IHOP; IHOP Express franchise research

Investment by format

Format-specific estimates only. Do not combine one format's minimum with another format's maximum.

Investment sourceFDD p.28 ↗

Franchise fees and ongoing costs

Franchise fee

$35,000 to $50,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review.

Royalty

4.5% · 4.5% of total Gross Sales, billed weekly, due 16 days after invoice date

Marketing contribution

3.5% (basis not captured; see original filing)

Technology fee

Dine Brands Franchisee Technology Services Support (Help Desk) $1,900 to $2,500 per year, billed annually; Tray POS software $2,900 to $4,000 per year (Item 7)

Other fees

National Gift Card Program charges 15% of redeemed portion of gift cards sold in national program; EMV/P2P payment services $1,300-$4,500 per year (Item 7); Wi-Fi $90-$450 per month (Item 7)

Working capital (FDD Item 7)

Additional Funds - 3 months: $16,500 to $85,250 (payroll, utilities, attorneys, accountants); separate Working Capital line $50,000 to $200,000 (you retain)

Fees sourceFDD p.21 ↗

Working capital is drawn from Item 7. The Investment source below locates the investment section, not an independently verified working-capital scalar.

Investment sourceFDD p.28 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

Financial performance: Item 19

Item 19 captured

Yes

Metric / basis

Historical annualized gross sales (average, median, high, low, and % of units above average) of franchised traditional restaurants by Census region and by prototype

Reporting period

Two 12-month periods: Jan 1 2024-Dec 29 2024 and Dec 30 2024-Dec 28 2025 (latest = FY2025)

Sample

1,463 franchised traditional restaurants in FY2025 (1,462 in 2024); excludes 145 subfranchised, all non-traditional and 24 dual-branded restaurants

Reported average

Not captured

Reported median

Not captured

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Results depend on the disclosed metric, sample and period; consult the full filing.

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.66 ↗

Unit growth: Item 20

Reporting year

2025

Scope

franchised outlets

Starting outlets

1655

Year-end outlets

1630

Net change

-25

Derivation

ending minus starting outlets

Openings

33

Terminations

0

Non-renewals

9

Other closures

39

Reacquisitions

10

Transfers

69

Transfers are not closures. Net change is ending minus starting outlets for the stated scope and year, or complete openings less terminations, non-renewals, other closures and reacquisitions. Missing inputs stay unknown.

Unit growth sourceFDD p.68 ↗

SBA loan history

Loan activity

18 approvals

Activity window

FY2021-FY2026 YTD; snapshot 2026-06-30

Median SBA loan

$1,105,000

Median loan window

FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30

Median loan sample

5 loans

Historical charge-off share

0.00%

Cohort

7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals

Numerator / denominator

0 / 39

Formula

CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100

This is a historical loan-level share, not a franchise failure probability or location survival rate. Loan size is not total investment. Other loan statuses are excluded from the seasoned denominator. Activity combines 7(a) and 504 approvals, excluding canceled and not-funded records; this is not a rolling five-year count. FY2024-25 franchise tags are sparse after directory suspension; fewer tagged loans do not establish brand decline. Recent charge-off cohorts are immature.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median loan amounts are financing context, not startup cost. The median window is separate from the seasoned charge-off cohort.

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Questions before you invest

How much does IHOP; IHOP Express franchise cost?

Inline/Endcap/Conversion: $1,907,682 to $3,329,845; 2700 Prototype (freestanding, ground-up): $2,708,932 to $4,240,095; Large Format Prototype (freestanding): $2,839,182 to $4,823,457; Dual Branded Restaurant Concept (IHOP + Applebee's combined): $616,682 to $4,632,445 These are format-specific estimates, not a guaranteed cash requirement. Franchise fee: $35,000 to $50,000 · Extracted Item 5 scalar range, not a universal minimum or maximum; formats, eligibility, discounts and waivers require original-filing review..

Investment sourceFDD p.28 ↗

Franchise fee sourceFDD · page not captured ↗

How much do IHOP; IHOP Express owners make?

Owner income is not captured. Gross sales and EBITDA are not owner pay. Item 19 metric: Historical annualized gross sales (average, median, high, low, and % of units above average) of franchised traditional restaurants by Census region and by prototype. Sample: 1,463 franchised traditional restaurants in FY2025 (1,462 in 2024); excludes 145 subfranchised, all non-traditional and 24 dual-branded restaurants. Period: Two 12-month periods: Jan 1 2024-Dec 29 2024 and Dec 30 2024-Dec 28 2025 (latest = FY2025).

Item 19 performance sourceFDD p.66 ↗

What's the SBA charge-off rate for IHOP; IHOP Express?

0.00%; numerator / denominator: 0 / 39. Historical 7(a) FY2010-2019 approvals; CHGOFF / (PIF + CHGOFF + EXEMPT) × 100, snapshot 2026-06-30. This is not a franchise failure probability. Median SBA loan: $1,105,000; window: FY2023-FY2026 YTD through 2026-06-30; sample: 5 loans. Median financing is not total investment.

SBA loans sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗

Median SBA loan sourceSBA data · Jun 30, 2026 ↗