Best Franchise Types to Consider for Summer

on June 3, 2019

Investing in a food franchise gives you a great way to be a business owner while offering tasty treats to costumers. During summer, certain food franchises tend to thrive, whether they’re selling treats to help people cool off or providing delicious and convenient meals for a casual lunch or evening, The following food franchises are among the best types to consider investing in for the summer months.

Ice Cream

From hot fudge sundaes and banana splits to traditional ice cream cones, ice cream franchises have a lot to offer customers. These sweet treats can provide instant relief from the heat. Some franchises offer a wide range of ice cream flavors, as well as toppings, cone types and other options.

Candy

Walking into an old-fashioned candy shop can make adult customers feel like kids again while delighting younger customers. A confectionery franchise can bring back summer childhood memories or give customers a way to create new memories with kids or grandkids. Homemade treats, such as chocolate-covered nuts, or traditional summer sweets like saltwater taffy can offer sweet-tooth satisfaction for customers of all ages.

Smoothies

Smoothie franchises offer a way to help customers cool off with a more nutritious treat. Fruit smoothies, especially those made with real fruits and lower amounts of sugar, are a good summer treat for more health-conscious customers who are craving sweetness and looking for an escape from the heat or an afternoon energy boost.

Shaved Ice

Shaved ice provides a simple yet satisfying treat when it’s hot out. These franchises typically mean you’ll be dealing with fewer ingredients overall compared to ice cream and other franchises. Customers can enjoy cooling off with a cup or paper cone filled with shaved ice and their choice of flavoring.

Barbecue

Barbecued foods go hand in hand with summer. Having a barbecue food franchise means you can provide customers with an easy, seasonal meal when they don’t want to fire up the grill at home. From barbecue chicken and pulled pork to traditional side dishes, such as baked beans or mac and cheese, these franchises can hit the spot when customers want a filling yet quick lunch or dinner.

If you’re thinking of buying a confectionery franchise this summer, River Street Sweets® gives you an opportunity to sell homemade candy, ice cream, chocolate-covered strawberries and other sweet treats. Contact us to get more information on our franchise opportunities.

The importance of Social Media as a marketing tool

on May 23, 2019

As a candy franchise owner of River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen, word of mouth and foot traffic both play critical steps within your marketing approach. However, gone are the days where you can simply rely completely on potential guests discovering your storefront based on location. Now more than ever before individuals in search of sweets turn to Facebook, look up images on Instagram, and investigate how toffee is made on YouTube. With the importance of social media, it is critical for your overall success to fully take advantage of the power of social media.

1. Instant Answers
Modern consumers want instant answers. They don’t want to pick up the phone and call in hopes of a knowledgeable representative answering. They also don’t want to email and wait days for a reply. If they are unable to receive a quick reply they will turn to the competition. With social media you give guests the ability to connect and communicate with you instantly. Whether through comments on posts or through direct messages, this is an easy way to ask you questions and to begin the guest experience long before they enter your doors. You just need to make sure and reply quickly. You never know when someone will need last minute treats for a party or wants to know if the candy contains nuts.

2. Your Pictures Sell
People love food photographs. There are entire social media accounts based completely on snapping pretty pictures of food. As a candy franchise owner that’s essentially your business. Sharing photographs of sweet treats, snacks, new creations, and anything else you sell is a great way to highlight what sets your candy shop apart.
Your pictures can also highlight the fact that you hand make a number of your treats in-house. There’s a good chance no other candy shop in the area does that. Guests may not have known this before you posted the images, which will draw them into your store.

3. Another Search Engine
YouTube not only is the second largest social media platform but it’s also the second largest search engine as well. By creating videos and posting to YouTube you can share the images on Facebook, share video links in email ads and on your homepage. You also will improve your Internet footprint as now users will be able to find you on both Google and YouTube as well as many other search engines.

Updating followers and connecting with potential guests through social media gives your candy franchise free advertising. It increases the potential of a new client discovering what you have to offer. So from answering questions posted on Facebook to highlighting your latest creations on Instagram, by using social media in your store’s marketing approach you will drive brand-new traffic to your brick and mortar location. If you’re not yet a franchise owner now is the time to act!

Our Franchise Marketing team is on your side with support for all your social media needs. We set up social accounts for your location and assist in monitoring and posting!

4 Reasons Why a Candy Store Franchise is a Smart Investment

on February 14, 2019

If you’re seeking to buy into a franchise, you owe it to yourself to consider a candy store franchise like River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen. Candy making and selling is a multi-billion dollar a year industry, and there’s no better time to invest in this lucrative and rewarding business.

1. Market Demand is Always High
The Strickland Family has been consistently successfully successful with their two candy businesses, River Street Sweets and Savannah’s Candy Kitchen for over 40 years. Market demand is always high when you offer premium candy products and superior guest experiences, as you would be able to do with a River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen franchise. While other business markets ebb and flow according to the ups and downs of the economy, the candy business retains its demand. If anything, the public flocks to quality candy stores to find familiar and soothing comfort when times are tough.

2. Diversity of Product Offerings
With a River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen franchise, you would be able to deliver a diversity of product offerings that is unique to the industry. As a savvy businessperson, you know that diversity is essential for long-lasting success. This has been part of the recipe for success all along. You would never be relying on just one style of candy to sell in your candy store franchise. Instead, your customers could choose from a wide variety of candy flavors, textures and combinations to satisfy their sweet tooth. You will also be able to offer more than just candy. With our successful addition of an ice-cream model, as well as fresh popcorn in a variety of flavors, you’ll be able to appeal to an even wider audience as your guests delight in trying something new each time they visit.

3. High Profit Margins
The candy store business offers investors the potential for high profit margins on every product sold. When you invest in a River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen franchise, you’ll be advised on tips for finding the best sources for all your supplies and ingredients like chocolate, sugar and more. Through careful measurement and proven recipes, you’ll know exactly how much profit is made on every single piece of candy you sell. And, due to the unique nature of candies made and sold with a River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen franchise, your customers will be happy to pay premium prices on specialty candies.  After all, the candies are freshly made, right in-front of your guests as part of the River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen experience.

4. Joy in the Product
Finally, making and and selling candy is a joyful business. Customers are always happy when they purchase and consume candy. It’s a joyful product that you’ll be proud to stand behind! A candy franchise is a smart investment for these four reasons as well as many more.

Why not contact us today to learn more? We’ll be happy to answer any questions you have, and to send you additional information.

Questions To Ask Before Buying a Candy Franchise

on February 14, 2019

Are you thinking of starting your own business as a candy franchise owner? The opportunity to use your experience, skills and expertise in new ways is an exciting, enticing consideration. For would-be franchise owners, questions can arise about how to best prepare for franchise ownership.

Here are 6 questions to ask before buying a candy franchise.

1. What expertise do I need?
Successful candy store owners bring drive, energy, commitment and enthusiasm to the table. At River Street Sweets, we’ll handle the rest! No experience as a candy-maker is required to start your own franchise.

2. Will I need to make my own candies?
When you become a River Street Sweets candy store franchisee, you’ll receive hands-on training on the time-honored tradition of making River Street Sweets candies. You’ll learn to make our gourmet southern candies in your franchise’s onsite location using our tried and true proprietary recipes.

3. What training will I receive?
When you become a franchisee, you will spend some time in our Savannah flagship store, learning about our history, operations, and management, in hands-on training sessions. You’ll learn about our policies and procedures, concept and brand values. And when your store opens, we provide at least 7 days of on-site support and training.

4. What funding options are there for franchises?
Like with any franchise, there are many options available to finance your small business. While River Street Sweets does not offer direct financing, we can help refer you to qualified lending and financing options.

5. How do royalties work?
When you become a River Street Sweets franchise, you will pay an initial franchise fee of $40,000*.  This does not include the costs of acquiring a retail location. Franchisees will pay 5 percent of gross sales for the preceding week, a monthly technology fee of $250*, and up to 2 percent* of gross sales from the previous week for marketing. These fees help River Street Sweets provide our franchise owners with ongoing support and training, system improvements, and the creation of new products and services. Our marketing strategies help you promote the brand and build and execute local marketing campaigns to drive more business and sales to your retail location.

6. What products should I sell?
We have decades of experience delivereing high-demand products to our customers. Our signature pecan pralines, chocolates, ice-cream & gelato, pastries, and popcorn, offer something to satisfy every sweet tooth.

To learn more about what it means to become a candy store franchise owner, contact us today to get started

(* Values and percentages are accurate at the time of this post. Any future changes that may occur will be noted in your agreement prior to signing.)

How We Support Your Candy Franchise Endeavor

on February 14, 2019

The key ingredient in any successful franchise is the training and support that you receive from your franchisor. Without that, a new franchise owner could waste considerable time, effort and money while they try to learn everything it takes to succeed in that particular franchise. At River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen, we believe that our franchise owners deserve the best training and support that we can offer. That’s why we are committed to providing a variety of training and support methods to help our franchisees succeed in their new business enterprise.

Online Sessions
The beginning of your training starts with online sessions conducted by our trainer, Rebecca Anderson. Rebecca is highly esteemed at River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen, and she knows as much—or more!—about the company as anyone who’s ever worked here. Rebecca’s online sessions go into detail about the history of the company, the basic processes of RSS•SCK’s candy creation, as well as store operations and procedures. The sessions also include the fundamentals of running a candy store franchise and job training in all areas and store stations. “It’s important for a candy store franchise owner to understand every aspect of the business.” says Anderson.

Feedback
Of course, no training is complete without an assessment of what has been learned. After each segment of the online sessions, franchisees take a short quiz to test them on what they’ve absorbed. This is an excellent way for the trainer to identify areas that need repetition or perhaps another viewing of the training session.

Hands-On Training
The next step in the training and support process is for some in person, hands-on training at either our headquarters, or in one of our existing stores. There, the candy franchise owner, manager and key personnel are trained in candy making, one-on-one. This portion of the training, which takes about three weeks, is conducted by the resident expert in that certain confection; be it chocolates, fudge, pralines or something else. The owners and accompanying parties learn everything about the candies, including the recipes and the cooking/creation of the confection. In
addition, safety and maintenance protocol is covered in depth, so that safe equipment operation can be practiced at all times. Extended training is available if the standard three weeks training proves insufficient.

On-Location Training
Once your store is ready to start filling the cases and the grand opening is near, our dedicated training team comes to your store to conduct live training, and in-depth guidance in all areas of your new candy franchise. We are with you every step of the way.

As you can see, at River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen, training and support are an integral part of what we offer with our franchise opportunities. We understand that your success depends on your knowledge and ability to learn our proven concepts, and we’re determined to pass that on to our valued franchisees. To learn more about franchise opportunities with us, please contact us today!

Choosing the Right Location

on February 14, 2019

River Street Sweets has been a Savannah staple for years. Locals and tourists alike all love walking the cobblestone paths of River Street as the smell of freshly made candy fills the air, bringing them into the world class candy store. From toffee and fudge to bear claws (Loggerheads) and chocolate covered nuts, this family owned candy store is as much a part of Savannah as Forsyth Park, horse drawn carriages, the Girl Scouts, and the Mercer House. And now, you can bring a little slice of Southern heaven into your own neck of the woods by taking advantage of a franchise opportunity.

As is the case with River Street Sweets, location is so important. It’s not just about setting up shop anywhere. You need to be where the people are! Where the smell of warm, caramelized sugar and chocolate fills the air. Have you ever walked past a bakery with no intent on buying bread but that wonderful smell caught you by the nose and pulled you in? That’s what you want with your candy shop. You want to be around foot traffic, where pedestrians walk past and see you making the candy and, just as important, smell you making the candy. You then seal the deal with a free sample and they just can’t stop at one bite.

So when searching for a destination for your very own River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen, you need to search for the right location. Where do people walk? Is there a favorite location in town where workers, families and visitors to town commonly visit and walk past? If so, that’s where you want to be. Because while people have access to candy throughout the day, it’s the sweet smell of freshly made handmade candies that brings them in.

Opening Your Own Candy Franchise Heaven Has Never Been Easier.

Running a candy franchise is fun! When you were a kid, if you could have opened a candy shop, wouldn’t you have? As the owner of a River Street Sweets • Savannah’s Candy Kitchen, it’s your job to put smiles on faces. People from all walks of life, having all kinds of days, will walk past, and the moment they smell what you’re making and taste a bit of buttery, sweetened heaven, they’ll forget their troubles and know there really is a heaven, because they just bit into it. That’s what owning a candy shop is all about and why it’s so important to find that perfect location to share your joy with those around you

4 Advantages of a Candy Store Franchise in the Holiday Season

on November 29, 2018

There’s never a better time to run a candy store franchise than during the holiday season! Your candy store will be one of the most popular stops when you leverage the following four advantages during the holiday season!

1. Candy is a Popular Gift Item

From stocking stuffers to party hostess gifts and presents under the tree, candy is a popular gift item during the holidays. Your customers will flock to your candy store to find quality and one of a kind confections to give to family and friends. As well as gifts that can be ordered in your store and shipped anywhere in the US, using our state of the art shipping facility that supports your candy franchise store seamlessly.

2. Diets Are Put on Hold During Holiday Season

Indulgence has always been associated with the holidays. Even Charles Dickens’ famous novel, A Christmas Carol culminates in Scrooge joining the Cratchit family around a large feast along with Tiny Tim and the rest of the family. Diets are put on hold during the holiday season as people freely partake of their  favorite indulgences. Your candy store franchise offerings will be popular for use as candy bowl fillers, sweet recipe ingredients and dessert dishes.

3. An Opportunity to Introduce New Confections

As more people visit your candy franchise store during the holiday season, some of them will be long and loyal customers, but many of them may be first time visitors. Whatever their status, the holidays are the perfect time to introduce new products. Your customers may be more likely to want to experiment with beautiful and interesting confectionery temptations. If you have anything new up your sleeve, now’s the time to put it on display!

4. The Chance to Hold a Holiday Event

Parents are always looking for festive events around the holidays to entertain their children of all ages. This is an opportune time to hold a holiday event at your candy store franchise. Consider having a small tree lighting ceremony in your front shop window. Or have customers sign up for mini candy making classes. You could even host a visit from a certain person from the North Pole for the smaller children. Make the most of these holiday events by passing around trays of free samples of your sweet treats. This will help boost sales long after the holidays!

If you’re still on the fence about opening up a candy store franchise, just take a look around you during the holidays. Everyone is stocking up on their favorite confectioneries. Why wait? There are holidays to celebrate all year round and there’s always a good reason to celebrate with candy!