Franchise opportunities compared
Buffalo Wild Wings vs IHOP and International House of Pancakes
Reviewed figures from each brand's Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD), side by side. Each figure carries its FDD year and page. This is not a ranking or recommendation, and the two FDDs may cover different years and location groups.
Before you compare
- Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
- Buffalo Wild Wings and IHOP and International House of Pancakes disclose more than one business format, so the investment range spans formats; the full report breaks them out.
- Item 19 figures cover the location groups each FDD names (Buffalo Wild Wings: 12, IHOP and International House of Pancakes: 8). Different groups are not directly comparable.
| Disclosure | BWBuffalo Wild Wings |  IHOP and International House of Pancakes |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $13,700 – $4,500,320 2026 FDD · Item 7 | $616,682 – $4,632,445 2026 FDD · Item 7 |
| Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5) | Not available No single standard fee identified | Not available No single standard fee identified |
| Royalty (Item 6) | $5.00 Royalty grosssales 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 31 | $4.50 OTHER FEES Type of Fee 1 Amount Due Date Remarks Royalty — 4.5% 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 19 |
| Brand / advertising fund (Item 6) | $15,000 Opening advertising 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 29 | $3.50 revenue from the Restaurant except sales or use tax. National Advertising Fee Up to — 3.5% 2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 19 |
| System scale & health | ||
| Total outlets (Item 20) | 1,397 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 81 | 126 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 55 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | +133 Calculated: 1,264 at end of 2023 → 1,397 at end of 2025 | +36 Calculated: 90 at end of 2023 → 126 at end of 2025 |
| Outlet exits (Item 20) | Not available No complete exit records for a year | Not available No complete exit records for a year |
| Franchising since (Item 1) | 1992 From a verified franchisor listing | 1960 From a verified franchisor listing |
| Franchisor founded (Item 1) | Not available Not in reviewed records | Not available Not in reviewed records |
| Performance (Item 19) | ||
| Financial performance (Item 19), by location group | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 3rd Quartile of Full-year franchised Sports Bars, including4nontraditional; no… $3,117,110 other 3rd Quartile · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 79 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — 4th Quartile of Full-year franchised Sports Bars, including4nontraditional; no… 133 units other 4th Quartile · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 79 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — All Sports Bars of Full-year franchised Sports Bars, including4nontraditional;… 532 units other All Sports Bars · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 79 +9 more groups in the full report | Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Northea stnontraditionalIHOPfranchised $1,116,542 other Northea st 2024 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 54 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — WestnontraditionalIHOPfranchised 1 restaurants other West 2024 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 54 Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — SouthnontraditionalIHOPfranchised 35 percent other South 2024 · 2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 54 +5 more groups in the full report |
Item 19 groups are shown separately and never combined. Revenue or sales figures are not profit. Net outlet change and turnover are Franopolis calculations from the disclosed counts; turnover is a count-based rate, not a measure of owner earnings.