Nuestra Historia
Our brand story.
Our story begins in 1970, during the Castro regime, when the Cabrera family fled the island of Cuba to start a new life in the United States. Missing home, the oldest daughter Blanca dreamt of starting a restaurant that could offer the Cuban community of Miami the authentic, homemade Cuban food that reminded them of home. In 1975, Sergio’s was born.
Today, Sergio’s has grown from a small mom-and-pop shop to a full-scale family restaurant. Combining our family’s authentic Cuban recipes with typical Latin and American dishes, Sergio’s has established itself as an institution for Cuban, comfort food in South Florida. And we keep on pushing the envelope by infusing traditional and new flavors, inspiring such dishes as crema and fritura de malanga, cuba-nachos and black bean hummus.
Sergio’s continues to evolve, going beyond its family restaurants by offering its new café concept. Sergio’s Café incorporates the favorite dishes from the family restaurant in a fast, casual environment. It is the perfect solution for people on the go that are not willing to sacrifice a delicious, homemade meal.
Why Franchise
Sergio’s is more than just another restaurant. For my family, and myself, it’s a true extension of our passion for food, our culture and our love of people. We have been bringing the city of Miami the most authentic, homemade Cuban food for over
35 years. And it’s our dedication to offering quality, fresh products that have made us a favorite in our community.
Our family-owned business has taken great care in developing and upholding high standards and focusing our attention on the details. We cook with only fresh ingredients, use authentic Cuban recipes and treat every customer like family. It’s these small things that keep our customers coming back for more.
It is with great pride and passion that I invite you to become part of the Sergio’s family.
Blanca Cabrera
President/Founder
Sergio’s Family Restaurants
Support System
At Sergio’s Café, we understand that your success as a franchisee is dependent on several factors including a strong brand and strong support. That is why we have committed ourselves to providing you a comprehensive support system to guide you through the process. Our team is here to support you every step of the way — from site selection and lease negotiation
to grand opening and system wide marketing events.
Sergio’s Café program provides complete service franchise support, including:
- Training
- Store Operation and Business Consulting Support
- Purchasing
- Research & Development
- Marketing
- Real Estate and Development
Training is a strong part of our support system. All franchisees go through a four-week complete store operations training program with six days in a classroom setting and five days of on-site training once a store opens. We also provide ongoing training and support for all franchisees, as needed.
Candidate Profile
Sergio’s Café franchise success is built on steady, targeted growth strategy with a strong vision of development expansion based on the best locations and executed by entrepreneurs with a proven successful track record of operating a restaurant.
Sergio’s Café strongly believes that the nature of a successful franchisor/franchisee relationship is largely based on the commitment and dedication to the development of the brand. Both parties must engage in ongoing, transparent communication, commit to teamwork to reach established goals, provide superior support to one another when pursuing objectives, and consistently present a listening ear and willingness to collaborate and compromise, if needed.
We want individuals who appreciate and can easily get on board with the operating spirit between the franchise community and corporate representatives. It’s one of collaboration to reach mutually beneficial business goals – a must for a thriving long-standing relationship. Equally as important is a commitment to uphold our Sergio’s Café operations standards and established brand personality. Possessing a strong background demonstrating engagement with business operations is a must because of Sergio’s Café desire to work with individuals who aspire to be owner operators.
Planning Criteria
Location:
We believe that location plays a pivotal role in a franchisee’s success. Although no one factor can guarantee success when searching for a location, Sergio’s Café looks for high visibility strip centers and end caps supported by target demographics and a high traffic flow. We also are open to non-traditional sites including retail centers, universities, airports, and supermarkets.
Demographics:
We have found that the Sergio’s Café customer fits a broad demographic profile ranging in population 16-55 years old with an average demographic of young families 28-35. A couple of criteria are important in order to ensure you reach that demographic within your selected location:
- Residential and daytime population within a 3 mile radius 45K+
- Median household income of 70K + within 3 miles radius
Site:
Ideal locations must meet the following minimum criteria:
- High visibility, high traffic lifestyle centers and strip centers with an end cap position preferred
- High traffic with easy in and out access
- Interior square footage of 2500 - 3500, plus patio exterior. Optimal exterior patio square footage is between 400-800 sq. feet
- Adequate parking requirement with full access to Sergio’s Café
- Preferred co-tenants and strong national/regional branded tenants, grocery, movie theatres and daily change
- Maximum building signage and site signage required
- Landlord contribution preferred
- Lease terms years 10 years with 2-5 year options
- 28’ space sized frontage minimum
Information is current as of December 31, 2011 but is subject to change at any time.
Fees & Total Investment
Approximate Initial Investment: $682,000 – $987,000 per unit*
Length of Agreement: 10 years (plus renewals)
Royalty Fee: 5.5% of sales
Franchise Fee: $35,000
Advertising Contribution: Up to 2% of sales
Training: Four weeks of training, plus 5 days of training at the franchisee location for Grand Opening.
Financing: We do not offer direct or indirect financing, nor does Sergio’s Café guarantee your notes, leases or other obligations. Obtaining financing for your franchised restaurant is one of the sites that you will need to complete on your own.
*initial investment does not include the cost of real estate
Information is current as of December 31, 2011 but is subject to change at any time.
FAQ's
Q: Does Sergio’s Café award territories or regions?
A: For U.S. Opportunities: Franchisees are awarded franchise rights for a specific store location.
For International Opportunities: Yes, Sergio’s awards territories or regions to its international licensees.
Q: Does Sergio’s Café require royalty payments?
A: For U.S. Opportunities: Yes. The current royalty fee is 5.5 %. This fee payment contributes to the overall support system, e.g., training, field support, purchasing, construction, new product development, and quality control, to mention just a few. There is also an advertising/marketing fee of up to 2% that supports all marketing programs.
For International Opportunities: Yes. Royalty payments, licenses, and store opening fees are negotiated for each country on an individual basis.
Q: How much money can I expect to make?
A: For U.S. and International Opportunities: Sergio’s Café does not make earnings claims regarding any of our locations. The amount of money individual locations can expect to make will vary depending on a multitude of factors, including the locations and demographics, operating costs, sales, and the overall ability of the franchisee/licensee to operate and manage their franchise location(s). Other considerations for international licensees would include duties, tariffs, etc.
Q: What type of training will I receive before I open a store?
A: For U.S. Opportunities: Sergio’s Café will provide initial training for three individuals, which is conducted at the Sergio’s Café Training Center in Miami, Florida, prior to the new store opening. The training includes:
- 4 weeks of training
- On-site training is also provided at the store opening
For International Opportunities: Extensive training for the licensee and his/her staff consists of several weeks at Sergio’s training center and at the corporate office.
Information is current as of December 31, 2011 but is subject to change at any time.
Corporate Information
Sergio’s Corporate Office
12380 SW 130th St.
Miami, Florida 33186
305-552-9623
info@sergios.com
Investor Inquiries
investor@sergios.com
Franchise Inquiries
Please visit www.sergios.com and complete online applicatio.
The information contained in this brochure is not intended as an offer to sell, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, a franchise. It is for information purposes only. Currently, the following states regulate the offer and sale of franchises: California, Florida, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin. If you are a resident of one of these states, we will not offer you a franchise unless we provide you with an updated franchise disclosure document, and only if we have complied with the disclosure requirements, state registration requirements and notice filing requirements in your jurisdiction.
www.sergios.com
