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    Franchise opportunities compared

    IHOP vs of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    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.

    IHOP2026 FDDOAof Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar2026 FDD

    Initial investment · Item 7

    IHOP

    $380,550 – $4,823,457

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    $616,682 – $5,822,933

    2026 FDD · Item 7

    Initial franchise fee · Item 5

    IHOP

    $15,000

    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 19

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    Not available

    Royalty · Item 6

    IHOP

    4.5%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 21

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    4%

    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15

    Before you compare

    • Both sets of figures come from 2026 FDDs.
    • IHOP and of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar 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 (IHOP: 31, of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar: 6). Different groups are not directly comparable.

    Financial commitment

    Estimated initial investment (Item 7)

    IHOP

    $380,550 – $4,823,457
    2026 FDD · Item 7

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    $616,682 – $5,822,933
    2026 FDD · Item 7
    Standard initial franchise fee (Item 5)

    IHOP

    $15,000
    2026 FDD · Item 5 · PDF p. 19

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    Not available
    No single standard fee identified
    Royalty (Item 6)

    IHOP

    4.5%
    Royalty rate
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 21

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    4%
    Royalty
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15
    Brand / advertising fund (Item 6)

    IHOP

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

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    4.25% of current
    National advertising fund contribution
    2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15

    System scale & health

    Total outlets (Item 20)

    IHOP

    5,028
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 68

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    1,480
    Outlets at end of 2025
    2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 54
    Net outlet change (Item 20)

    IHOP

    −36
    Calculated: 5,064 at end of 2023 → 5,028 at end of 2025

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    −65
    Calculated: 1,545 at end of 2023 → 1,480 at end of 2025
    Outlet exits (Item 20)

    IHOP

    Not available
    No complete exit records for a year

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

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

    IHOP

    1960
    From a verified franchisor listing

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records
    Franchisor founded (Item 1)

    IHOP

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar

    Not available
    Not in reviewed records

    Financial performance (Item 19), by location group

    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
    +28 more groups in the full report
    OAof Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Traditional franchised Applebee’s Restaurants in the South, active and operatin…
    $2,361,192
    other South median gross sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 53
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Traditional franchised Applebee’s Restaurants in the Midwest that were active a…
    $2,662,918
    other Midwest annualized average gross sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 53
    Locations counted not stated in the reviewed record — Traditional franchised Applebee’s Restaurants in the Northeast that were active…
    $3,830,089
    other Northeast annualized average gross sales
    2026 FDD · Item 19 · PDF p. 53
    +3 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.

    IHOP vs of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar: common questions

    Which costs less to open, IHOP or of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar?
    IHOP: $380,550 – $4,823,457 (2026 FDD · Item 7); of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar: $616,682 – $5,822,933 (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 IHOP and of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar royalties compare?
    IHOP: 4.5% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 21); of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar: 4% (2026 FDD · Item 6 · PDF p. 15). Royalties as disclosed in Item 6; other recurring fees are listed separately.
    Which has more locations, IHOP or of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar?
    IHOP: 5,028 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 68); of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar: 1,480 (2026 FDD · Item 20 · PDF p. 54). Total outlets from Item 20. Outlet counts do not indicate territory availability or franchisee results.
    Do IHOP and of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar disclose financial performance (Item 19)?
    IHOP has reviewed Item 19 figures for 31 location groups; of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar has reviewed Item 19 figures for 6 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

    Keep researching

    Full IHOP report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

    OA

    Full of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar report

    Every reviewed fee, Item 19 group, outlet table and territory disclosure

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