Quick Crêpes: Sample Sweet Success With Your Own Franchise

Founder Hans Parker grew up loving French pancakes. This, combined with his mother’s dream to open a crêperie in the UK, drove Hans to start the Quick Crêpes brand in 1988. Over the next two decades, Hans grew his business to become the largest crêpe operator in the UK selling his famous pancakes up and down the country.

Hans worked tirelessly to improve his crêpe recipe so that it was the perfect balance of aroma, texture and flavour, capable of working with both sweet and savoury fillings. Hans’s wife Jackie put her twist on the recipe by adding buckwheat for a crisper, more delicious crêpe.

As a real family business, it was the children of Hans and Jackie that convinced them to develop a crêpe mix that made making pancakes easy. Working alongside nutritionists, a simple and time-saving recipe was created which only needed water to be added to make the perfect pancake. It's this mix which is now sold in luxury stores such as Harrods and Selfridges.

Developing the franchise model

Next Hans started opening crêperies in towns throughout the UK and Ireland thanks to the simple franchise model that he developed. There are now over 20 Quick Crêpes stores in the UK and the Middle East serving up crêpes as well as waffles, milkshakes, ice cream, smoothies, and soups.

The Quick Crêpes business model is readily adaptable to a wide range of locations and much more affordable than many other similar franchise businesses. As well as the profit to be made from opening a Quick Crêpes store, there’s also plenty of lucrative opportunities to increase revenue such as catering for private events such as weddings and corporate promotions.

If Quick Crêpes sounds like the type of franchise that you’d like to invest in, here is some further information about the opportunity.

What’s required?

You don't need to have any previous experience in the food or restaurant industry, but enthusiasm, ambition and a friendly smile is a must. You should have a passion for providing excellent customer service and enjoy working in a retail environment.

Quick Crêpes will provide both technical and business training once you become a franchisee so that you can confidently build and grow a profitable franchise.

When it comes to recruitment, thanks to the Quick Crêpes unique mix, you don’t need to worry about hiring highly trained staff. It's vital that your employees are as committed to providing exceptional customer service as you are though as they will effectively be the face of your business and the Quick Crêpes brand.

Location wise, there are very few limitations. Quick Crêpes stores only require A1 use (no need for outside extraction), so you have flexibility when it comes to where you set up your franchise. You can decide whether you want to be located in a shopping centre, inside a larger store, or operate as a standalone kiosk. The choice is yours.

Financial information

The franchise fee is an affordable £14,950 plus VAT for a five-year agreement. Once you’ve made this one off payment, the only ongoing fee is to cover the cost of marketing and management. This is calculated as 5% of your annual turnover; you get to keep the rest of your hard-earned money.

By using the Quick Crêpes product range to operate your franchise, you'll benefit from an average 70% gross profit margin across the menu. You’ll also be supplied with a free Slush Puppie machine, and you can choose to hire a red-hot coffee machine to further increase the profit you make. Licensing the premises to offer French wines and ciders is optional and provides an additional revenue stream if you decide to offer this service.

The design of your store is included in the cost of your franchise fee. You will then get a quote for the manufacture and installation. You can choose to go with Quick Crêpes preferred suppliers or use your chosen shopfitters to follow the design and specifications provided by the franchise team.

What you get

The benefit of investing in Quick Crêpes is that the product appeals to a wide range of customers. From families wanting a quick meal to commuters and tourists wanting something different, there aren’t many people who can walk past a Quick Crêpes store without the mouth-watering smell luring them in. This means that you’ll be in demand whatever the season.

In return, for the franchise fee you’ll get:

• Rights to use the Quick Crêpes brand • Help with store location, design, and fitting • On-site and off-site training • Branded packaging and uniforms • Group purchasing discounts • Recipe and menu development

You’ll also continue to receive support once your Quick Crêpes franchise is up and running to make sure you have the best possible chance of running a profitable business.

Interested?

If you’re interested in becoming a Quick Crêpes franchisee, regular franchise open days are held so that you can find out more about the opportunity while enjoying free crêpes and coffee.

Once you’ve had the chance to meet the Quick Crêpes team, it's essential that you perform your due diligence. Investing in a franchise is a big decision, and you need to make sure it's the right move for you and your loved ones.

Ask to speak to existing Quick Crêpes franchisees so that you can get an idea what running the business is really like. You’ll be able to ask questions about what training and support are available as well as how much money can be made.

If you're happy to proceed, then you should consult a solicitor who specialises in franchising to review the franchise agreement with you. These can be quite lengthy and complex documents, and your solicitor can help you to fully understand what will be expected of you as a Quick Crêpes franchisee.

Once you've completed your research, you can invest in Quick Crêpes confident that you’ve made the right choice allowing you to make a success of your new venture.