What this calculates

Owning several units gives you something a single operator never has: an internal control group. Same brand, same systems, different results. This lines your units up on the ratios that matter, identifies which one is dragging the portfolio, and quantifies what closing the gap to your own best unit would be worth in annual profit.

What you will need

Revenue per unit. Use the same period for every unit. A unit that opened mid-year will look weak on an annual figure for reasons that have nothing to do with how it is run.

Cost lines per unit. At minimum cost of goods, labour and occupancy. These three explain most of the spread between units in the same system.

Anything structurally different. Note where a unit has a different footprint, trading hours or lease terms. Some of the gap will be structural and cannot be managed away — the point is to find the part that can.

How to read the result

The prize is the gap to your own best unit, not to an industry figure, because your best unit proves the result is achievable inside your systems and your brand. Split the gap into what is structural and what is operational; a high occupancy ratio driven by a lease signed years ago is not a management failure, whereas a labour gap between two units with the same footprint usually is. Then work the largest addressable gap first.

Questions about this tool

How many units do I need for this to be useful?

Two is enough to see a gap; three or more makes it much easier to tell whether one unit is unusual or the whole portfolio has drifted. With two, be careful not to assume the better unit is the correct one.

Should I compare against network averages instead?

Compare against both if you have network data, but weight your own best unit more heavily. It shares your management, your labour market and your supply arrangements, so the gap to it is far more actionable.

The worst unit has the highest rent. Is it still worth fixing?

Fix what is addressable and price the rest. If occupancy is structurally high, the unit needs a higher revenue density to work — which changes what good looks like for that site, and may change whether you renew the lease.

For reference only; not legal, tax, or investment advice. Results depend entirely on the figures you enter — check them against your own quotes and your franchise agreement before acting on them.

What this tool does

Put your units side by side — find the drag, and what closing the gap is worth.

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