Golden Corral vs Cool-de-Sac Franchise Comparison

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

Start-Up Costs and Fees
  Golden Corral Cool-de-Sac
Investment 2700795 - 7037915 858700 - 1988667
Franchise Fee 0
Royalty Fee 4% 6%
Advertising Fee 2.40%
Year Founded 1973 2008
Year Franchised 1986 2010
Term Of Agreement
Term Of Agreement
Renewal Fee


Business Experience Requirements
  Golden Corral Cool-de-Sac
Experience Industry experience (or must have partner with industry experience.)

Financing Options
  Golden Corral Cool-de-Sac
 
Franchise Fees No
Start-up Costs No
Equipment No
Inventory No
Receivables No
Payroll No

Training & Support
  Golden Corral Cool-de-Sac
Training On-The-Job Training: 665 hours Classroom Training: 8.5 hours Additional Training: At company training location
Support Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app
Operations 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) Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 60 - 80. Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed.

Expansion Plans
  Golden Corral Cool-de-Sac
US Expansion 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 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 Nationwide, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory
International Expansion Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Sierra Leone, Trinidad & Tobago, United States, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, Venezuela, Yugoslavia

Start-Up Costs and Fees Mobile
Investment
Golden Corral
Cool-de-Sac
Franchise Fee
Golden Corral
Cool-de-Sac
Royalty Fee
Golden Corral 4%
Cool-de-Sac 6%
Advertising Fee
Golden Corral 2.40%
Cool-de-Sac
Year Founded
Golden Corral 1973
Cool-de-Sac 2008
Year Franchised
Golden Corral 1986
Cool-de-Sac 2010
Term Of Agreement
Golden Corral 15 years
Cool-de-Sac 10 years
Renewal Fee
Golden Corral 15 years (plus two, 5-year renewal options)
Cool-de-Sac


Business Experience Requirements
Experience
Golden Corral Industry experience (or must have partner with industry experience.)
Cool-de-Sac

Financing Options
 
Franchise Fees
Golden Corral No
Cool-de-Sac No
Start-up Costs
Golden Corral
Cool-de-Sac
Equipment
Golden Corral}
Cool-de-Sac
Inventory
Golden Corral
Cool-de-Sac
Receivables
Golden Corral
Cool-de-Sac
Payroll
Golden Corral
Cool-de-Sac

Training & Support
Training
Golden Corral On-The-Job Training: 665 hours Classroom Training: 8.5 hours Additional Training: At company training location
Cool-de-Sac
Support
Golden Corral Newsletter Meetings/Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security/Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Cool-de-Sac
Marketing
Golden Corral National Media Regional Advertising Social media SEO Website development Email marketing Loyalty program/app
Cool-de-Sac
Operations
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)
Cool-de-Sac Number of employees needed to run franchised unit: 60 - 80. Absentee ownership of franchise is allowed.

Expansion Plans
US Expansion
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
Cool-de-Sac 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
Golden Corral
Cool-de-Sac Nationwide, Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories, Nova Scotia, Nunavut, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory
International Expansion
Golden Corral
Cool-de-Sac Argentina, Bahamas, Barbados, Bermuda, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Sierra Leone, Trinidad & Tobago, United States, Uruguay, US Virgin Islands, Venezuela, Yugoslavia