The Original Fast Food: Our Top Three Sandwich Franchises

Interested in running and owning your very own sandwich business? Whether you have years of experience in this area or just a general passion for food, this sector can offer significant income potential for franchisees.

So, here are our favourite sandwich franchises, all of which are seeking excellent franchisees to take their brands forward:

Subway

One of the world's most successful and popular franchises in the fast-food sector, Subway opened its first store in New England in 1965. Since then, it has transformed into a multi-billion-dollar brand, with more locations than any other fast-food franchise in the world. The network has over 44,000 stores across 110 countries and is continually redeveloping and improving its franchise system to stay ahead of the competition. Now, this brand is on the lookout for ambitious, hard-working franchisees to open new units in the UK.

As you might expect, Subway has a robust support network, with 20 Regional Development Offices in the UK and Ireland alone. This ensures all franchisees receive comprehensive training and support, for everything from site selection and construction to purchasing and advertising. Plus, all new Subway franchisees benefit from a two-week intensive training programme in Cambridge, which will help them learn how to run their business smoothly once they open their store. Subway also provides online training from the University of Subway programme, which offers 400 online courses for franchisees and their staff, meaning you’ll benefit from some of the best support in the industry.

Experience and qualifications required to run a Subway franchise

You don't need any specific qualifications to become a Subway franchisee. What this brand looks for is knowledge of the market, passion, motivation and an entrepreneurial spirit. This is a network that also welcomes the input of its franchisees, who can provide a valuable contribution to the brand’s future development. You’ll be encouraged to offer your ideas on how the system can provide better services and become more efficient once you start running your Subway franchise.

Bagel Corner

Centred on quality French bagels, Bagel Corner started in 2010 and already has 30 units in operation in the UK. Originating in France, this brand offers a delicious range of fresh bagels, lunches and snacks to customers ranging from business people to students, so there's a broad market up for grabs. Plus, any Bagel Corner restaurant can be adapted to a wide variety of locations; just 7 square metres is required for a takeaway kiosk, 20 square metres for a Shop in Shop, and 40 square metres for a restaurant.

Customers receive their food within 70 seconds of their order, which means Bagel Corner is perfect for busy people who don’t like to be kept waiting and don’t have time to go to a café where they may have to wait several minutes for their food to be ready. Better still, customers have the option of ordering their lunch from the Bagel Corner website and picking it up from the store. This can reduce queues so that customers can order their food faster during busy times such as the morning rush hour.

Bagel Corner's unique product range, fast customer service and proven business model enable franchisees to generate a significant income in a relatively short space of time. Plus, with exclusive recipes supported by Thierry Marx, a French Michelin star chef, the brand has the endorsement of one of the most distinguished figures in the catering world. Plus, with the UK regarded as a high-growth market for this sector, Bagel Corner is eager to develop its network in the country and become a widely recognised brand here. When you open your franchise, you’ll get excellent training and ongoing support, which will include access to franchise experts who can provide professional advice on how to get your business up and running.

Experience and qualifications required to run a Bagel Corner franchise

Bagel Corner is looking for great business people that have a sufficient investment capacity to run and operate its stores independently. This brand is also seeking franchisees who can support its plan to expand regionally and nationally so that it can become one of the most popular franchises of its kind in the UK.

To open your own Bagel Corner franchise, you’ll need a minimum investment of £500,000, depending on the size of the business, although you may prefer to finance part of your investment by choosing a lender with expertise in the franchise sector.

Jasper's

This leading catering franchise provides delicious food for business lunches and meetings. Also a member of the British Franchise Association (bfa), Jasper's is headquartered in Sutton Coldfield in the West Midlands and set up its first franchise in Northampton in 2007.

With the sandwich industry worth £2.8 billion a year, there is unlimited income potential in the business catering sector. That’s why Jasper's is on the lookout for ambitious franchisees to build popular franchises and help the brand continue to thrive. In fact, this franchisor offers more choice than any other caterer, as franchisees cans earn their income via multiple sources, from contemporary food to buffet catering.

Experience and qualifications required to run a Jasper’s franchise

Fortunately, you don't have to have catering experience or expert knowledge of running sandwich franchises to become a Jasper's franchisee. The brand provides comprehensive training and support to help you become familiar with the business model and the target market so you can get your new franchise off to the best start. Plus, the head office continually innovates its product offering so all franchisees can stay competitive and acquire new skills.

The typical start-up cost of a Jasper's franchise is £140,896, and you'll need a minimum personal investment of £42,500. Once you're up and running, it's crucial that you make use of all the leads and prospective business that Jaspers guarantees to give you access to. To build a successful franchise, you're recommended to have at least four booked appointments per week in the first 12 months, when you should have between 70 and 100 clients ordering your catering services, with an average client spend of £110 a week.