Wake up and Waffle franchise
2026 filing · March 20, 2026Shares sales figures
Wake up and Waffle at a glance
A brunch restaurant serving Liège waffle sandwiches, eggs Benedict and other breakfast dishes. At the end of 2025 there were 1 Wake up and Waffle locations in the US, all company-owned.
The business
- Franchisor
- WUW Franchise LLC
- The company that sells the franchises
What you pay
- Cost to open
- $271K–$915K
- Fee, build-out and opening working capital
- Franchise fee
- $40,000
- Paid once, when you sign
- Royalty
- 5%
- 5% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 1% to the brand fund
- Brand fund
- 1%
- 1% of gross sales, paid with the royalty
- Renewal fee
- $5,000
- When the agreement ends and you sign again
- Agreement length
- 10 years
Where it is
- US locations, 2025
- 1
- Franchised and company-owned
- Franchised
- 0
- Company-owned
- 1
- Change in 3 years
- 0
- Franchised locations, 2023–2025
- States
- 1
- Most in Ohio
From WUW Franchise LLC’s 2026 filing; SBA status from the SBA Franchise Directory, October 28, 2026.
Where it ranks
Wake up and Waffle among all franchises with the same figure.
| Figure | Wake up and Waffle | Among all franchises |
|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, midpointHalfway between the low and high estimate | $592,563 | Costs more than 70% of franchises |
| Franchise feePaid once, when you sign | $40,000 | Lower than 46% of franchises |
| RoyaltyShare of sales paid to the franchisor | 5% | Lower than 69% of brands with a set rate |
| US locationsFranchised and company-owned | 1 | Fewer than 88% of franchises |
How much a Wake up and Waffle franchise costs
Opening one Wake up and Waffle costs an estimated $270,525 to $914,600. That covers the franchise fee and everything else needed to open, through the first months of working capital.
The biggest costs are leasehold improvements ($51,000 to $500,000) and restaurant equipment ($58,275 to $77,000). Here is every line of the estimate as filed:
| What it pays for | Range | Low | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Initial Franchise Fee | $40,000 | ||
| Grand Opening Advertising | $15,000 | ||
| Security Deposit & 3 Months’ Rent | $14,000 | $48,000 | |
| Leasehold Improvements | $51,000 | $500,000 | |
| Architect’s & Engineer’s Fees | $8,000 | $30,000 | |
| Restaurant Equipment | $58,275 | $77,000 | |
| Restaurant Fixtures, Furniture & Décor | $15,000 | $29,000 | |
| Bar Equipment, Furniture, Smallwares & Supplies | $3,850 | $6,000 | |
| Smallwares | $7,950 | $14,000 | |
| Technology Fee (12 weeks) | $600 | ||
| Computer & POS Systems | $3,700 | $6,500 | |
| Video Surveillance & Security Alarm Systems/Music System | $4,000 | $9,000 | |
| Signage | $5,000 | $20,000 | |
| Utility Deposits | $0 | $2,500 | |
| Beer, Wine, Liquor License Costs | $1,000 | $20,000 | |
| Office & Restaurant Supplies | $3,000 | $5,000 | |
| Opening Inventory | $4,850 | $6,000 | |
| Insurance | $3,000 | $6,000 | |
| Licenses & Permits | $2,300 | $5,000 | |
| Professional Fees | $1,500 | $3,000 | |
| Travel, Lodging, Meals, etc. for Initial Training | $3,500 | $22,000 | |
| Additional Funds/Working Capital (for 3 months) | $25,000 | $50,000 | |
| Total | $270,525 | $914,600 | |
Source: WUW Franchise LLC, 2026 filing, page 20
Wake up and Waffle franchise fee
The franchise fee is $40,000. You pay it when you sign the franchise agreement.
Source: WUW Franchise LLC, 2026 filing, page 11
Royalty and ongoing fees
| Royalty | 5% of gross sales, paid weekly, plus 1% to the brand fund. |
|---|---|
| Brand or marketing fund | 1% of gross sales, paid with the royalty. |
| Technology Fee | The then-current fee (currently $50 per week) |
| Renewal Fee | $5,000 |
The typical franchise royalty is 6% of sales, plus 2% for marketing. See franchise fees and royalties to compare.
Source: WUW Franchise LLC, 2026 filing, page 13
Other fees as filed, from pages 15–17. The filing lists every fee, including late fees and audit costs.
Sales and earnings
Shares figures Wake up and Waffle publishes sales or earnings figures for its locations. The full tables, with notes on which locations are counted, are in its filing.
Source: WUW Franchise LLC, 2026 filing, page 57
- Estimate Estimated yearly sales per location
- $900K–$1.6M
Estimated from the sales that 292 comparable franchises file, matched on industry, format, cost to open, fees and size.
How Wake up and Waffle compares
Of the 58 breakfast franchises on this site, Wake up and Waffle is the 8th cheapest to open and the 53rd largest by number of locations.
| Figure | Wake up and Waffle | Typical breakfast brand | Typical franchise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost to open, low end | $271K | $640K | $222K |
| Cost to open, high end | $915K | $1.2M | $477K |
| Franchise fee | $40K | $40K | $40K |
| Royalty | 5% | 5% | 6% |
| Brand fund | 1% | 1.4% | 2% |
| US locations | 1 | 13 | 21 |
| 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 | Opened | Closed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 (0) | 1 | 0 | 0 |
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.
Source: WUW Franchise LLC, 2026 filing, page 62
Where Wake up and Waffle locations are
At the end of 2025, Wake up and Waffle had locations in 1 state. The most are in Ohio.
- Ohio1
| State | Franchised | Company-owned | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ohio | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Source: WUW Franchise LLC, 2026 filing, page 63
Who owns Wake up and Waffle?
Wake up and Waffle franchises are sold by WUW Franchise LLC.
From WUW Franchise LLC’s 2026 filing.
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: WUW Franchise LLC, 2026 filing, litigation on page 11, bankruptcy on page 11
Wake up and Waffle filings
The figures on this page come from WUW Franchise LLC’s 2026 filing, issued March 20, 2026, on record with the NASAA Electronic Filing Depository.
| Filing | Issued | Registry | On this page |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 filing | March 20, 2026 | NASAA depository | Costs, fees and locations, 2023–2025 |
Each link opens the filing as a PDF. See the newest filings across all brands.
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