Waffle Cabin franchise
2026 filing · June 11, 2026Shares sales figures
Waffle Cabin at a glance
A quick-serve restaurant or mobile trailer selling Belgian sugar waffles with coffee, tea and hot cocoa. At the end of 2025 there were 58 Waffle Cabin locations in the US, 43 franchised and 15 company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- Atomium, Inc
- The company that sells the franchises
- Franchising since
- 2012
- 14 years of selling franchises
- Franchisor based in
- South Chittenden, Vermont
- Typical size
- 300–1,500 sq ft
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $94K–$226K
- A Waffle Cabin restaurant
- Franchise fee
- $23,500
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of gross sales, paid monthly
- Brand fund
- None now
- Not charged at present; up to 2% of gross sales once a fund is set up
- Agreement length
- 5 years
- Territory
- Limited
- Limited protection
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 58
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 43
- Company-owned
- 15
- States
- 14
- Most in Vermont, New Hampshire and Colorado
From Atomium, Inc’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Waffle Cabin among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Waffle Cabin | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $159,925 | Costs less than 76% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $23,500 | Lower than 88% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 58 | More than 67% of franchises |
How much a Waffle Cabin franchise costs
Opening a Waffle Cabin restaurant costs an estimated $93,750 to $226,100. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital. It is one of the low-cost franchises.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($30,000 to $100,000) and equipment, furniture and fixtures ($21,000 to $30,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $23,500 | ||
| Delayed Opening Fee | $0 | $15,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $30,000 | $100,000 | |
| Lease Payments – 3 Months | $1,000 | $21,000 | |
| Equipment, Furniture and Fixtures | $21,000 | $30,000 | |
| Signage | $750 | $1,100 | |
| Initial Inventory - Proprietary Items (does not include delivery charge) | $2,815 | $3,025 | |
| Initial Inventory - Other (does not include delivery charge) | $1,685 | $3,225 | |
| Point-of-Sale System | $1,250 | $1,750 | |
| Travel, lodging and meals for initial training | $0 | $3,500 | |
| Insurance – 3 Months | $500 | ||
| Grand Opening Advertising | $0 | ||
| Licenses and Permits | $250 | $1,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $1,000 | $5,000 | |
| Additional Funds – 3 Months | $10,000 | $17,500 | |
| Total | $93,750 | $226,100 | |
Source: Atomium, Inc, 2026 filing, page 15
Waffle Cabin franchise fee
The franchise fee is $23,500. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: Atomium, Inc, 2026 filing, page 10
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales, paid monthly. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | Not charged at present; up to 2% of gross sales once a fund is set up. |
| Transfer Fee (Franchise Agreement) | $7,500 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: Atomium, Inc, 2026 filing, pages 11 and 12
Other fees as filed, from page 13. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Waffle Cabin publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: Atomium, Inc, 2026 filing, page 44
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $320K–$560K
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How Waffle Cabin compares
Of the 58 breakfast franchises on this site, Waffle Cabin is the cheapest to open and the 17th largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Waffle Cabin | Typical breakfast brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $94K | $640K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $226K | $1.2M | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $24K | $40K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| US locations | 58 | 13 | 21 |
| Change in franchised locations, 0 yrs | +30.3% | +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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 28 (+2) | 17 |
| 2022 | 33 (+5) | 13 |
| 2023 | 38 (+5) | 14 |
| 2024 | 41 (+3) | 15 |
| 2025 | 43 (+2) | 15 |
Closed or left counts terminations, non-renewals, locations bought back by the franchisor and locations that stopped operating.
See which brands grew most in the fastest-growing franchises rankings.
More in the guides: franchise failure rates.
Over 5 years, from the start of 2021 to the end of 2025, franchised locations went from 26 to 43 (+17, +65%). The earlier years come from the brand's 2024 filing.
Source: Atomium, Inc, 2026 filing, page 47
2021–2022: Atomium, Inc, 2024 filing, page 51
Where Waffle Cabin locations are
At the end of 2025, Waffle Cabin had locations in 14 states. The most are in Vermont, New Hampshire and Colorado.
- Vermont15
- New Hampshire8
- Colorado6
- New York6
- Michigan5
- New Jersey4
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont | 3 | 12 | 15 |
| New Hampshire | 8 | 0 | 8 |
| Colorado | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| New York | 5 | 1 | 6 |
| Michigan | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| New Jersey | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Pennsylvania | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| West Virginia | 3 | 0 | 3 |
| Maine | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Washington | 2 | 0 | 2 |
All 14 states
| Connecticut | 1 |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 1 |
| Utah | 1 |
| Virginia | 1 |
Source: Atomium, Inc, 2026 filing, page 48
Who owns Waffle Cabin?
Waffle Cabin franchises are sold by Atomium, Inc. Its filing names no parent company.
From Atomium, Inc’s 2026 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: Atomium, Inc, 2026 filing, litigation on page 10, bankruptcy on page 10
Waffle Cabin filings
A franchisor files a new disclosure each year it sells franchises. The figures on this page come from Atomium, Inc’s 2026 filing, issued June 11, 2026; the earlier ones below are on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository and the Minnesota Department of Commerce and fill in older location counts.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | June 11, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
| 2024 filing | – | Minnesota | Locations, 2021–2022 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
Other breakfast franchises
All breakfast franchises
Waffle Cabin is also on these lists: bakery franchises, mobile franchises, food franchises.