Reading the trades is always useful. For example: Starbucks may be everywhere (14,000 units in the US, according to QSR), almost exactly the same as McDonald's, but its revenue per store, just under $1 million, is only a third of what MickeyD pulls in.
The surprising leader, in sales per store, is (wait for it) the much-despised (at least in Seattle) Chick-fil-A, which grosses a cool $4 million per store, three and a half times as much as KFC. Harrumph!
The QSR rankings put Starbucks in the "snack" category, where its competition is Dairy Queen and Dunkin Donuts and Basking Robbins, which doesn't seem realistic. But what should the Mermaid's category be, then? Coffee shops, as such, fall into a different category entirely, "Beverage." Or is it "Breakfast"? Silly me, I thought Starbucks wanted to get into the lunch business, so maybe it should be "Fast Food"?
Regardless, Subway leads the field with 26,000 units, all franchised. Trouble is, Subway encourages its franchisees to open three or four shops in the same neighborhood, complete with oversize signs, garish décor, hideous colors, and ghastly lighting. At least they're not going to win the beauty contest.
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