Franchising

Most restaurant brands in Canada are categorized as casual family dining. They place a few TVs in a small bar section and claim to offer sports to their guests. We’ve broken away from this stereotype. By looking at our concept, you will understand that we are substantially unique compared to our competitors.

We are all about sports. We are all about the fan. We are all about providing the Ultimate Fan Experience.

Imagine being able to experience the thrill, camaraderie, and passion of a sports game again and again. Shoeless Joe’s Sports Grill is the leading premium sports-centered restaurant chain in Canada, recognized as the community place for celebrating sports and life with family and friends. We aim to deliver the “Ultimate Fan Experience” by creating an environment that celebrates sports every day.

Our community support involves sponsoring hundreds of local sports teams through our Home Team Advantage Program. Our HTA program is unique to the industry. Shoeless Joe’s Sports Grill provides an energizing, fun, come-as-you-are atmosphere, sophisticated enough to host your next business meeting and casual enough for a night out with your friends. Every portion of our design has been crafted to create an atmosphere that focuses entirely on sports entertainment.

It all started with a young boy named Joe Jackson who came from a poor family in Pickens County, South Carolina. He picked up a baseball at age 13, later coined his name “Shoeless Joe,” and persisted to become one of the greatest hitters of all time.

The sports figures and teams we admire inspire us to believe that nothing is impossible—that with effort, perseverance, and teamwork, we can surpass the limits and boundaries we place on ourselves and achieve greatness.

Shoeless Joe’s Sports Grill has grown to become one of Canada’s top brands. We’ve identified that the Canadian market lacked a premium sports-centered restaurant concept and in response, we’ve transformed Shoeless Joe’s Sports Grill to fill that void. This makes us the only premium sports-centered restaurant concept in Canada.

Founder Fred Lopreiato opened his first Shoeless Joe’s Sports Grill in 1985 and has persisted to grow the chain, with the help of an excellent team. Fred always says that “persistence is the mother of all skills.” This core value has allowed him to succeed for the last quarter century and is ingrained in the Shoeless Joe’s Sports Grill culture. As you look to join our family, we encourage you to share in this philosophy.

When you join Shoeless Joe’s Sports Grill, you will receive:

• Nationwide Brand Recognition
• Experience and Support From Day 1
• Comprehensive Training
• Unique Market Niche

What separates top performers from the rest of the crowd? A desire to learn? Passion to succeed? The persistence to never give up? It’s all of these qualities and more. Train hard and live the rest of your life as a champion.

Once a franchisee enters our franchise system, they will be assessed on their skill and experience. Pre-opening training ranges from 9-16 weeks, followed by approximately 4 weeks of store setup training and approximately 4 weeks of post-opening support (17-24 weeks total).

The training modules include Health and Safety, Labor Management, Inventory Management, People Management, Guest Experience, Profitability Management, Food Safety, Business Administration, etc… It’s one of the most comprehensive Modular Based Training programs in the industry, designed to strengthen leadership of new franchisees and their staff.

Franchise Format:

• Initial franchisee fee: $45,000
• Cash Injection from $350,000 +
• Net Equity from $1,000,000 +
• Development Cost from $1,000,000 +

Flagship Format:

• Initial franchisee fee: $45,000
• Cash Injection from $500,000 +
• Net Equity from $1,500,000 +
• Development Cost from $2,000,000 +

PLEASE NOTE: These numbers vary depending on location and other factors such as opening soft costs, working capital requirements, etc. The Franchising and Development department will give you an estimate based on your specific needs.

Gross Revenue up to $2,500,000

• Royalty fee: 5% of gross revenue
• National advertising fund: 2% of gross revenue

Gross Revenue greater than $2,500,000

• Royalty fee: 6% of gross revenue
• National advertising fund: 2% of gross revenue

At Shoeless Joe’s Sports Grill, we have two different restaurant formats:

Franchise Format

• 4,500 to 5,500 sq. ft. (+ approx. 1500 sq. ft. mezzanine)
• Urban Markets and Markets with pop. over 25,000.

Flagship Format

• Greater than 8,000 sq. ft.

The return on your investment is based on a number of factors including local economy, location, competition, lease terms, how much effort you pour into the business, etc.

We like to think of the Franchisee as a Professional Sports Team Owner.

An owner of a professional sports team builds a successful team by:

1. Hiring the proper coaches and team personnel.
2. Building the team by signing the right players.
3. Taking responsibility for the team’s success.

A franchisee builds a successful Shoeless Joe’s Sports Grill restaurant by:

1. Hiring the proper managers to assist in the restaurant operations.
2. Building the team by hiring the right staff.
3. Taking responsibility for the restaurants success.

With this in mind, we created a quick and efficient 7 Step Process to Franchisee Success, which is outlined below:

Step 1: Information and Orientation – Introduction to Shoeless Joe’s Sports Grill and the industry.

Step 2: Getting Your Stats – Submit your Personal Information Questionnaire. Submit your Personal Credit Bureau Report.

Step 3: Getting Our Stats – Receive our Disclosure Document. Current Franchisee connection and validation.

Step 4: Reviewing the Stats – Receiving confirmation of each other’s stats.

Step 5: Meeting Your Coaches – Restaurant Discover Day. Executive Interviews for approval.

Step 6: The Stadium Location – Committing to the Site. Buying the Shoeless Joe’s Sports Grill Franchise.

Step 7: The Season Begins – Transition to the Training Team. We are proud to have you on our team.

Buying and owning a franchise is a big, life-changing decision. Some choose to take the path alone. Others partner with a friend, spouse, or family member. Still others go in with a silent investor. Even others may choose to join forces with an operating partner. Each situation comes with its pros and cons, and deciding whom to start a business with can be just as big a decision as which franchise to buy.

At Shoeless Joe’s Sports Grill we allow partnerships in the forms previously stated. The funds required to purchase a Shoeless Joe’s Sports Grill franchise can come from the individual or the partnership group.