Start a Chefs For Seniors Franchise in 2024

2024 Franchise 500 Rank: N/R Ranked #452 last year

Initial investment: $17K - $35K

Units as of 2024: 89 48.3% over 3 years

Barrett Allman, a restaurant owner and executive chef for over 25 years, founded Chefs for Seniors in 2013. Allman wanted to balance his skillset to serve his community while finding time for his family. A competition his son, Nathan, entered and won gave him the idea for this unique business model.

Chefs for Seniors place professional chefs in the homes of the elderly, giving them the option of eating well and being around a friendly and relationship-embracing person. Headquartered in Madison, Wisconsin, Chefs for Seniors wishes to offer senior citizens the luxury of a home-cooked meal in their comfort zones.

In 2016, the young company got involved in a startup acceleration program that specializes in growth marketing. Franchising started in 2017, resulting in the company now having over 50 units in operation. Chef for Seniors seeks franchisees with solid business acumen, strong work ethics, and a passion for working with the elderly.

Why You May Want to Start a Chefs for Seniors Franchise

As a franchisee, you'll be managing a team of professional but affordable personal chefs that will offer fresh meals, proper nutrition, and companionship to senior citizens. Chefs for Seniors franchisees follow a unique model of in-home food served weekly or bi-weekly.

Chefs are licensed by ServSafe, fully insured, and strictly vetted. They bring a basket full of freshly sourced ingredients to customer's homes to cook up custom, delicious, and nutritious meals while the client looks on. The franchisor believes that it is not just a food service company, but a friend with whom the client can look forward to their visits each time.

Chefs for Seniors customers are generally the elderly or their loved ones who get peace of mind knowing that cooking is being handled by a professional. Chefs consider a client's dietary requirements or restrictions and provide a more personalized service than eating out.

What Might Make a Chefs for Seniors Franchise a Good Choice?

To be part of the Chefs for Seniors team, you should make sure you're financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should prepare yourself for ongoing fees that will include royalty and potential renewal fees. A typical franchise agreement runs for three years. After those three years, you may be able to renew your franchise if the franchisor agrees to continue the relationship.

This franchise is a low overhead operation, and you'll be managing a staff of professional chefs who make house visits, preferably from your home or an office. You'll have exclusive territory that has an aged population of thousands of pensioners and benefit from the ongoing support of the Chefs for Seniors team home office.

How To Open a Chefs for Seniors Franchise

As you decide if opening a Chefs for Seniors franchise is the right move for you, make sure you take time to explore the opportunity. Research the brand and your local area to see if a Chefs for Seniors franchise would do well in your community. While competition is healthy, too much of it may not allow for the most possible growth.

Before making any financial commitment or signing an agreement, you must perform your due diligence and establish if this is the right opportunity for you. As part of your due diligence, you may want to speak to existing franchisees and ask the Chefs for Seniors franchising team questions.

Company Overview

About Chefs For Seniors

Industry	Personal-Care Businesses
Related Categories	Senior Care
Founded	2013
Parent Company	Chefs For Seniors Inc.
Leadership	Barrett Allman, CEO
Corporate Address	821 E. Washington Ave. Madison, WI 53703
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube

Business Overview

Franchising Since	2017 (7 years)
# of employees at HQ	5
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises throughout the US.
# of Units	89 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Chefs For Seniors franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$9,000 - $15,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$16,925 - $35,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	10% off franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	8%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	3 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Chefs For Seniors has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	8 hours
Classroom Training	21 hours
Ongoing Support	Purchasing Co-ops Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Field Operations Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	No
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	Yes
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	Yes
# of employees required to run	1
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes