Thanks a lot
I’m currently living in the UK and planning to move to Switzerland. Thinking of joining Subway company as a Franchisee. I’m unsure about the idea as I have no clue if the business will be successful. The investment is upto £100k. Please advise if subway restaurants are busy in Switzerland and any suggestions whether to go ahead or find something different.
If you ask here for advice maybe it would be better to contact Subway for some information and also set up a business plan first for yourself?
Thank you for getting back, I’m in the process of arranging a meeting with a Subway manager. It’s just to get an idea of whether the local subway restaurants are busy in different cities of Switzerland etc
What's busy to you and busy to me could be totally different though. The Subway in Bern seems to have at least a few customers sitting inside each time I walk by, but I wouldn't call it busy. I can go there at peak lunchtime and wait fewer than 5 minutes for my sandwich and get a seat in the restaurant. To me, that's not busy. They haven't gone out of business yet so I guess they make some money.
I've been 2 times to subway during 5 years in switzerland.
Not that I have something specifically against it .. But given the choice.. A sandwich vs all the other stuff one can have.. I've only ever chosen subway because it had no queue and I was in a hurry.
It is - perhaps - not the wisest decision to move to a country where you have (quite likely IMO) never been before, taking a six-figure sum of your own money with you to join a franchise in a market you don't know, to open a fast-food joint in a location you don't know.
Investment seems to be upwards 200k CHF, 150k UKP BTW.
https://www.subway-franchise.de/investition/
And then click on the "Schweiz" tab...
Switzerland is expensive.
Rents in good locations are very expensive, staff is expensive, raw-materials are expensive. Everything is expensive - and still people are cheap on food, because everything else is expensive (rent, health-insurance, their mobile-contract and the leasing on the SUV(s))....
Did you really think this through?
Thank you for your opinions. I’ve read articles about the company and some of the franchise partners own more than 2 or 3 subway stores. At the moment, there is 50+ stores throughout the country and expected to open more stores.
50+ throughout Switzerland?
Yes according to their website 50+ in Switzerland
There are two Subways in Basel, one near the train station and another just off the Marktplatz. (I think they are owned by the same person, as the employees sometimes move between the locations) Both are set up to catch the tourists, and that's primarily who I see there. There are gangs of kids, too, so you do get some locals.
I go there maybe once every other month and during lunch times there is usually a decent crowd in there. Off-hours aren't so busy, but I've never seen them empty.
I've been to one in Munich and that must have more than 15 years ago.
The bread does not look very filling.
I'd fear being hungry almost immediately after I've eaten the sandwich.
But then, I'm pretty picky about bread.
If I had such a franchise, I'd probably want to throw away at least part of the bread they send and source my own.
;-)
BTW: what does such a sandwich cost?
In Switzerland, a lot of small, successful companies in this segment get bought out after a while by Migros and Coop. Latest example was, IIRC, the Hitzberger chain:
Technically 49. One is in Vaduz
Just to get a lease on a decent gastro property in a busy area in Switzerland could cost more than 100,000 just in key money. Then the franchise fee will be on top. If you don't know the market in Switzerland, you could be in for a big shock, it's unlike most of European countries in many ways. (tiny market and big costs etc)
Thank you for sharing different experiences with subway. The main thing is to find a good location I suppose. According to the company’s website, the franchisee is supposed to invest upto 100’000 chf and the rest will be paid by the company. The franchisee then pays a monthly fee based on the sales.
Not up to 100.000,- 100k is the minimum, expect it depending on your location and what needs to be done easily much higher.
You're thinking of starting a business/franchise in a country you have "no clue" about and want to use a few subjective opinions on a forum to do your market research?
Oh my...
Well, profile says they’re Swiss so I would hope they have “some clue”.
My daughter worked for a while a the Subway at St Jakob Arena (home of FCB). She said it was quite busy over lunch time.
Umm, NO.
From their website:
"Die Gesamtinvestition für Ihr eigenes Subway® Restaurant beginnt bei CHF 200.000."
The total investment STARTS at CHF 200.000
Tom