Elmer's Pancake & Steak House Franchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
Analysis by FranchiseVerdict Research · Methodology
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Elmer's Pancake & Steak House franchise requires a total initial investment of $1.5M – $4.7M, including a $40K franchise fee and an ongoing 4.0% royalty[2]. Per the 2026 FDD, average unit revenue was $3.2M[2]. FranchiseVerdict grade: A (Strongest tier), an editorial assessment, not investment advice. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified · figures per the 2026 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $1.5M – $4.7M
- 50th pct Service Resta…
- Avg gross sales
- $3.2M
- 27th pct Service Resta…
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- 2nd pct Service Resta…
- Units
- 23
- 29th pct Service Resta…
- SBA charge-off
- N/A
Quick verdict · Full-Service Restaurants · color = vs category peers
Green = favorable by >10% vs Full-Service Restaurants avg · No shading = within ±10% · Red = unfavorable by >10% · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
Bottom line
- Total investment $1.5M – $4.7M including a $40K franchise fee, 4.0% ongoing royalty.
- Average unit revenue of $3.2M/year (median $2.6M).
- Verdict A (Strongest tier), verdict score 61/100 (higher is better).
- No protected territory and the franchisor reserves the right to compete in your area. Clarify territorial boundaries before signing.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
Corporate structure & franchisor financials
- Legal entity
- We Are Crackin' LLC
- Parent company
- Elmer's Restaurants, Inc.
- Predecessor
- Elmer's Franchise Systems, Inc.
- Prior franchisor entity
- CEO title
- President and Manager
- Gerald Scott
- Incorporated in
- Oregon
- HQ
- 363 High Street, Eugene, Oregon 97401
Overview
About
Franchisor of Elmer's Breakfast Lunch Dinner, Elmer's Kitchen, and Egg N' Joe restaurants offering breakfast, lunch, and dinner food items and beverages.
- CEO
- Gerald Scott
- Headquarters
- Oregon
- Founded
- 2016
- FDD year
- 2026
- States available
- 3
Can you afford it, and what does the money buy?
Entry cost runs 229% above the typical full-service restaurants franchise.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 5–7
FDD Item 7 · 2026 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $40K | $40K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $90K | $200K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $1.4M | $4.4M |
| Total initial investment | $1.5M | $4.7M |
Source: Elmer's Pancake & Steak House 2026 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $1.5M – $4.7M
- Middle of category vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $90K – $200K
- Middle of category vs category
- Franchise fee
- $40K
- Top 40% of category vs category
- Royalty
- 4.0%
- percentage · typical 6–8%
- Ad fund
- 1.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 0.1%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty | 4.0% of gross sales |
| Marketing / ad fund | 1.0% of gross sales |
| Technology fee | $250 |
| Transfer fee | $20K |
| Renewal fee | $10K |
| Inventory (initial) | $2K – $3K |
| Total fee load | 0.1% of rev |
A 0.1% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
What do units actually make?
Average unit sales run 111% above the full-service restaurants norm.
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 19
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
$420K
13.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
13%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
7.7 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $3.2M
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $2.6M
Gross sales are revenue before expenses — not profit. Actual owner earnings depend on rent, labor, royalties, marketing fees, and debt service.
- Item 19 type
- individual_unit_actual_gross_sales
- Sample size
- 7 units
- vs category median 16 · small
- Range (low → high)
- $2.2M→$6.2M
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Reporting year
- 2025
- Fiscal year the figures cover
Compared against 1273 Full-Service Restaurants brands
Operator outlook
What the numbers say
Data-driven interpretation of this brand's financial disclosures, fee structure, and system trajectory.
Unit economics
Average unit generates $3.2M/year in gross sales. Median is $2.6M — top performers pull the average up, so a typical unit earns less. Revenue-to-investment ratio: 1.0x.
Fee burden
Total ongoing fee load of 0.1% — below the Full-Service Restaurants average of 7.6%.
Source: FDD Item 19 financial performance representations and publicly filed FDD data. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Verify all figures with the franchisor and current franchisees before making any investment decision.
vs Full-Service Restaurants averages
How Elmer's Pancake & Steak House Compares
Is the system healthy?
Source: FDD 2026 · Item 20
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 23
- Opened
- 0
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 0
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 14.3%
- Company-owned
- 16
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 30%
- vs corporate-owned
3-year detail · Item 20
- Opened (3yr)
- 1
- Closed (3yr)
- 1
- Terminated (3yr)
- 0
- Non-renewed (3yr)
- 0
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Reacquired (3yr)
- 5
- Franchisor bought back
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 12 · 3 states reported
The Territory Map
FDD Item 12 reports the state count, but the specific list isn't in our current data. The map will appear once we re-extract from the FDD or enough franchisee contacts are available.
3
states with franchisees (per FDD Item 12)
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 5 7(a) loans on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 5
- Loan volume
- $2.8M
- Median loan
- $380K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- limited sample (5 loans) — rate not shown below 10
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
- 4
- Defaults
- N/A
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
What could kill this investment?
Source: SBA 7(a) FOIA · FDD Items 3, 21
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 4, 8, 16, 21
Risk & Legal
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: No
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
What are you signing up for?
Ongoing fees run about 0.1% of sales (royalty + ad fund), before rent and labor.
Source: FDD 2026 · Items 11, 12, 17
FDD Items 12, 15, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 10 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 1 |
| Territory type | none |
| Protected territory | No |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Allowed |
| Owner-operator | Optional |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 5 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| RoFR response window | 30 days |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 30 days |
| Termination groundsℹ | 25 |
| Curable defaultsℹ | 6 |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Arbitration location | Within 50 miles of franchisor's (or successor's) then-current principal place of business, currently Eugene, Oregon |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Oregon |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in Item 3.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 43 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 201 hrs
- Training location
- Franchisor's principal offices (Eugene, OR / Vancouver, WA) and a designated training facility; portions may be provided virtually
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Time to open
- 18 mo
- From signing to launch
- Site selection
- franchisee
- Franchisor financing
- Not offered
- Item 10
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Elmer's Pancake & Steak House franchise?
The total investment to open a Elmer's Pancake & Steak House franchise ranges from $1.5M – $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 Pancake & Steak House franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Elmer's Pancake & Steak House FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $3.2M. The median is $2.6M. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Elmer's Pancake & Steak House's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Elmer's Pancake & Steak House (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 Pancake & Steak House franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Elmer's Pancake & Steak House has 23 total units in the United States, including 7 franchised units and 16 company-owned units.
Is Elmer's Pancake & Steak House a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Elmer's Pancake & Steak House as a A-grade franchise with a verdict score of 61 out of 100 (higher is better), 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
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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.