Franchise opportunities compared
Country Kitchen 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
- Country Kitchen figures come from its 2025 FDD and IHOP and International House of Pancakes figures from its 2026 FDD, so the years differ.
- Country Kitchen 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.
- Only IHOP and International House of Pancakes has reviewed Item 19 figures here.
| Disclosure | CKCountry Kitchen |  IHOP and International House of Pancakes |
|---|---|---|
| Financial commitment | ||
| Estimated initial investment (Item 7) | $415,000 – $1,719,000 2025 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) | Not available No reviewed royalty record | $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) | $1.00 Advertising production fee 2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 13 | $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) | 18 Outlets at end of 2025 2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 57 | 126 Outlets at end of 2025 2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 55 |
| Net outlet change (Item 20) | −2 Calculated: 20 at end of 2023 → 18 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) | Not available Not in reviewed records | 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 | Not disclosed — no Item 19 financial performance representation | 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.