Restaurant franchises are a fairly popular choice in the food service industry, so it should come as no surprise that as more and more corporations and private financial backers take an interest in owning them, more types become available. It used to be that franchised restaurants were limited to fast food and perhaps full-service gas stations that offered some hot food options; these days you’ll find that there is quite the variety of franchise food service options. Here’s a brief overview of the selection that is currently available:
Fast Food
From your favorite burger joint to your family’s preferred Friday night fried chicken place, fast food restaurants come a dime a dozen, but are also quite popular and successful. They’re cheap, cost-effective, and efficient, and even during leaner times they continue to have a booming business. Other types of fast food places include coffee shops, doughnut shops, and even ice cream shops – such as a Cold Stone Franchise.
Casual
Casual dining experiences offer sit-down and takeout options, and generally offer the fast-food experience with slightly more food options – think Five Guys or California Tortilla as examples.
Full Service
A full service food restaurant is one that invites its customers in to sit down at a table or booth, enjoy drinks (perhaps alcoholic beverages), take their pick of food from an extensive menu, and pay at the end of the meal. Full service restaurants include places like IHOP, Texas Roadhouse, and Applebee’s.
Which type of franchise restaurant is right for you? Well, from a practical standpoint you’ll need to think about your favorite type of food, as well as the type of work environment you would do best in. If your goal is to get customers in and out the door, go for fast food or fast casual. But if you’d like to take the time to mingle with guests and create an establishment that is embraced by the community, consider casual or full service.
