Elmer's franchise
2022 filing · April 1, 2022Shares sales figures
Elmer's at a glance
A family restaurant serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. At the end of 2021 there were 25 Elmer's locations in the US, 14 franchised and 11 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- We Are Crackin' LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchisor based in
- Portland, Oregon
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $1.07M–$3.35M
- An Elmer's restaurant
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 4%
- 4% of gross sales, paid weekly
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross sales, paid weekly; it can rise to 2%
- Renewal fee
- See terms
- 25% of our then- current initial franchise fee
- Agreement length
- 15 years
- Franchisor financing
- None offered
Where it is
- US locations, 2021
- 25
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 14
- Company-owned
- 11
- States
- 4
- Most in Oregon, Washington and Idaho
From We Are Crackin' LLC’s 2022 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Elmer's among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Elmer's | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $2,211,188 | Costs more than 93% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 4% | Lower than 93% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 25 | More than 53% of franchises |
How much a Elmer's franchise costs
Opening an Elmer's restaurant costs an estimated $1,071,950 to $3,350,425. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($500,000 to $1,600,000) and furniture, fixtures and equipment ($275,000 to $900,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $40,000 | ||
| Leasehold Improvements | $500,000 | $1,600,000 | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment | $275,000 | $900,000 | |
| Signage | $35,000 | $75,000 | |
| Three Month’s Rent | $0 | $75,625 | |
| Security Deposit | $10,000 | $40,000 | |
| Lease Addendum Review Fee | $0 | $2,000 | |
| Utility Deposits and Fees | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Branded Inventory and Supplies | $1,200 | $1,800 | |
| Opening Inventory and Supplies | $39,000 | $95,000 | |
| Grand Opening Advertising | $2,000 | ||
| Training Expenses | $60,000 | $180,000 | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs | $9,000 | $95,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $2,000 | $15,000 | |
| Insurance Premiums – 3 Months | $7,500 | $20,000 | |
| Liquor Licensing | $250 | $4,000 | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months | $90,000 | $200,000 | |
| Total | $1,071,950 | $3,350,425 | |
Source: We Are Crackin' LLC, 2022 filing, page 17
Elmer's franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: We Are Crackin' LLC, 2022 filing, page 12
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 4% of gross sales, paid weekly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross sales, paid weekly; it can rise to 2%. |
| Transfer Fee – Franchise Agreement | 50% our then-current initial franchise fee |
| Renewal Fee | 25% of our then- current initial franchise fee |
| Additional Training | Then-current per diem charge, currently $250 per person per day |
| Local Marketing Expenditure | Up to 1% of Gross Sales |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: We Are Crackin' LLC, 2022 filing, page 13
Other fees as filed, from pages 13–14. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Elmer's publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: We Are Crackin' LLC, 2022 filing, page 51
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $1.9M–$3.5M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How Elmer's compares
Of the 58 breakfast franchises on this site, Elmer's is the 47th cheapest to open and the 22nd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Elmer's | Typical breakfast brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $1.07M | $640K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $3.35M | $1.2M | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $40K | $40K |
| Royalty | 4% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 1.4% | 2% |
| US locations | 25 | 13 | 21 |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | −22.2% | +6.7% | – |
| Shares earnings figures | Yes | 46 of 58 | 2,147 of 3,352 |
Typical is the median across the 58 brands in breakfast franchises; typical franchise, across every brand here.
Locations opened and closed
| Year | Franchised | Company-owned |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 14 (−4) | 12 |
| 2020 | 14 (0) | 12 |
| 2021 | 14 (0) | 11 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating. The same franchisor also offers Egg N' Joe restaurants, which are not in these counts.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Source: We Are Crackin' LLC, 2022 filing, page 57
Where Elmer's locations are
At the end of 2021, Elmer's had locations in 4 states. The most are in Oregon, Washington and Idaho.
- Oregon17
- Washington4
- Idaho3
- California1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oregon | 10 | 7 | 17 |
| Washington | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| Idaho | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| California | 1 | 0 | 1 |
Source: We Are Crackin' LLC, 2022 filing, page 58
Who owns Elmer's?
Elmer's franchises are sold by We Are Crackin' LLC. It is a subsidiary of Elmer’s Restaurants, Inc.
From We Are Crackin' LLC’s 2022 filing, page 8.
Lawsuits and bankruptcy
| Lawsuits and regulatory actions | None. The filing says no litigation has to be disclosed. |
|---|---|
| Bankruptcy | None. The filing says no bankruptcy has to be disclosed. |
Franchisors must disclose lawsuits and bankruptcies involving the company, its parents and affiliates, and its executives. Many cases are routine disputes with franchisees over fees or contracts; read the descriptions in the filing and ask current owners about anything that worries you.
Source: We Are Crackin' LLC, 2022 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
Elmer's filings
The figures on this page come from We Are Crackin' LLC’s 2022 filing, issued April 1, 2022, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 filing | April 1, 2022 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2019–2021 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other breakfast franchises
All breakfast franchises
Elmer's is also on these lists: restaurant franchises, food franchises.