How to Start Golden Corral Franchising Systems

The vision of Golden Corral Franchise is to be the leader of family restaurant segment by providing affordable and pleasurable dining at every restaurant, every day, for every guest. Take part in this vision by starting your own Golden Corral Franchise, and let us show you the benefits of owning one.

The first Golden Corral restaurant started in Fayetteville, NC way back 1973. It's a family-style restaurant that offers the best grill and buffet available anywhere.

Their famous buffet contains salad bar, fresh vegetables, pizza, pasta, and other hot meal options including selection of carved meals during Sundays and dinner.

They’re most proud of their Great Steak Buffet that features “all-you-can-eat” sirloin steak. All their steaks are also USDA inspected. They’re grilled to order and cut fresh daily to have better juiciness and flavor. They also provide various menu items cooked at grill station while the guests are looking on.

Startup Golden Corral Franchise Restaurant

Golden Corral franchising system believes that all franchisees are a part of their success and future growth. They require that the person responsible for the business should have a hands-on approach and be involved in all aspects. The franchisees will not be alone because a corporate office team is behind them 24/7. They can call all the time when there are problems or questions.

Why will you startup a Golden Corral Restaurant? Here are the reasons:

  • Nation’s Restaurant News voted it as #1 Grill Buffet for 11 straight years
  • 500 restaurants located in 41 states
  • System-wide sales of $1.526 billion for 15 straight years
  • There are three building sizes that would allow you to tailor building and land investment to the demographics, population, and market potential.
  • Active franchise advisory council

Golden Corral Franchise Restaurant Guide

Before you apply for a franchise, make sure that you have restaurant experience (preferred but not required), $500,000 in liquidity, and net worth $2,500,000 in Investment Group. Initial investment is $2,067,025-$5,937,380. The franchise fee is only $50,000 per restaurant with a royalty of 4% based on gross sales as well as 2% advertising fee.

There are multi-unit area development territories that are nationally available and you can avail of third party financing from more than 40 leading lenders. Training is a 12-week computer-based program. First 10 weeks would be in certified training restaurants and the final two weeks held in Raleigh, North Carolina called Corporate Center Training and Development.

Golden Corral Franchise is privately-owned with an active founder. Its Franchise Advisory Council and stable corporate senior management include 18 franchises meeting four times every year, which includes the CEO. No late hours, no liquor liability, and no alcohol. Furthermore, you will enjoy combined purchasing power of the nationwide system which include a leading specialty distribution company and suppliers of equipment with advantageous pricing.

6 Comments

  • ashif said on January 25, 2010
    hi i live in mumbai i want to open kfc restaurant in mira rd location i have my own property so give terms and condition about franchise buying,
  • Paula Keller said on May 31, 2012
    My husband and I started with a franchise in Inglewood,CA, after being told we qualified for one unit. When Inglewood, CA wasn't viable ( and I mean viable because they said that though we were in the same shopping center of Michael's and Bed Bath and Beyond, the doors in our unit were facing the wrong way and Golden Corral refused to approve the location). The franchisor said "Look anywhere, California is wide open". After almost three months of negotiation in Rancho Cucamunga, CA we were told unsigned persons were looking to become franchisee's though we were previously told we could claim any territory. They turned around and issued the territory to person's not signed yet (though we were). Proceeding we found a parcel in Palmdale, CA-they would not allow us to transfer the fees to the new territory we found. A letter was falsified by the territory sales manager - showing we had additional assets (we found this later going through the lawsuit). They than all of a sudden Golden Corral said we were now authorized for two units and made us pay another down payment on the franchise fee, of at that time $10K. The property had an option to purchase. It was right across the street from East side of street vs. West side was located the Circuit City, Best Buy, Ross, TJ max, Linens and things, Bed Bath and Beyond, Target, Lowes, Panera Bread, Sports Chalet, Party City, Trader Joes-All these were across the street from the negotiated parcel. The next block was the Mall and the next three blocks consisted of Sam's Kohl's and a Super Wal-Mart. Additionally behind the mall was restaurant Row.Inclusive of Applebee's, Chili's, El Torito, Red Lobster, Olive Garden, Outback, and three new restaurants were being built. To the North only three blocks was a new 250 bed hospital being built with Thousands of feet of medical office space already in construction) After Golden Corral recommended a sale leaseback company (which later I found 12% of their income was derived from corporate Golden Corral leases-though Golden Corral never revealed this to me when they referred me to them). Once location was approved, another $20K was required. When this leaseback company found they were losing money on the deal. (because though a lease rate was negotiated the representatives never told his managers he had negotiated an option to purchase rather than merely a sale leaseback (this too was revealed in the lawsuit and meant they would be losing money)- so at this point who would be looking after who?(after the lease/option company hired architects and a Development company that took over a year to get all through permitting). All of a sudden the 4.1M gross proforma was downgraded by Golden Corral to be 3.5M. Originally the net would be 350K to 400K. The original proforma was approved by Golden Corral. This also did not take into consideration the increase in the menu prices over the entire development period. After the additions that were incurred due to the length of time the developers took. The increased cost to build than reduced the net to 300K-350K. Though the banks had approved a 785K equipment package with those numbers. After a year through permitting and being requested to send our managers to training by Golden Corral Mr. Clement - in discovery the property approval person claimed that ("Golden Corral would be in great trouble, because they allowed this to happen") (costs now exceeding the 100K mark for us), four days before pulling permits. Golden Corral revoked authorization, claiming the numbers just did not work. Golden Corral also claimed we were given authorization to build an 11.M and we were building an 11.MEE (two extended 3' additions to each side. They claimed we had no authorization for the "EE" (How would we know this was available without them presenting it to us?.-Within the investigation of the lawsuit, I revealed not one, not two, not three, but four written (in emails-i kept all of my emails) approvals for the "EE" model. Really funny though all demographics numbers were within the graphs of the top 25 performing stores within the Golden Corral System. They claimed it still would not be feasible. After which, only two weeks later, I was informed Golden Corral would be looking to place a corporate unit in the next city over. After I filed suit, they claimed "Because of my perspective they would not be pursuing the corporate unit in the next city over). I continued to sue them - with attorney fees totaling over $225K, ended up in summary judgement - they now claimed because we didn't complete the agreements in the time frame specified within the contracts. because of their time clause in their agreements, which are humanly impossible to complete, especially when you are working with completely undeveloped land. A ground up, no concrete even poured yet project. (This, my friend is called a weasel clause) this enables a company to weasel out of the contract by placing a clause in it which can not and in most cases have never been completed. Future perspective franchisee's beware-GET EVERYTHING IN WRITING EVEN EXTENSIONS OF BUILDINGS, CHANGE TO MODEL'S EVEN AFTER APPROVAL AND EXTENSIONS OF TIME. Golden Corral franchising Systems do not honor their moralistic agreements or even agreements put in writing. So......unless you're prepared to loose $100k dollars or more I advise against this franchise system. Golden Corral, really--how many of your last 50 units have been signed and completed within the weasel clause time frame? (Future franchisees...GET THAT ANSWER, THEY PROBABLY WILL NOT SUPPLY IT) input into the franchise and development agreements. During the lawsuit, I had found similar complaints from other previous Golden Corral franchisee's. I also notice they state a $500K capitol requirement, than why did they try to stick me with a $783K equipment package. NOT A GOOD FRANCHISE-YOU WILL LOOSE YOUR LIFE SAVINGS-I DID!!!!
  • bryan burns said on May 7, 2013
    I would like to know what it gets involved on setting up a Golden Corral in a city that there is none or possibly around the city that there is none would someone please get hold of me.
  • Shanna Ammons said on July 16, 2013
    A Golden Corral will be great in the Memphis TN area. There is not one here so how can I can get some more information on getting involved with Golden Corral?
  • SHARON said on February 7, 2016
    The restaurant business is missing out on a great opportunity in LaPorte, Indiana. A buffet style restaurant especially one as good as Golden Coral would be a winning lottery ticket. We have only one buffet style, and it's Chinese. The people are screaming for you to come to our town.
  • Rosemary Kearney said on July 11, 2016
    The only Golden Corral in NJ is south. I have to drive several miles to attend. I would like to open one near a mall and the area has plenty of parking. This area has a building on it - it was a steak house previously. What are my beginning steps and how much cash do I need total to begin my journey. Thank you.

    Comment

    (All the above fields are required.)

    Categories

    Popular Articles

    Join Our Newsletter