Houlihan's vs Golden Corral Franchise Comparison

Below is an in-depth analysis and side-by-side comparison of Houlihan's vs Golden Corral including start-up costs and fees, business experience requirements, training & support and financing options.

Start-Up Costs and Fees

  Houlihan's Golden Corral
Investment 1600000 - 4300000 2700795 - 7037915
Franchise Fee 0 0
Royalty Fee 4% 4%
Advertising Fee 2.40%
Year Founded 1972 1973
Year Franchised 1994 1986
Term Of Agreement
Term Of Agreement
Renewal Fee


Business Experience Requirements

  Houlihan's Golden Corral
Experience Industry experience General business experience Must live in same market being developed Industry experience (or must have partner with industry experience.)

Financing Options

  Houlihan's Golden Corral
 
Franchise Fees No No
Start-up Costs No No
Equipment No No
Inventory No No
Receivables No No
Payroll No No

Training & Support

  Houlihan's Golden Corral
Training On-The-Job Training: 665 hours Classroom Training: 8.5 hours Additional Training: At company training location
Support Meetings, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertising National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app
Operations Franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 78 Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (80% of current franchisees are owner/operators) International franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 80% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 100 Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (90% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

Expansion Plans

  Houlihan's Golden Corral
US Expansion Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming, Nationwide, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Canada Expansion
International Expansion

Start-Up Costs and Fees Mobile

Investment
Houlihan's
Golden Corral
Franchise Fee
Houlihan's
Golden Corral
Royalty Fee
Houlihan's 4%
Golden Corral 4%
Advertising Fee
Houlihan's
Golden Corral 2.40%
Year Founded
Houlihan's 1972
Golden Corral 1973
Year Franchised
Houlihan's 1994
Golden Corral 1986
Term Of Agreement
Houlihan's 20 years
Golden Corral 15 years
Renewal Fee
Houlihan's $5K
Golden Corral 15 years (plus two, 5-year renewal options)


Business Experience Requirements

Experience
Houlihan's Industry experience General business experience Must live in same market being developed
Golden Corral Industry experience (or must have partner with industry experience.)

Financing Options

 
Franchise Fees
Houlihan's No
Golden Corral No
Start-up Costs
Houlihan's
Golden Corral
Equipment
Houlihan's}
Golden Corral
Inventory
Houlihan's
Golden Corral
Receivables
Houlihan's
Golden Corral
Payroll
Houlihan's
Golden Corral

Training & Support

Training
Houlihan's
Golden Corral On-The-Job Training: 665 hours Classroom Training: 8.5 hours Additional Training: At company training location
Support
Houlihan's Meetings, Field operations/evaluations, Purchasing cooperatives
Golden Corral Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing
Houlihan's Co-op advertising, Ad slicks, Regional advertising
Golden Corral National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app
Operations
Houlihan's Franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 78 Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed. (80% of current franchisees are owner/operators)
Golden Corral International franchisees required to buy multiple units/master licenses; 80% of all franchisees own more than one unit Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 100 Absentee ownership of franchise is NOT allowed. (90% of current franchisees are owner/operators)

Expansion Plans

US Expansion
Houlihan's Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming,
Golden Corral Nationwide, Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Canada Expansion
Houlihan's
Golden Corral
International Expansion
Houlihan's
Golden Corral