Knowing what you know now, would you buy an RFG franchise?, page-19

Not necessary true. They provide the income figures that the store is generating from a company owned store. So as long as you know what the operating costs will be, EBITA is easy to figure out. The issue is if you are an inexperienced operator, then you wouldn't know. The trick with these things is to actually look at a range of businesses in this space and compare the figures and not just accept them as true.

I'm not suggesting that these businesses are great or that they are bad. My premise was that each business must be assessed on its merits, not the media hype of the day. For example, I wouldn't buy a Michal's, Brumbys or Donut King, because I do not believe that they have a strong future given current consumer market expectations (ie the market for their product is shrinking). But I would look seriously at a Crust or Gloria Jeans, depending on the location and figures. Actually given the current down turn in sentiment about these businesses, they may just sell at an appealing discount.