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The Original Pancake House

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Food & Beverage
Breakfast

The Original Pancake House

The Original Pancake House Franchise FDD, Costs & Fees (2025)

The Original Pancake House is a breakfast chain that specializes in made-from-scratch pancakes, waffles, and other breakfast favorites, served in a cozy and welcoming diner-style setting.

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 1991, 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.

Initial investment

Here's what you would need to invest if you were to start this franchise. These costs are provided by the franchisor in the Franchise Disclosure Document.

Type of Expenditure Amount
Initial franchise fee $60,000
Travel and living expenses while training $7,000 to $25,000
Real estate and improvements $110,000 to $700,000
Furniture, fixtures and equipment $190,500 to $500,000
Décor $15,000 to $80,500
Signs $8,000 to $30,250
Opening inventory, smallwares and supplies $19,500 to $45,500
Miscellaneous opening expenses $20,000 to $100,000
Additional funds - 6 months $52,500 to $125,000
Total $482,500 to $1,666,250
Type of Expenditure Amount
Initial franchise fee $60,000
Travel and living expenses while training $7,000 to $25,000
Real estate and improvements $110,000 to $700,000
Furniture, fixtures and equipment $190,500 to $500,000
Décor $15,000 to $80,500
Signs $8,000 to $30,250
Opening inventory, smallwares and supplies $19,500 to $45,500
Miscellaneous opening expenses $20,000 to $100,000
Additional funds - 6 months $52,500 to $125,000
Total $482,500 to $1,666,250

The Original Pancake House

2025

Franchise Disclosure Document

Number of units

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.

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.

Competitors

Below are some of

The Original Pancake House

key competitors in the

Breakfast

sector.

Franchise
Franchisees
Initial fee
Total investment
Revenue
Sign up
Gross Profit
Sign up
EBITDA
Sign up

146

New
+
0%
0%

$60,000

$483,000

$1,666,000

n.a.

$0

$xxx,xxx

n.a.

xx%

n.a.

n.a.

xx%

n.a.

Competitors

Famous Toastery

Famous Toastery is a breakfast, brunch, and lunch restaurant franchise offering made-from-scratch dishes and specialty beverages, serving families and daytime diners, and known for closing by midafternoon, fresh ingredients, attentive team-service, and a strong focus on the booming brunch segment.

Franchisees

?

16
+
-16%
-16%
Investment

?

$688,000 - $1,206,000

Vicious Biscuit

Vicious Biscuit is a breakfast-and-brunch franchise offering overstuffed biscuit sandwiches, coffee and brunch fare, serving early-day diners, families and brunch crowds, and known for Southern-flavor innovation, fast-casual scalability and strong repeat business.

Franchisees

?

2
+
n.a.
n.a.
Investment

?

$799,000 - $1,317,000

Squeeze In

Squeeze In is a brunch-focused restaurant franchise offering extensive omelette menus, pancakes, and lunch items, serving breakfast and lunch diners, and known for vibrant atmosphere, unique menu, and expansion through franchising.

Franchisees

?

4
+
0%
0%
Investment

?

$202,000 - $522,000

Rachel's Kitchen

Rachel’s Kitchen is a fresh-casual café franchise offering wholesome, made-to-order food from breakfast through dinner, serving singles, families and health-minded consumers, and known for fresh ingredients, broad appeal and growth-oriented franchise model.

Franchisees

?

0
+
n.a.
n.a.
Investment

?

$298,000 - $816,000

Friendly's

Friendly’s is a casual-dining franchise offering ice cream, burgers, breakfasts and family meals, serving families and casual diners, and known for nostalgic American fare, classic ice-cream sundaes and broad national recognition.

Franchisees

?

94
+
96%
96%
Investment

?

$1,111,000 - $2,682,000

Biscuit Belly

Biscuit Belly is a Southern-inspired café franchise offering biscuit sandwiches, brunch fare, coffee, and comfort dishes, serving brunch lovers and urban diners, and known for handcrafted biscuits, bold flavour profiles, and stylish café environments.

Franchisees

?

6
+
200%
200%
Investment

?

$824,000 - $1,342,000

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