Franchise opportunities compared

    Huddle House, Inc. vs IHOP

    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.

    Initial investment · Item 7

    Huddle House, Inc.

    $380,880 – $2,381,275

    2025 FDD · Item 7

    IHOP

    $380,550 – $4,823,457

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    Huddle House, Inc.

    $35,000

    2025 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 17

    IHOP

    $15,000

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 19

    Royalty · Item 6

    Huddle House, Inc.

    4.75%

    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 21

    IHOP

    4.5%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 21

    Before you compare

    • Huddle House, Inc. figures come from its 2025 FDD and IHOP figures from its 2026 FDD, so the years differ.
    • Huddle House, Inc. and IHOP 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 (Huddle House, Inc.: 65, IHOP: 15). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    Huddle House, Inc.

    $380,880 – $2,381,275
    2025 FDD · Item 7

    IHOP

    $380,550 – $4,823,457
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    Huddle House, Inc.

    $35,000
    2025 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 17

    IHOP

    $15,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 19
    Royalty (Item 6)

    Huddle House, Inc.

    4.75%
    Royalty
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 21

    IHOP

    4.5%
    Royalty rate
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 21
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    Huddle House, Inc.

    3.5%
    Advertising Fund — traditional Unit — 3.5%
    2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 21

    IHOP

    3.5%
    National Advertising Fee rate — 3.5%
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 21

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    Huddle House, Inc.

    269
    Outlets at end of 2024
    2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 82

    IHOP

    1,693
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 68
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    Huddle House, Inc.

    −17
    Calculated: 286 at end of 2022 → 269 at end of 2024

    IHOP

    −10
    Calculated: 1,703 at end of 2023 → 1,693 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    Huddle House, Inc.

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    IHOP

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year
    Franchising since (Item 1)

    Huddle House, Inc.

    1966
    From a verified franchisor listing

    IHOP

    1960
    From a verified franchisor listing
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    Huddle House, Inc.

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    IHOP

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    Huddle House, Inc.
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Franchised Huddle House units participating in the VDC Product Offering during…
    $249
    other 2024 Franchised Huddle House Units participating in VDC 2024
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 80
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Company-Operated Huddle House Units participating in Papa Corazón’s LPL in 2024
    $37,628
    other 2024 Company-Operated Huddle House Units participating in Papa Corazón’s LPL 2024
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 80
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Company-operated Huddle House units participating in Papa Corazón’s LPL during…
    $11,790
    other 2024 Company-Operated Huddle House Units participating in Papa Corazón’s LPL 2024
    2025 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 80
    +62 more groups in the full report
    IHOP
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Traditional franchised IHOP Restaurants in the Northeast U.S. Census Bureau reg…
    $2,176,716
    other Gross Sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 66
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Traditional franchised IHOP Restaurants in the Midwest U.S. Census Bureau region
    $1,551,817
    other Gross Sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 66
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Traditional franchised IHOP Restaurants using the freestanding prototype, 2024…
    $1,970,976
    other Gross Sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 67
    +12 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.

    Huddle House, Inc. vs IHOP: common questions

    Which costs less to open, Huddle House, Inc. or IHOP?
    Huddle House, Inc.: $380,880 – $2,381,275 (2025 FDD · Item 7); IHOP: $380,550 – $4,823,457 (2026 FDD · Item 7). These are each franchisor's Item 7 estimated initial investment. The low end of the disclosed estimate is lower for IHOP. At least one range spans several business formats. Estimates are not quotes, and the FDD years may differ.
    How do Huddle House, Inc. and IHOP royalties compare?
    Huddle House, Inc.: 4.75% (2025 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 21); IHOP: 4.5% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 21). Royalties as disclosed in Item 6; other recurring fees are listed separately.
    Which has more locations, Huddle House, Inc. or IHOP?
    Huddle House, Inc.: 269 (2025 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 82); IHOP: 1,693 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 68). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do Huddle House, Inc. and IHOP disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    Huddle House, Inc. has reviewed Item 19 figures for 65 location groups; IHOP has reviewed Item 19 figures for 15 location groups. Different location groups are not directly comparable, and revenue is not profit.

    Answers restate the reviewed figures above. Not a ranking or recommendation.

    How Franopolis reviews FDD figures

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