In short, starting a new business is extremely hard, particularly in the current economic climate.

With approximately 60% of Australian businesses failing within their first 3 years, buying a franchise can in many cases offer a safer path to owning your own business, due to the fact that franchisees are typically buying into a proven business model with established systems, processes and procedures.

For example, while not every store has SpudBAR store has been a success over our 25 year journey, we have an extensive track record of delivering exceptional results when we get the mix of location and franchisee right.

Having been in operation for over 25 years, the success of the SpudBAR brand is underpinned by a very established, very loyal customer base.

This rich history has also seen us build and refine a suite of best-in-class processes, procedures and systems that make the SpudBAR model incredibly straightforward to operate.

In short, the operation is incredibly simple, you can lean on the extensive experience of the support office team, and there is minimal cooking equipment required.

This not only makes it accessible to those transitioning into the hospitality space for the first time, but it also keeps the setup costs incredibly low.

While prior experience in hospitality or franchising would be ideal, we certainly don’t see it as a requirement.

Having been in operation for over 25 years, we have built and refined our “system” to the point where we believe any one with the right attitude can succeed. With this in mind, your passion, alignment with our core values and willingness to work both in and on your business are by far the most important factors in the selection process.

If successful in your application to become a SpudBAR franchisee, we will run a comprehensive 3-week training program with you.

This training will provide you with the theoretical knowledge and hands on skills to successfully run your SpudBAR store.

On top of this, the Support Office Team will provide you with up-to-date learning and development content for you to effectively train your team.

If you don’t already hold a Food Safety Supervisor Certificate, you will need to complete a 4 hour online course that qualifies you in this role.

You only need one registered supervisor per store, and this is something that must be obtained in order to gain training approval from Spudbar, as well as your food service registration permit with the local council.

Being part of a franchise system is often described as “being in business for yourself, not by yourself”.

In addition to training, SpudBAR provides site selection support, assistance with lease negotiations and management of the fit-out of your store.

Once your store is open, you’ll also benefit from in-store support during your opening week, local area & group-wide marketing activities and ongoing operational guidance.

In short, yes; having seen franchisees approach their store ownership in many varying ways over the years, we can very confidently say that the most successful SpudBARs are those where the franchisee works in the store.

Nothing can replace the dedication and passion that an owner has for their own business, particularly when you first open.

With this in mind, SpudBAR requires all franchisees to work as a full-time employee in their store for the first 12 months of being open.

To get a new SpudBAR store open and fully operational, we estimate that you would need approximately $280,000 - $300,000 (+GST) of working capital.

This would cover the cost of having the shop designed, built and fitted out with required equipment, Spudbar franchise fees, training and all accounts and permits.

Please note that this is only an estimate and is based on a store size of 50m2. This can vary due to the cost of building materials, labour and additional works required to meet council restrictions. This number should be taken as an indicative guide only.

The additional costs associated with the opening of a store, that are not included in the above are: the bank guarantee and the first month’s rent (both of which are not finalised until the negotiation of the lease is complete), and the opening stock on hand value for the store to open and trade to customers.

The opening of your SpudBAR store will depend on a number of factors, including the timeliness of completing your application, paperwork and site negotiations.

The application process should take approximately 4-7 weeks, and the store development process should take about 12-16 weeks.

The cost of taking over the operations and ownership of an existing SpudBAR store can range anywhere from as little as $80,000, right up to $350,000.

This is dependant upon the sale price listed by the owner of the store.

On top of the sale price there are also some other costs that need to be factored into the purchase of a store, including: the bond/bank guarantee on the store (dictated in the lease by the landlord), the legal fee to generate your franchise agreement ($4,500 + GST) and your training fee for the full 3 weeks in depth in store training program ($4,500 + GST).

Once open and trading, the ongoing costs involved in running your Spudbar business are as follows:

• 7% royalty fee, paid to Spudbar weekly and calculated on net sales.

• 3% marketing fee, paid to Spudbar weekly and calculated on net sales that exclude 3rd party provides (UberEats, Menulog etc.)

• Cost of Goods sold (the Spudbar menu has been engineered to deliver COGS less than 30%)

• Rent (paid monthly to the landlord)

• Staff wages (paid either weekly or fortnightly to staff at the store, following the Australian Fast Food Industry Award)

There are so many variables that can impact the success of a SpudBAR store that we are not able to estimate the turnover or results of any location.

Your input, operational standards, economic conditions, local area factors, staff, and service standards are just a few of the factors that influence the success or otherwise of your SpudBAR store.

There are risks involved in starting any new business and accordingly earnings are not predictable. Throughout the application process we will provide you with an assortment of information that will assist you in preparing a business plan and you are encouraged to seek independent legal and financial advice.

Absolutely - we love muti-site owners who are fully invested in the SpudBAR brand.

With this in mind, if you do a great job of making your first store a success and have an appetite for further growth, we would love to explore this with you.

Please note that second and subsequent stores are not normally approved until you’ve been running your first store for a minimum of 6 months.