Groucho's Deli Franchise

Groucho's Deli is a franchise for a subs and salads shop. It was founded in 1941 and started franchising in 2001.

It was founded by Harold "Groucho" Miller. He came from an orphanage in Philadelphia. He brought a handful of original recipes for coleslaw, potato salad, and different salads and dressings for sandwiches to Columbia, South Carolina in 1941. To Harold Miller, the most important thing will always be the quality of the sandwich and its ingredients. Ivan Miller, the son of the founder once said that when his father opened the store in Columbia, it was just a small town. He said that his father was always joking, has a big cigar, and a moustache that he looked and talked like Groucho Marx and that is where they got their name. They became known for their meats and cheese that are high quality. They use these in sandwiches and they also sell it separately. They also became famous for their sandwich dressing especially the Formula 45 Sauce that they perfected in 1945. In franchising, they believe in slow and controlled growth that is why they only open about three new locations every year. They now have 23 locations in the United States and one that is company owned.

What is on the menu at the Groucho’s Deli?

For salads, they have Turkey & Cheese, Turkey, Cheddar & Bacon, and Angel Salad. It is available in small or large and you can choose your own dressing like the famous Formula 45 and Raspberry Vinaigrette. Their Original Recipe Sandwiches include Tuna Cheese Melt Club and Chicken Salad Sandwich. They also have the Juniors and Lite Stuff like the Junior Dipper and Junior Apollo. Groucho’s Specialties include the Big Dipper, Apollo Dipper, STP Dipper, International Dip, DSHS Hogie Sub, Cole Special Dipper, Baby Sub, Ham or Turkey Sub, Pita Pocket, Roast Beef Marinate, The Pink Moose, The Brown Moose, The BLC Chicken Critter, Mid East Special, Reuben Variation, and The White Moose. Their Deli sandwiches are available in your choice of bread like wheat, rye, soft seeded roll, pumpernickel, wheat roll, onion roll, and white. They also have these as hot or cold and available choices are Roast Beef, Salami, Corned Beef or Pastrami, and The Cheese Sandwich.

Cost and requirements on running a Groucho’s Deli franchise

You need to have a net worth of $250,000 and a total liquid asset of at least $60,000. Expect to be investing about $72,000 to $311,000. The cost of Groucho’s Deli franchise fee is $10,000 to $20,000 with an on-going royalty fee of 5.25%. This is for a renewable 10 year term agreement. You will need about 12 employees to run one location. They allow multi-unit ownership and absentee ownership.

What is included in the franchise package?

There will be 134 to 166 hours of training at the headquarters and at your location as needed. You will be receiving newsletters. You will be given access to the internet. You may also expect to receive occasional field evaluations to check on your progress. For marketing support, there will be co-op advertising.

Groucho’s Deli Contact Details

You may reach them at:

Address: Groucho’s Franchise System, LLC 611 Harden Street Columbia, SC 29205

Phone: (803) 799-9867

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