Franchise FAQ

are subway franchises a good investment

by Adonis Kunde Jr. Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago
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Is Subway A Good Investment? Whether or not Subway is a good investment is completely up to you. There are definitely times where it is. For example, if you find a good area where there aren’t many Subways around, you can definitely earn more than the average franchise. This is due to the fact that you will have a mini monopoly on the area. Furthermore, Subways require fewer employees to operate the store compared to their counterparts.

Full Answer

Is subway a good franchise to buy?

In terms of fast food restaurant franchises, Subway had always seemed to be the franchise of choice. In fact, Subway’s profitable franchise model is what got many potential franchise owners to invest, leading to Subway’s boom in the United States and the rest of the world.

How do I become a Subway franchisee?

Like any business, you should start by doing thorough research on Subway, the profitability of franchises in your area, and available areas where you can set up your franchise. If you’re feeling a little lost, consult with a franchise consultant or contact Subway’s franchising team to ask for more information.

Is it worth it to become a subway owner?

Well, becoming a Subway owner can bring the exact opposite. If you are planning to own a single-unit of a Subway franchise, unless you spend your time running the business, you will make very little money out of it.

Why are Subway franchisees losing money?

These numbers have to do with the fact that more Subways are opening but are not earning as much thanks to the increased competition. While Subway is much more accessible to franchise than other fast food restaurants, it eats up a much larger portion of their franchisees’ gross sales.

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Is owning a Subway franchise profitable?

In 2021, Subway saw a 21.3% increase in revenue, growing from $634 million in 2020 to $769 million in 2021. Based on the average sales calculated above, at an average of a 15% profit margin, it will take approximately 7.3 years to recoup your investment, which is longer than most franchise opportunities.

How much does a Subway owner make a year?

The average salary for an Owner is $122,175 per year in United States, which is 35% higher than the average Subway salary of $90,272 per year for this job.

Should you invest in Subway?

The Bottom Line. With the benefits of an established business, low startup costs, and parent company support, a Subway franchise is a good option for entrepreneurs interested in opening a franchise business.

What franchise is the most profitable?

Most Profitable FranchisesDunkin'7-Eleven.Planet Fitness.JAN-PRO.Taco Bell.Orangetheory Fitness.Great Clips.Mac Tools.More items...•

Do franchise owners make money?

Franchise Business Review found that the average annual pre-tax income of franchise owners in America is $80,000. Only 7% of franchise owners make more than $250,000 annually, and 51% earn less than $50,000. Legally, franchisors cannot give income amounts or forecasts of future income.

What are the requirements to own a Subway franchise?

To buy a franchise with Subway®, you'll need to have at least $40,000 in liquid capital and a minimum net worth of $80,000. Franchisees can expect to make a total investment of $150,050 - $328,700.

How much is it to open a Subway franchise?

How much is the franchisee fee? The initial franchise fee ranges from $10,000 - $15,000* (US dollars) depending on your country.

How much is it to buy a Subway franchise?

When purchasing your first Subway franchise, the initial non-refundable franchise fee is $15,000. The total initial investment necessary to begin the operation of a Subway franchise ranges from $207,050 to $476,900 for a traditional location and from $167,600 to $343,900 for a non-traditional location.

How much does a Starbucks owner make a year?

Starbucks Franchise Costs and Profits An average Starbucks franchise owner makes $120,000 in a year with one outlet and $2.4 million with 20 outlets. Of course, the success of your franchises depends on plenty of factors that affect sales and profits.

Which franchise is best in 2022?

Franchises provide a strong corporate and management framework, plus marketing, merchandising and production support....Bluevine Business CheckingDunkin' ... Anytime Fitness. ... Planet Fitness. ... Orangetheory Fitness. ... Primrose Schools. ... Kiddie Academy. ... Kumon Math and Reading Centers. ... Ace Hardware.More items...•

What is the fastest growing franchise in the world?

Browse franchises by categoryFranchise name/rankCategory/Description# 1 7-ElevenConvenience Stores Convenience stores# 2 Century 21 Real EstateReal Estate Real estate# 3 KFCChicken Chicken# 4 Stratus Building SolutionsCommercial Cleaning Environmentally friendly commercial cleaning and disinfecting6 more rows

How do you know if a franchise is profitable?

According to Franchise Direct, the best way to determine a franchise's future profitability is by analyzing Item 19 of the franchise's franchise disclosure document (FDD), which outlines the business's financial performance. It's a good idea to consult an accountant or lawyer, who can help you crunch the numbers.

How much does a franchise owner make a year?

According to a survey done by Franchise Business Review involving 28,500 franchise owners, the average pre-tax annual income of franchise owners is about 80,000 dollars.

How much does a Starbucks owner make a year?

Starbucks Franchise Costs and Profits An average Starbucks franchise owner makes $120,000 in a year with one outlet and $2.4 million with 20 outlets. Of course, the success of your franchises depends on plenty of factors that affect sales and profits.

How much money does a chick fil a franchise owner make a year?

Chick-Fil-A Franchise Owner Salary Owners make $200,000 to $240,000 per year on average after considering annual fees. Chick-fil-A restaurants produce around $5.3 million in annual sales on average so between 5% – 7% of total sales will hit the bottom line after expenses.

How much does a fast food owner make a year?

Fast food franchises are incredibly profitable compared to other types of businesses. According to a McKinsey study, the average fast-food franchise makes a gross profit of more than 20 percent on revenues of $2.5 million per year. That's more than twice the profitability of the average small business.

What is the problem with franchising?

Massive market saturation (The problem in franchising is the brands that are most visible get the most people applying for a franchise. But it is that exact visibility that hurts you financially as a franchisee with so many locations vying for business.

Do subway franchises have disclosure documents?

Now as Franchise brokers and consultants we are in a unique position in that we have access to every Franchise Disclosure Document out there. We also speak regularly with existing Subway franchise owners selling their locations and we hear the reasons why they want to sell. One of our partners here at franchise.city was also a multi units Subway owner for a number of years before selling his stores.

How much did the subway franchise make in 2012?

In 2012, prior to Subway’s decline, the average Subway franchise generated $482,000 in revenue. By 2016, that had dropped to $422,500. These numbers have to do with the fact that more Subways are opening but are not earning as much thanks to the increased competition.

How much does it cost to license a subway franchise?

In comparison, Subway franchises are much more affordable to the average small business owners in the United States. Their licensing fee is at $15,000, much cheaper than other popular food brands like McDonald’s.

How much does subway royalty cost?

Subway’s royalty fees are at 8%, which is twice of what McDonald’s charges its franchisees at 4%. It’s a small number, but for small business owners it can mean significant thousands of dollars that could be the difference between profitability and loss.

How many subways are there in 2020?

As of 2020, there are over 41,500 Subways worldwide, all of them independently owned.

Why is the subway so fast growing?

Arguably, the reason for Subway’s fast growth and appeal to potential franchise owners is its low-cost high-return model.

How much does it cost to open a subway?

The total cost of opening a Subway is estimated at $150,000 to $300,000. In terms of franchising, that’s the cost of a less popular restaurant franchise. Yet, Subway’s popularity rivals the big names of the fast-food industry yet keeps its franchising costs low.

What is the subway's open kitchen?

Unlike other fast food restaurants like McDonald’s, you can see the fresh ingredients put into your sandwich and see to it that the Subway staff are making it according to your directions . This has allowed Subway to gain the “healthy” fast food advantage in an industry where health is a hard-to-reach advantage.

How to find a subway franchisee?

You can easily find Subway franchisees either by looking into the company’s disclosure document (where you’ll find their contact information), or simply stopping at a Subway and talking to a franchisee.

Is subway a good franchise?

Subway must be a good franchise investment for some people because many of the franchisees have been with the company since almost its inception, and (now answering the second question) it seems impossible to “get one” in the USA.

Do subway franchisees own one unit?

Franchisees are usually willing to discuss their experiences with prospective franchisees, and if they have insights as to how to “get one” they’ll tell you. However, it seems to me that few Subway franchisees own just one unit — they own multiple units (it would be a good idea to ask them why) and so they may not be too eager to help someone buy a unit unless it’s far from where they’d like to own another one.

How much do subway franchises have to contribute to the total sales of the franchise?

Subway franchisees are required to contribute 12.5% in gross total sales each week to cover the costs of royalties (8.5%) and advertising (4.5%).

How much does it cost to franchise a subway?

Subway is one of the cheapest restaurant franchises to enter. Total initial investment can run between $150,000 and $328,000 for a traditional location (and $89,550 to $209,400 for a non-traditional location), assuming you lease your equipment from Subway, according to the Franchise Disclosure Document. As a comparison, McDonald's charges a franchise fee of $45,000 and startup expenses can cost up to $2.2 million, according to the McDonald’s Franchise Disclosure Document. A Subway restaurant, on average, generates $422,000 in sales annually, compared to $2.6 million in average annual revenue for McDonald's restaurants, according to QSR magazine.

How Do You Become a Subway Franchisee?

There are no company-owned Subway franchises. Like the original owners, you don’t have to be a sandwich artist or have owned a restaurant to become a Subway franchisee. There are financial requirements, which include having liquid assets between $30,000 to $90,000 and a net worth between $80,000-$310,000. You must, however, participate in a two-week long training course that teaches business concepts, methods of operation, and basic management skills. The training time is spent in a classroom and on-site at a local Subway franchise for a "hands-on" experience. At the end of the two weeks, each potential franchisee must pass an exam to become a Subway franchisee.

What Are Some Other Sandwich Franchise Alternatives?

If you are interested in owning a quick service franchise, but don’t believe that a Subway franchise is right for you, fortunately there are many other options available. The quick service food franchises listed below are all award-winning brands that have been rated highly in FBR franchisee satisfaction surveys.

What do you need to sell on a subway?

As a Subway franchisee, you are required to sell six-inch and foot-long specialty sandwiches, salads, wraps and other food items. You must also offer a breakfast menu that offers egg sandwiches, bacon, sausage, muffins, coffee and juice if you operate your franchise in the United States, according to Subway’s Franchise Disclosure Document.

How much is subway worth?

It’s brand value is in the millions worldwide: $18,766 according to Statista.

Why did Fred DeLuca start Subway?

Peter Buck gave college freshman Fred DeLuca, the founder of Subway, the idea to open a submarine sandwich shop as a way to help pay tuition. DeLuca’s first two attempts did not immediately spell success, according to a New York Times article. Originally named Pete’s Submarines (after his friend Dr. Peter Buck), the name had to change because it did not translate well over radio advertising. However, Buck’s initial investment of $1,000 did pay off. By 1974, the two men owned and operated 16 sandwich shops in its birthplace of Connecticut under Doctor’s Associates, Inc. The name derived from the idea that DeLuca hoped to earn enough money in the sandwich business to eventually become a doctor.

Why is subway franchise bad?

They didn’t have territory protection. So that’s why you see sometimes where you have one franchisee or one Subway franchise, located on one corner and then down the block, you have another Subway franchise. This is a big issue for franchisees because this leads to sales cannibalization. Where one store negatively impacts the sales of another store. And this decreases the sales for both stores.

What is the difficulty of a subway operator?

Another difficulty in the Subway operator or Subway franchisee is there’s high employee turnover. Like many food services, and businesses, there’s a lot of employee turnover. They work for a short amount of time and then they leave. And so as an owner or an operator, you need to keep finding people, constantly finding people, and train them.

Is subway a bad investment?

Our opinion is quite definitively that it is a bad investment decision, a bad franchise to invest in the U.S. at this time. And there’s a number of reasons for this. A brief summary is that Subway was founded in 1965 in Bridgeport, Connecticut by Fred DeLuca and Peter Buck. Since then, Subway has become one of the largest franchises in the world, in terms of the number of units with over 44,000 units worldwide.

Can foreigners own subways?

And one of the biggest issues for someone looking to do a Subway franchise investment is if you’re a foreign national looking and doing E-2, L-1, or EB-5 investor visa. Subway does not allow foreign nationals as franchisees in the U.S. The person needs to be a green card holder or be an American citizen. Which means it’s not even an option for someone looking to do an investor visa like the E-2,L-1, or EB-5. I hope you found this insightful. Again my name is Jack Findaro. I’m the finance director at Visa franchise. And if you’d like to learn more, please visit our website www.visafranchise.com. Thank you.

Why are subway franchisees unhappy?

Unhappy franchisees: Just google it and you will find a lot of information about franchisees who are struggling and extremely unhappy with their Subway franchise! The reasons are very diverse, from the low margins mentioned before in this article, to the aggressive expansion of the system (creating competition among franchisees), questionable marketing tactics that squeeze owner profits, and so on.

Why do people want to become a subway owner?

Undesirable Lifestyle: many of the people we talk to want to become a business owner in order to achieve a better lifestyle, have more personal time, and ability to dedicate more to their families. Well, becoming a Subway owner can bring the exact opposite. If you are planning to own a single-unit of a Subway franchise, unless you spend your time running the business, you will make very little money out of it. So you will need to be involved, and that means actively managing a business operation that is open 7 days a week, for long hours…not very appealing…

What is the highest royalties in the food industry?

One of the highest royalties charged in the food industry: Subway charges 8% royalty fees of their franchisees!! That’s one of the highest royalties charged in the food franchise industry! McDonald’s for example, charges 4%, and most other food franchises will range between 4 and 6%. When you take into account that 8% is being charged out ...

How much is subway marketing fee?

Super high marketing fee: Subway charges, in addition to 8% royalty fee, a 4.5% marketing fee. That again is charged on top of your gross revenue. So you are leaving 12.5% to Subway off the bat, and that’s not yet even discounting all the other costs you will incur (cost of goods, rent costs, employees, licenses, taxes, and more).

How much is the average gross revenue per store in 2016?

The system is showing signs of decline – per unit sales are declining: In 2016, the average gross revenue per store was U$422.5K. As compared to 4 years before, average sales per unit were U$482,000. That’s a decline of U$60,000 per store. It has been reported, in 2017, that location traffic has fallen over 25% during the past 5 years. For an inexperienced business investor, looking at the gross revenues number, it may still sound appealing, but first, you don’t want to invest in a system with declining revenues (as this is a bad sign), but also, when you consider all your costs (super high fees, rent, employment costs, cost of goods, taxes, etc), and on top of that the fact the product cost is super cheap, with very low gross margins, how much really is left for the owner…hum…no wonder why so many stores have been closing, huh!?

How many subways are there in the US?

Subway was founded in 1965 by Fred de Luca and the concept was franchised in 1974. Currently they have 25,835 locations in the US, plus 18,317 locations in 98 countries! Yes, this has been a very successful business for Fred de Luca, even though as you will see in this article, the system is showing very concerning signs of an incoming crash (for example, over the past 2 years, hundreds of stores closed each year). Even though the corporation has been successful, that doesn’t mean that for you, the aspiring franchisee, this would be a great business as well.

Is subway keeping up with new demands?

Consumer habits are changing, and Subway is not keeping up to new demands: this applies to all the mature fast-food concepts out there. The new generation of consumers are much more informed on the true nutritional value of products, and are coming with many new food habits and demands. More and more you see people looking for healthier food choices, with fresh and organic ingredients, and demands such as Vegan menu, gluten free, lactose free, etc. All restaurants with a healthy appeal, or farm-to-table concepts, tend to be always packed and very successful. Keep in mind that when you sign up for a franchise, you sign an agreement of 5 or 10 years term, and you should think about what should happen to consumer habits and market trends over this time frame and how this could impact your business. When it comes to businesses such as Subway, McDonald’s or Pizza Hut, this is an area of concern!

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