Franchising a Restaurant

Perhaps you're an accomplished franchisee looking to enter a new venture. Perhaps you're a coffee addict and pastry enthusiast yearning to work around what you love. Or maybe you're just a smart businessperson with a keen eye for opportunity.

Either way, franchising a Dunkin' Donuts restaurant could be the right career move for you. Founded in 1950, the popular coffee shop and bakery has over 8,000 stores across 34 states and 30 countries. It is currently America's largest coffee retailer (by the cup), and recent accolades in Entrepreneur magazine's "Franchise 500" list include #1 Bakery Franchise, #3 Fastest-Growing Franchise, and #7 of the Top 100 Franchises.

How it's done:

There are five phases of the franchise process. The first entails an application, after completion of which the company sends a disclosure document with information reserved for applicants. Credit and criminal background checks are performed, and the applicant must prove citizenship (or permanent residence and alien registration card) and assets.

During Phase 2, the prospective franchisee gets an interview with a franchise manager and is expected to conduct discussions with existing franchisees. They can provide the applicant with information they've learned from experience. The applicant must also develop a business plan, which gets presented to the franchise manager in Phase 3. The other part of Phase 3 is a more comprehensive background check.

This is when the company makes its big approval decision. If the applicant is approved, Phase 4 is when she is presented with a store development agreement. After that's signed, the franchisee must secure financing, select and submit the site of the future restaurant for approval, and begin training.

The final stage, Phase 5, is when the purchase or lease of property for the restaurant gets finalized. The franchisee then signs the franchise agreement (different from the store development agreement in Phase 4). Construction or renovation begins on the site and the restaurant crew begins training to open another successful Dunkin' Donuts.

What's available:

According to the company's Web site, the new states in which Dunkin' Donuts is looking to expand include Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Missouri, Texas and Wisconsin.  Existing markets that are listed as "available," meaning the brand is already there but is accepting applications from new franchisees, are Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia.

The rest of the United States are either "future markets" or reserved for expansion by current Dunkin' Donuts franchisees only. International franchising is also possible but interested developers should contact the company for region-specific information.

Further help:

While Dunkin' Brands­­–Dunkin' Donuts' parent company, which also owns ice cream chain Baskin-Robbins–does not give out figures indicating the cost of franchising or potential earnings, it does offer seminars and webinars for interested parties. Via DunkinBrands.com, prospective franchisees can learn when the next seminar or webinar will be. These are the best opportunities to meet franchise managers who can answer all your questions and help you start what could be a career-changing endeavor.