Start a Perkins American Food Co. Franchise in 2025

2025 Franchise 500 Rank: N/R Ranked #429 last year

Initial investment: $1.4M - $3.5M

Units as of 2024: 262 9% over 3 years

Perkins Restaurant & Bakery is a family restaurant that welcomes its guests with top-quality, freshly prepared American food. Perkins Restaurant & Bakery has been serving great American breakfasts and more since 1958, when a simple pancake house in Ohio evolved into today's popular chain.

The breakfast menu is popular enough that the chain serves breakfasts all day. But sumptuous build-your-own breakfasts are just one part of the wide range of home-style, traditional plates offered. Always faithful to the rich tradition of American cooking, a Perkins Restaurant & Bakery offers steaks, burgers, soups, salads, and much more. In-store bakeries prepare a wide selection of fresh dessert choices to tempt the customer.

Why You May Want To Start a Perkins Restaurant & Bakery Franchise

At Perkins Restaurant & Bakery, the customer is the key to brand growth. The reason why the chain offers its menu all day is quite simply because that's what the customers want. When a customer walks through the door, they expect excellent quality and great service.

A franchisee will subscribe to the values that the company upholds and maintain the company's enviable reputation. A franchisee does not need experience in the restaurant trade. Indeed, no business experience is necessary, as there is a comprehensive training program. But franchisees need to be directly involved in setting up their new restaurant. However, once the business opens its doors, the franchisee can choose to have someone else run the day-to-day operations.

What Might Make a Perkins Restaurant & Bakery Franchise a Good Choice?

Perkins Restaurant & Bakery's philosophy can be summed up in one word: consistency. The first-time customer is expected to quickly be won over by the friendly service, the wide range of menu options, and the food quality. They may then become regulars and recommend the restaurant to their friends.

To be part of the Perkins Restaurant & Bakery team, you should make sure you're financially ready for an initial investment made up of a franchise fee and other startup costs. In addition, you should be prepared for ongoing fees that will include advertising, royalty, and potential renewal fees. Franchisees will also need to meet the company's set net worth and liquid capital requirements. Perkins Restaurant & Bakery may offer discounts to franchisees who have served in the American military.

Perkins Restaurant & Bakery has also partnered with third-party financial lenders that may help cover the costs of the franchise fee, startup, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, and payroll.

How To Open a Perkins Restaurant & Bakery Franchise

Before making any financial commitment or signing an agreement, you must perform your due diligence and establish if this is the right opportunity for you. As part of your due diligence, you may want to speak to existing franchisees and ask the Perkins Restaurant & Bakery franchising team questions.

As you decide if opening a Perkins Restaurant & Bakery franchise is the right move for you, make sure you take time to explore the opportunity. Research the brand and your local area to see if a Perkins Restaurant & Bakery franchise would do well in your community. While competition is healthy, too much of it may not allow for the most possible growth.

Company Overview

About Perkins American Food Co.

Industry	Food
Related Categories	Miscellaneous Full-Service Restaurants, Food: Full-Service Restaurants
Founded	1958
Parent Company	Ascent Hospitality Management
Leadership	James O'Reilly, CEO
Corporate Address	5901-B Peachtree-Dunwoody Rd., #B450 Atlanta, GA 30328
Social	Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram

Business Overview

Franchising Since	1958 (67 years)
# of employees at HQ	125
Where seeking	This company is offering new franchises in the following US states: Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming This company is offering new franchises in the following international regions: Canada
# of Units	262 (as of 2024)

Information for Franchisees

Here's what you need to know if you're interested in opening a Perkins American Food Co. franchise.

Financial Requirements & Ongoing Fees

Here's what you can expect to spend to start the business and what ongoing fees the franchisor charges throughout the life of the business.

Initial Franchise Fee Definition: The initial fee paid to a franchisor to join their system What you need to know: Found in Item 5 of the FDD, this may be a flat fee, or may vary based on territory size, experience, or other factors.The franchise fee is an up-front (one-time) cost that a new franchisee pays to the franchisor. This fee is usually due at the signing of the franchise agreement and covers the right to use the franchisor's trademarks, name, and related business systems.	$40,000
Initial Investment Definition: The total amount necessary to begin operation of the franchise What you need to know: The initial investment includes the franchise fee, along with other startup expenses such as real estate, equipment, supplies, business licenses, and working capital. This is outlined in a chart in Item 7 of the FDD, showing a range of possible costs from low to high.	$1,387,715 - $3,454,465
Net Worth Requirement Definition: The minimum net worth you must have in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company What you need to know: Net worth is the value of a person's assets minus liabilities. Assets include cash, stocks, retirement accounts, and real estate. Liabilities include items like mortgages, car payments, and credit card debt.	$1,000,000
Cash Requirement Definition: The minimum liquid capital you must have available in order to qualify to become a franchisee of this company.	$450,000
Veteran Incentives Definition: A discount or other incentive offered to military veterans who buy a franchise with this company.	25% off first-unit franchise fee
Royalty Fee Definition: A ongoing fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis. What you need to know: Most franchisors require franchisees to pay an ongoing royalty fee, which is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD. This fee is typically a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales, but may also be a flat weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	4%
Ad Royalty Fee Definition: An going fee paid to the franchisor on a regular basis to support advertising or marketing efforts. What you need to know: This may also be called advertising fee, marketing fee, brand fund fee, and more, but the basic purpose is the same-- to support promotion of the brand systemwide. As with the royalty fee, it is detailed in Item 6 of the FDD, and can be a percentage of weekly or monthly gross sales or a weekly, monthly, or annual fee.	3%
Term of Agreement Definition: The length of time your franchise agreement will last. What you need to know: Franchise terms are typically anywhere from 5 to 20 years in length, but are sometimes instead dependent on factors such as the term of your lease. Once your term is up, you may have the option to renew your agreement, typically for a smaller fee than the original franchise fee.	20 years
Is franchise term renewable?	Yes

Financing Options

Some franchisors offer in-house financing, while others have relationships with third-party financing sources to which they refer qualified franchisees.

Third Party Financing	Perkins American Food Co. has relationships with third-party sources which offer financing to cover the following: franchise fee, startup costs, equipment, inventory, accounts receivable, payroll

Training & Support Offered

Franchisors offer initial training programs and a variety of ongoing support options to help franchisees run their businesses.

On-The-Job Training	450 hours
Classroom Training	105 hours
Ongoing Support	Newsletter Meetings & Conventions Toll-Free Line Grand Opening Online Support Security & Safety Procedures Field Operations Site Selection Proprietary Software Franchisee Intranet Platform
Marketing Support	Co-op Advertising Ad Templates National Media Regional Advertising Social Media SEO Website Development Email Marketing Loyalty Program/App

Operations

Additional details about running this franchise.

Is absentee ownership allowed?	Yes
Can this franchise be run from home/mobile unit? Definition: The business can be run from your home and/or a vehicle, and it is not necessary to have a retail facility, office space, or warehouse.	No
Can this franchise be run part time? Definition: This business can be run by the owner on a part-time basis (less than 40 hours per week) and/or as a side business; it is not necessary for the business to be open/run full-time.	No
# of employees required to run	40-50
Are exclusive territories available? Definition: An exclusive territory is a fixed area in which you are given the right to operate and in which no other units of the same franchise may be opened. What you need to know: Territory size may be based on factors such as radius, population size, zip codes, and more. Details can be found in Item 12 of the FDD.	Yes