Ground Round® Grill and Bar has been a proven Casual Dining brand for more than 45 years. Founded in 1969, its two-room restaurant design is ideal for families with children in the dining room, or for adults meeting friends or watching the game in a separate, sports bar lounge.

Since 2004, the brand has been owned by its franchisees, with a unique offer where operators not only own their franchise, but also have the option to purchase a Membership Share in the Ground Round® brand. This share gives the franchisee voting rights and preferred royalty rates as set by and voted on by Ground Round IOC Members. As a member of the Ground Round IOC Cooperative, a franchisee is guaranteed to have input and a financial stake in the future success and growth of the brand.

No other brand today offers this unique partnership opportunity with a franchise purchase. More recently, the Ground Round® has developed a second brand called Ground Round® Sports Grille, which features a reduced menu and smaller footprint designs for nontraditional development in locations like Airports, Bowling Centers, Movie Theaters, and smaller hotel restaurant facilities.

Ground Round® also offers low  franchise fees, flexible 5 and 10 year terms, and welcomes single or multi-unit development, with design support for either new build or conversion opportunities. “We welcome independent operators looking to convert  to a national brand,” states Jack Crawford, President & CEO of Ground Round IOC, LLC, “ and we are appealing to multi-unit operators looking for prime territories to develop with a brand where they know they will always have input in  our direction.”

•  The initial franchise fee is $35,000
•  Royalty Rate of 3.5% and a 2% Local Advertising obligation
•  Or $60,000 in Initial Fees to include purchase of a Membership Share with voting rights and a member preferred royalty rate of 2.5%
•  All real estate and construction costs are the responsibility of the franchisee.
•  Financial requirements include a minimum liquidity of $500,000 and net worth of $1 million per restaurant to be developed. 
•  At least one partner must have prior full service restaurant operations experience.
•  In addition, a minimum of 4 full time managers, including the General Manager, must complete Ground Round training in acertified training location for a minimum of 8 weeks, in advance of the opening.

Although not a comprehensive list, the following will contribute to a favorable site selection:

•  Building size: 4,600 to 6,000 square feet
•  Land: Minimum of 1 acre (unless part of a shopping center)
•  Conversions will be defined by an approved scope of work
•  Number of Seats: Ideal range of 185 – 215 with a two-room layout preferred
•  Parking to accommodate a minimum of 100 vehicles
•  Population Density: Typically 50,000 to 75,000 people living within primary trade area.
•  Accessibility and Visibility: Prominent visibility as well as convenient and adequate points of access. Corner locations with a traffic light are preferred.
•  Traffic Generators: The presence of one or more traffic generators is advisable. These include shopping malls, a multi-screen movie theatre, a large office complex and hotels.
•  Traffic/Car Count: A minimum of 25,000 vehicles daily – ideal is over 35,000
•  Competitors within Trading Area: Strong results from other casual dining restaurants within a prospective restaurant trading area can be a barometer of market potential