Is The Original Pancake House or Lumberjacks cheaper to open?

The Original Pancake House costs $482,500–$1,666,250 and Lumberjacks costs $595,900–$1,535,050 to open (FDD Item 7). The Original Pancake House has the lower entry cost.

Which is the better franchise, The Original Pancake House or Lumberjacks?

FranchiseVerdict grades The Original Pancake House B and Lumberjacks B, from FDD Items 5–7, 19–21 and SBA loan performance. See the full side-by-side above.

The Original Pancake House vs Lumberjacks

Franchise Comparison 2026

Both The Original Pancake House and Lumberjacks are full-service restaurants franchises. The Original Pancake House requires an investment of $483K – $1.7M while Lumberjacks requires $596K – $1.5M. Neither The Original Pancake House nor Lumberjacks makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 of its FDD — a voluntary item under the FTC Franchise Rule — so the two cannot be compared on disclosed unit revenue. The Original Pancake House has SBA lending data on file with a 13.6% charge-off rate. FranchiseVerdict rates The Original Pancake House B (Above average) and Lumberjacks B (Above average).

Metric	The Original Pancake House	Lumberjacks
Verdict Grade	BAbove average	BAbove average
Investment Range	$483K – $1.7M	$596K – $1.5M
Franchise Fee	$60K	$40K
Royalty Rate	2.0%	4.0%
Average Revenue (Item 19)	N/ANo Item 19 representation	N/ANo Item 19 representation
SBA Charge-Off Rate	13.6% (59 loans)	Limited data
Total Units	147	8
Unit Growth (YoY)	-1 units	+0 units
Year Began Franchising	1991	2011
FDD Year	2025	2025