Awesome Restaurant Franchise: Ruby’s Diner

  • Number of Open Locations: 35 (as of September 2017)
  • Franchise Development Website: https://www.rubys.com/franchising/
  • World Headquarters: Irvine, California
  • Cost to Open:
    • Total Investment: $737,500 - $1,922,000
    • Franchise Fee: $45,000

Why Its Awesome: Nostalgia is at the heart of Americana franchise, Ruby’s Diner. The Southern California brand embodies a 1940s diner theme that focuses on classic American fare from high-quality USDA burgers to hand-blended shakes. The brand was founded in 1982 by longtime friends, Doug Cavanaugh and Ralph Kosmides after the two envisioned a diner that encapsulated all that was the iconic 40’s into a fun, family-friendly and informal atmosphere. Since its founding, Ruby’s has grown to more than 35 locations with a heavy presence in Southern California and other locations in Nevada, Texas, New Jersey and Pennsylvania.

The brand boasts a full breakfast, lunch and dinner menu including Ruby’s beef chili, classic sourdough melts, a variety of half pound burgers and more. The menu also offers root beer floats, pie and an impressive lineup of shakes and malts, including chocolate banana, chocolate chip cookie dough and salted caramel among others.

Now, 35 years later, Ruby’s is positioned for greater growth as it seeks motivated multi-unit franchisees to help grow its iconic presence out East.

Awesome Restaurant Franchise: Lennys Grill & Subs

  • Number of Open Locations: 100+ (as of September 2017)
  • Franchise Development Website: https://lennysfranchise.com/
  • World Headquarters: Memphis, Tennessee
  • Cost to Open:
    • Total Investment: $188,216 - $396,146
    • Franchise Fee: $25,000

Why Its Awesome: Since Lennys Grill & Subs started nearly twenty years back, the sandwich franchise has been committed to authentic, high-quality ingredients and a broad offering of handcrafted subs and salads. Since its founding, the brand has made more than 27 million Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches, with around 200,000 cheesesteaks sold every month on average– a menu item that’s a clear cult favorite at its more than 100 locations nationwide.

On the heels of its 20th anniversary next year and a successful redesign of restaurants and its logo, Lennys Grill & Subs is poised for expansive growth with ambitious plans of reaching 200 locations throughout the system within the next five years.

Awesome Restaurant Franchise: Moe’s Southwest Grill

  • Number of Open Locations: 675 (As of January 2017)
  • Franchise Development Website: http://www.moesfranchise.com/
  • World Headquarters: Atlanta, Ga
  • Cost to Open:
    • Total Investment: $368,930 - $956,400
    • Franchise Fee: $30,000

Why Its Awesome: With more than 650 locations, Moe’s Southwest Grill has made a name for itself in the fast-casual Mexican restaurant sector. Founded in 2000, the brand embodies a family-friendly atmosphere and fresh and healthy ingredients, including grain-fed pork, cage-free eggs and grass-fed steak. In addition to high quality ingredients, Moe’s boasts gluten-free and a wide variety of vegetarian options all prepared on a separate surface to avoid cross contamination.

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Nick Powills

About the Author

Nick Powills

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Nick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.