Elmer’s Breakfast ⋅ Lunch ⋅ Dinner, Elmer’s Kitchen, and Egg N’ JoeFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Elmer’s Breakfast ⋅ Lunch ⋅ Dinner, Elmer’s Kitchen, and Egg N’ Joe franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.1M – $4.7M, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 4.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $3.1M[2]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.1M – $4.7M
- 44th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $3.1M
- 26th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- 3rd pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 29
- 31st pct Service Resta…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Full-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Franchised units fell from 13 to 8 over 3 years. Investigate why operators are leaving.
Bottom line
- Total investment $1.1M – $4.7M including a $40K franchise fee, 4.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $3.1M/year.
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 58/100.
- System contracting at -38.5% CAGR over 3 years. Investigate whether closures are franchisor-driven (consolidation) or franchisee-driven (economics).
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- We Are Crackin’ LLC
- Parent company
- Elmer’s Restaurants, Inc. (“ERI”)
- Predecessor
- and Affiliates
- Prior franchisor entity
- Incorporated in
- OR
- HQ
- 363 High Street, Eugene, Oregon 97401
- Auditor
- Jones & Roth, P.C.
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $1.9M
- vs $1.8M prior year
Independent franchisee associations
- Franchise Advisory Council (FAC)
Franchisee-led councils or alliances disclosed in Item 20. Indicates operator voice.
Affiliated brands
- We Own Breakfast
Other brands the franchisor or its parent operates (Item 1).
Overview
About
Franchisees operate full-service casual dining restaurants (breakfast, lunch, dinner concepts) with a menu focused on egg-based and comfort food items. Day-to-day responsibilities include kitchen operations management, front-of-house service, inventory control, staff scheduling, and brand compliance across multiple dayparts. Operations require significant labor management and food cost control to navigate thin restaurant industry margins.
- CEO
- Gerald Scott
- Headquarters
- OR
- Founded
- 2016
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 4
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing · 33 line items
Initial investment breakdown
| Line item | Low | High | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development Fee for Multiple Restaurantsnot refundable | $60K | $180K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months (Area Development) | — | — | |
| Initial Franchise Fee (Elmer's Restaurant) | $40K | $40K | |
| Leasehold Improvements (Elmer's Restaurant) | $700K | $2.2M | |
| Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment (Elmer's Restaurant) | $500K | $1.5M | |
| Signage (Elmer's Restaurant) | $35K | $75K | |
| Three Month's Rent (Elmer's Restaurant) | $0 | $76K | |
| Security Deposit (Elmer's Restaurant) | $10K | $40K | |
| Lease Addendum Review Fee (Elmer's Restaurant) | $0 | $2K | |
| Utility Deposits and Fees (Elmer's Restaurant) | $1K | $10K | |
| Branded Inventory and Supplies (Elmer's Restaurant) | $2K | $3K | |
| Opening Inventory and Supplies (Elmer's Restaurant) | $45K | $110K | |
| Grand Opening Advertising (Elmer's Restaurant) | $2K | $2K | |
| Training Expenses (Elmer's Restaurant) | $75K | $250K | |
| Miscellaneous Opening Costs (Elmer's Restaurant) | $9K | $95K | |
| Professional Fees (Elmer's Restaurant) | $2K | $30K | |
| Insurance Premiums - 3 Months (Elmer's Restaurant) | $10K | $25K | |
| Liquor Licensing (Elmer's Restaurant) | $250 | $15K | |
| Additional Funds - 3 months (Elmer's Restaurant) | $90K | $200K | |
| Initial Fees (Egg N' Joe / Elmer's Kitchen) | $40K | $40K | |
| Total initial investment | $2.6M | $8.5M |
Line items extracted from FDD Item 7. Ranges reflect the franchisor's stated low and high per line. Total is the sum of line-item lows / highs — actual costs may fall outside this range depending on market and build-out scope.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$405K
13.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
13%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
7.5 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $1.1M – $4.7M
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $90K – $200K
- Near category avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- Gross Sales · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 5.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $47K – $113K |
| Total fee load | 5.0% of rev |
A 5.0% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $3.1M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- N/A
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 20 units
- vs category median 13
- Range (low → high)
- $1.3M→$6.2M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $2.4M→$3.5M
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Transparency tier
- limited
- Categorical assessment of disclosure depth
- Transparency
- 3 / 5
- vs category median 4 / 5 · below
Compared against 1264 Full-Service Restaurants brands
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Elmer’s Breakfast ⋅ Lunch ⋅ Dinner, Elmer’s Kitchen, and Egg N’ Joe Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 29
- Opened
- 1
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Turnover rate
- 0.0%
- Company-owned
- 21
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 28%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- +14.3%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -38.5%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Closed (3yr)
- 8
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 1
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 0
- Franchisor bought back
- Continuity rate
- 100.0%
- Units that stayed open
- Termination rate
- 50.0%
- Franchisor-initiated terminations
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 4 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
Available to sell in · Item 12
- Illinois
- Wisconsin
States where the franchisor is registered to sell new franchises (FDD registration filings).
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 8 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 8
- Loan volume
- N/A
- Amount data pending
- Median loan
- N/A
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 0
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Moderate-to-high risk profile due to missing profitability data, unprotected territory, and unclear unit economics despite reasonable growth metrics.
Litigation (Item 3)
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Largest disclosed settlement: $180,000
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · Jones & Roth, P.C.
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Must buy proprietary products: No
- Restricted to system-approved products: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 58 / 100 rating
- 01MINORNo Item 19 (Average Net Income) disclosure — cannot verify actual profitability against $1.1M-$4.7M investment range
- 02MINORUnprotected territory creates direct competition risk; another franchisee could open adjacent location
- 03MINORWide investment spread ($3.5M gap) suggests inconsistent build-out costs or hidden variables
- 04MINORModest unit growth (14.3% YoY on only 29 units) indicates slower expansion than mature franchises
- 05MINORHigh royalty burden (4% of gross sales) with unknown net margins means breakeven point unclear
- 06MED15-year term locks franchisee into relationship with limited flexibility
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | Location-based |
| Protected territory | No |
| Territory population | 75,000 |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 1 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 6 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Oregon |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
0 case reference(s): 0 pending, 0 settled.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 43 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 201 hrs
- Training location
- On-site at franchisee's restaurant and at franchisor's facility
- Site selection
- franchisor
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
8 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Elmer’s Breakfast ⋅ Lunch ⋅ Dinner, Elmer’s Kitchen, and Egg N’ Joe · FDD (2026) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Elmer’s Breakfast ⋅ Lunch ⋅ Dinner, Elmer’s Kitchen, and Egg N’ Joe franchise?
The total investment to open a Elmer’s Breakfast ⋅ Lunch ⋅ Dinner, Elmer’s Kitchen, and Egg N’ Joe franchise ranges from $1.1M – $4.7M, with an initial franchise fee of $40K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Elmer’s Breakfast ⋅ Lunch ⋅ Dinner, Elmer’s Kitchen, and Egg N’ Joe franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Elmer’s Breakfast ⋅ Lunch ⋅ Dinner, Elmer’s Kitchen, and Egg N’ Joe FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $3.1M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Elmer’s Breakfast ⋅ Lunch ⋅ Dinner, Elmer’s Kitchen, and Egg N’ Joe's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Elmer’s Breakfast ⋅ Lunch ⋅ Dinner, Elmer’s Kitchen, and Egg N’ Joe (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Elmer’s Breakfast ⋅ Lunch ⋅ Dinner, Elmer’s Kitchen, and Egg N’ Joe franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Elmer’s Breakfast ⋅ Lunch ⋅ Dinner, Elmer’s Kitchen, and Egg N’ Joe has 29 total units in the United States, including 13 franchised units and 21 company-owned units. 1 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Elmer’s Breakfast ⋅ Lunch ⋅ Dinner, Elmer’s Kitchen, and Egg N’ Joe a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Elmer’s Breakfast ⋅ Lunch ⋅ Dinner, Elmer’s Kitchen, and Egg N’ Joe as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 58 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
For franchisors
Are you the franchisor?
If you represent Elmer’s Breakfast ⋅ Lunch ⋅ Dinner, Elmer’s Kitchen, and Egg N’ Joe, you can request corrections or provide updated information.
Claim this brandOther Full-Service Restaurants franchises
Compare similar franchise opportunities in the Full-Service Restaurants category
Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.