees who care to provide great service each and every time,knowing what constitutes great service and being able to train your staff to deliver it,ordering all the foods you need in an amount that insures you won't run out of anything but not ordering so much that its goes bad before you can use it,utilizing leftovers,employees not showing up,inspectors,licenses for everything,dissatisfied customers.Its a real day at the beach.Unless you have your stuff in a very tight bag (ie are an experienced f+b professional who knows what they are doing) you are likely to get your hair mussed in the f+b business without the help of a francise or someone.It sure isn't a game to risk ones retirement on.When you buy a decent francise they help you with a lot of this stuff so you don't have to learn it all the hard way,with your money as the pricetag for the lessons.Location is the first very critical step,but then the real work begins.Good luck got5onit,but get a manager or partner who knows the business inside out and that you really trust before doing this or you could get a bad hosing.

 

[SixFive]

OE, how's the bagel business??

 

[edludes]

$1.10 watermellons for $1.00

$1.10 watermellons for $1.00

Dawgball:your logic about a person needing to own more than one Subway to make money off them eludes me.The price is the same for each one,each unit must pay the same franchise fees,food,labor and marketing costs and all other associated business expenses.If one Subway doesn't make money,why would opening a second or third unit make money if each of their costs are the same as the first?They don't give a franchisor a discount after the first unit purchased.This logic reminds me of the two guys from Georgia selling $1.10 watermellons for $1.00 out of the back of their pick-up truck.They know they're losing money,but aren't sure why.Finally one of them gets a brainstorm and decides the reason they are not profiting from their hard labor is that they need a bigger truck!If the profit margin has just gone down because the franchise and start-up fees have risen thats one thing,but if you can't get your money back on one of them,building four more will only lose you more money,won't it?

 

[dawgball]

Sorry for the confusion. I did not intend for you to take it that one location could not make money. I don't think you are going to make the money worth your effort. You get one running while re-investing your small profits into other locations, so you can actually see something for your efforts.

Reminds me of the two guys selling 50 silver salmon out of one igloo every day for $1.10 that they bought for $1.00 . If it were some dumb redneck from Georgia, he would try and set up 5 or 6 igloos, so he can at least make $25-30 per day. I don't think you can live off of $5/day even in Alaska.

But thanks for your snide input.

On another note: One of WH's rules was that you had to work in the restaurant for at least one year before officially owning one. These rules may have changed. That was 5-6 years ago.

 

[Nick Douglas]

IntenseOperator,

You are a dipshit. Your reading comprehension skills need serious work.

Got5onIt,

I left a good paying corportate job a while ago and it was the best career move I've ever made. You have to be willing to earn a lot less money, at least while you get started back up in whatever you are doing. You also have to be prepared to do way, way more work to make equivalent money. If you understand those two things and accept them, then you will find life outside a corporate job to be infinitely more enjoyable to life with a corporate job.

 

[IntenseOperator]

ND

ND

I'll take that as a badge of honor coming from a self-absorbed arrogant prick like you