Post #529992 by Swanky on Thu, May 13, 2010 1:28 PM

No time to read all this, but I get the jist.

let me say this. When I was planning to open my own bar The HEadhunter Lounge, I contacted the TV CEO and got the details on the Mai-Tai bar franchise. I was planning on opening one. Th ecost of a full Vic's is in the millionions and takes a group of wealthy partners. Teh cost of a Mai-Tai bar is more like $200-400k. In line with a typical restaurant/bar.

AND, they would have let me decorate and design the space as I wanted as long as it was looking like a TV. So, I could have made it as old school tiki as I wanted.

So it is the franchise owners making decor decisions, or just taking the TV guide and going with it.

If you are thinking of opening a place, I suggest going that route. The franchise costs are very low. You get the name behind you. You get the training behind you. You get the recipes and vessels behind you. Lots of things you won't have to worry with any more. And you can make it even better than the original. And you can make it more like FI than Destin.