Breakfast franchises
The typical breakfast franchise here costs $686,350 to $2,252,550 to open. Sort the table by cost, fee, royalty or number of locations.
- Brands
- 7
- Typical cost
- $686K–$2.25M
- Lowest start
- $483KThe Original Pancake House
- Share earnings
- 6 of 7
All 7 brands
Sort by any column, or filter by budget and fees.
| IHOP | $1.91M–$3.33M | $50,000 | 4.5% | 1,642 | Yes |
| Huddle House | $555K–$2.38M | $35,000 | 4.75% | 269 | $796K |
| Black Bear Diner | $1.5M–$2.24M | $55,000 | 4.5% | 169 | $2.82M |
| The Original Pancake House | $483K–$1.67M | $60,000 | 2% of gross sales | 151 | No |
| Village Inn | $1.08M–$2.75M | $35,000 | 4% of gross sales | 109 | $1.98M |
| Keke’s Breakfast Cafe | $638K–$1.94M | $30,000 | 5%–5.5% | 82 | $2M |
| Wild Eggs | $686K–$2.25M | $45,000 | 5.5% | 18 | Yes |
How breakfast franchises compare
Of the 7 brands, 4 give a comparable yearly sales figure per location, from $796K at Huddle House to $2.82M at Black Bear Diner; the middle figure is $1.99M. From 2023 to 2025, 4 of the 6 brands with three years of counts grew their US locations, and Keke’s Breakfast Cafe added the most (+29). Who runs it, by the franchise agreement: 2 must be run by the owner, 5 can be run by a trained manager. How sales figures compare · Who runs it
| Brand | Sales per location | Locations vs 2023 | Exits/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Black Bear DinerA trained manager can run itExits: 2.5% a year | $2.82Maverage | 169+16 | 2.5% |
| Keke’s Breakfast CafeOwner must run itExits: 3.9% a year | $2Maverage | 82+29 | 3.9% |
| Village InnA trained manager can run itExits: 6.6% a year | $1.98Maverage | 109−14 | 6.6% |
| Huddle HouseA trained manager can run it | $796Kaverage | 269 | n/a |
| IHOPA trained manager can run itExits: 2.0% a year | n/a | 1,642−4 | 2.0% |
| The Original Pancake HouseOwner must run itExits: 2.0% a year | n/a | 151+4 | 2.0% |
| Wild EggsA trained manager can run itExits: none a year | n/a | 18+3 | none |
Sales are the yearly average (or median) per franchised location from each brand’s latest filing; per-owner figures, company-run locations and groups under five locations are left out. Locations are franchised plus company-owned in the US at the end of the latest year reported, with the change since 2023. Exits/yr is franchised locations closed, terminated or not renewed each year, as a share of the average count; buy-backs and transfers don’t count.
Best breakfast franchises to own
The one brand here that passes all five tests: growth, few owner exits, earnings figures shared, SBA listing and 100+ US locations three years ago. Below, the closest misses. How the ranking works
| Brand | Growth | Exits/yr | Cost to open |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Black Bear Diner$1.5M–$2.24M to open | +10% | 2.5% | $1.5M–$2.24M |
| IHOPMissed “Grew”: shrank 0.2% over three years$1.91M–$3.33M to open | −0.2% | 2.0% | $1.91M–$3.33M |
| Wild EggsMissed “Proven”: 15 US locations three years ago$686K–$2.25M to open | +20% | none | $686K–$2.25M |
| The Original Pancake HouseMissed “Shares earnings”: publishes no sales or earnings figures$483K–$1.67M to open | +2.7% | 2.0% | $483K–$1.67M |
Related lists
Breakfast franchises: questions
What is the cheapest breakfast franchise?
Of the 7 brands here, The Original Pancake House has the lowest estimated starting investment: $482,500 to $1,666,250 to open.
Which breakfast franchise is the largest?
IHOP, with 1,642 locations (1,630 franchised) at the end of 2025.
What royalty do breakfast franchises charge?
Royalties on gross sales in this list run from 2% to 5.5%, with a median of 4.5%. Most brands add a separate marketing or brand fund fee.
Which breakfast franchises share earnings figures?
6 of 7 share sales or earnings figures, among them Black Bear Diner, Huddle House, IHOP, Keke’s Breakfast Cafe.