New in Town

It's a popular phrase around this time of the year-"out with the old; in with the new." In franchising, it's more like "on with the old; in with the new." While franchising runs on the success of its "old," tried-and-true systems (think McDonald's and KFC), it gets its spark from the up-and-coming businesses seeking to expand into future empires. These new franchises provide prospective entrepreneurs with the ground-floor opportunities that have long evaporated in their more established counterparts.

The following listing provides information on companies that started franchising in the past five years. The listing isn't intended to endorse any specific franchise. Rather, it's a first step in your own research, which should include reading the franchise company's literature (including its Uniform Franchise Offering Circular), calling and visiting existing franchisees, and consulting an attorney and an accountant. To view our listing of new franchises, click here.

This article was originally published in the December 2003 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: New in Town.