A Franchise Deep Dive: Waffle House

KKhali Clarke

March 15, 2024

How Much Does a Waffle House Franchise Cost?


According to information found on their initial website, it cost no more than $600,000 to $1,000,000 to open a Waffle House location. This cost presumably includes an initial $200,000 fee that covers the cost of training and support that the Waffle House traditionally provides to all franchises. In addition to initial fees necessary to open a location, franchisees are required to pay an ongoing royalty fee of 4% of gross sales as well as a 2% advertising fee on gross sales.

Franchising a Waffle House: What You Need to Know


The standards for gaining entry into ownership within the Waffle House Franchise appears somewhat lenient compared to other franchises such as Chick-fil A. The qualifications for owning a Waffle House Franchise require an individual to have a net worth of at least one million dollars, have some sort of experience in the restaurant industry, and be openly willing to commit to Waffle House’s systems of policies and culture.

Earning Potential: How Much Does a Waffle House Franchise Owner Make?


According to data sourced from Comparably, the median salary for a Waffle House franchise owner currently stands at $136,517 annually. The details behind these numbers offer more insight to the realistic potentials of what one is destined to make as a Waffle House owner based on a traditional bell curve of statistics regarding owner salary. “For example, the top 10% of earners make over $300,000 per year. On the other hand, the bottom 10% of earners make less than $50,000 per year” (Waffle House).

Tips for increasing your earning potential as a Waffle House franchise owner:


Choose a sound location for your franchise.

As mentioned above, the bulk of Waffle House restaurants are found between the Midwest and Southern regions of the United States. It is worth it to emphasize their occupancy of only half the states within the US, which may be due to other states not aligning with Waffle House’s production and restriction codes.

Manage finances carefully

Make sure you hire and manage a professional team to consistently analyze your financial health and strategy to maximize your earnings as a franchise owner.

Emphasize excellent customer service

Consumers have typically respected and preferred commodities aligned with excellent customer service, especially when eating out.

Market your franchise effectively

Take the necessary measurements to make sure people are aware of your franchise! Social media, online marketing, and print advertising are heavily relied upon methods to increase traffic for many concepts.