Aside from having the name that a franchise allows you, and their steady stream of customers, you are far better off to do it yourself in the long run. You have no forever royalty fees to pay and you have the freedom to run it your way and make changes your own way. The only reason to buy into a franchise, which is also very expensive, are the discounts in advertisement, supplies, etc. You can call it your own, but it's really just like working for someone else. with a Bar, you can go around looking at other successful ones and come up with your own ideas and gimmicks, then as you are running it weigh the benefits of things you do and either kill or keep. Then, franchise it yourself.