When deciding which sports bar and grill franchise opportunity is the best one for you to invest in, do your due diligence!
Last month we discussed three of the most important questions you should get answers to before deciding to open your own sports bar franchise. In this article, we’ll look at five more topics, and how one sports bar and grill franchise — Hotshots Bar and Grill — tackles some of them.
Hotshots Bar and Grill is more than just a spot to watch the game. It’s an establishment where customers can play pool, darts and video games while enjoying a menu of top-notch drinks and food. It’s an interactive twist on the same old sports bar scene.
1. How long is the initial term of the BAR Franchise Agreement, and what’s the renewal schedule?
Franchise agreements — including those for bar franchises — must, by law, state the number of years the contract between the franchisor and franchisee is to run. They also typically indicate how many times, and for how long, the agreement can be renewed, assuming the owner meets all his/her requirements under the agreement.
Industry averages for initial franchise agreement terms can often range between 10 to 20 years. Hotshots offers reasonable tenures to franchise owners, balancing their 10-year initial agreement with additional extensions.
2. Once the franchise agreement has been signed, how long does it take on average for a new franchisee to be up and running?
Clearly, one sign of a sports bar and grill franchise company’s health — and a direct measure of how well it supports its community of franchise owners — is how efficient the company is in helping get new franchisees up and running and generating revenue.
In general, sports bar franchises with efficiencies built into the start-up periods would appear to many investors to be more attractive. Hotshots Sports Bar and Grill has established an enviable reputation for both the average time-to-opening of its new stores, and the excellence of its build-out and start-up support for new franchisees.
3. What level and kind of advertising and other brand-support does this franchisor provide?
Like most restaurants, sports bar and grill franchises rely on the effective use of a variety of advertising formats to draw in guests. That’s why operators often contribute to a system marketing fund, which the franchisor then uses to underwrite an array of regional and national advertising, marketing, promotional, and brand-support activities.
Even smaller or more regional franchisors can provide effective brand support, using media and messaging strategically. With the sophisticated geo-targeting capabilities of today’s social media platforms, even franchisors with regional vs. national presence can activate comparatively inexpensive yet highly effective online advertising and marketing campaigns on behalf of their franchise networks.
Many sports bar franchise brands also supply their franchisees with a wide array of local advertising support programs and materials, such as:
- Templated website landing pages for individual locations
- Stock print ads and layouts
- Direct-marketing templates
- Point-of-purchase (POP) sales and display materials
Obviously, the more effective advertising and brand support activity a franchisor provides in exchange for the fees contributed by the franchisees, the better it can be for the entire system in sustaining a brand’s visibility and credibility.
4. What level and kind of technical or operational support does the franchisor provide?
The day-to-day operation of a sports bar and grill franchise business entails some level of technical and operational expertise.
Every business uses digital devices — laptops, desktops, tablets, smartphones and so on. Sports bar franchise operators, in particular, often depend on sophisticated, cloud-based computer systems for operations including:
- POS (point-of-sale) cashiering and cash-management
- Inventory management and purchasing
- Email marketing
- Online ordering and delivery tracking
One of the benefits of joining an established franchise system is knowing that the franchisor has usually vetted and approved a complete set of technology tools and programs that are needed for operating the business — thus removing the guesswork on how to start a sports bar
5. What level and kind of training does the franchisor provide?
Operating virtually every type of franchise business requires that the owners themselves — and sometimes one or more employees — successfully complete an in-depth course of pre-opening training.
Often, where actual on-the-job skills training is involved, the trainee(s) need to travel to the franchisor’s central training facility or regional office. But today, a great deal of the information and components of this training are being delivered online. Regardless of how and where it happens, the quality and level of training that a franchisor offers is important to any new franchise owner.
In evaluating various sports bar franchise opportunities, you should ascertain (to your satisfaction) how well the franchisor appears to be equipped to teach you the tools, tricks of the trade and other important aspects like the cost to open a bar. Hotshot Bar and Grill offers an industry-leading, comprehensive, and field-tested training regimen for all of its new owner/partners.
Concluding Questions
A few other questions regarding the kind and level of technical support from the franchisor are: how easily and quickly is support available, and how competent is that support when it is provided? Hotshots Sports Bar and Grill is well known for both the quality and professionalism of its franchise support programs, and its industry-leading responsiveness in supporting the needs of its franchise owners.
Investing in a bar franchise in 2022 is one of the most consequential financial moves you’ll ever make in your life. It can offer a wonderful new trajectory for your life, and the independence and self-determination you might have been seeking. But before placing this kind of bet on yourself, you owe it to yourself — and to your family and future — to do your due diligence, ask the right questions, and base your decision mainly on the facts . . . but also (yes!) on that little feeling in your gut that says: This is the one!
If Hotshots feels like “the one,” request more info here .
Check the previous part of this post
