The Original Pancake House: A Legacy of Breakfast Excellence

Founded in 1991 in Portland, Oregon, The Original Pancake House (TOPH) is a family-owned breakfast franchise renowned for its commitment to quality and tradition.

The franchise is headquartered at 8601 SW 24th Avenue, Portland, Oregon.

TOPH began franchising in 19591, with one of its earliest franchised restaurants opening in Anaheim, California.

The menu features signature dishes such as the Apple Pancake and Dutch Baby, alongside a variety of pancakes, waffles, crepes, omelets, and other breakfast specialties. Each restaurant prepares batters and sauces fresh daily, using premium ingredients like 93-score butter, 36% whipping cream, and grade AA eggs.

What sets The Original Pancake House apart is its unwavering dedication to consistency and quality. The franchise maintains its original recipes and cooking methods, ensuring a familiar and comforting dining experience for customers.

Training

The Original Pancake House provides a detailed and immersive training program to ensure that franchisees and their teams are well-prepared to manage restaurant operations. Below is a numbered outline of the training components offered by the franchisor:

1. Initial Training Program: This includes approximately 10 weeks of instruction held at a company-owned or designated training restaurant. It is mandatory for the franchisee and restaurant managers, up to a total of four individuals. If any participant fails to meet the company’s standards during this period, replacements must be made.
2. Supplementary Training: The franchisor may provide up to five consecutive days of additional training at the franchisee’s location before or after the restaurant opens. This optional training is conducted during regular business hours and tailored to the specific needs of the operation.
3. Refresher Courses: Franchisees and their managers may be required to attend periodic refresher courses at designated locations and times. The franchisor may charge a fee for this training, and all travel and accommodation expenses are the responsibility of the franchisee.
4. Instructional Materials: Training is supported with manuals, DVDs, and tests, and does not include classroom sessions. Instruction is individualized and depends on the trainee’s experience, with a recommended training span of 631 hours across approximately 10 weeks.

Territory Protection

The Original Pancake House does not provide exclusive territory protection to its franchisees. The franchise agreement may grant a territory; however, it clearly allows the franchisor to compete with the franchisee within that territory.

This means the franchisor retains the right to operate company-owned restaurants, license others, or sell products and services that may directly compete with the franchisee’s business. This arrangement implies that while franchisees might receive some defined area to operate in, they are not shielded from internal competition.

Franchisees must be prepared for the possibility of other franchised or corporate locations operating nearby. Thus, the system maintains flexibility for the franchisor while requiring franchisees to compete based on service and performance.