Grumpy's Restaurant
Grumpy's Restaurant Company, LLC is a privately-held full-service American and Southern diner founded in 1999 in Orange Park, Florida, operating five (soon six) Northeast Florida locations serving made-from-scratch breakfast, brunch, and lunch to local families and working-class diners, with an active franchise program in Florida and Georgia.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersOrange Park, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Grumpy's Restaurant does
Grumpy's Restaurant Company, LLC is a privately-held, full-service American and Southern diner concept founded in 1999 in Orange Park, Florida by a retired US Navy cook known as Chef Grumpy. The company operates a single-brand portfolio centered on made-from-scratch comfort food served breakfast, brunch, and lunch (closing daily at 2:00 PM) with a value proposition of generous 'hungry-person's portions' at working-class prices and a deliberate work-life-balance operating window. The dine-in product (pancakes, waffles, omelets, Eggs Benedict, burgers, sandwiches, homemade soups, salads, daily chalkboard specials, signature coffee, fresh-squeezed juices, homemade hot chocolate, and desserts) is delivered across a five-store Northeast Florida footprint with a sixth unit (Fleming Island) opening in 2026, supported by POS and online-ordering systems and approximately 51–100 corporate employees.
The business model combines dine-in restaurant sales with a growing franchise channel that targets Florida and Georgia markets via a $40,000 franchise fee and an estimated $654,000–$1,669,000 total unit investment. Direct-to-diner revenue is supplemented by ancillary streams: catering services, branded gift cards sold as 'Grumpy's Cash' in $5 increments, proprietary merchandise (including the trademarked 'Future Boss Of Brunch' youth apparel line), and a placemat advertising program that prints 30,000 placemats per location every two months carrying up to 24 non-competing local advertiser slots. A $3.17 million Average Unit Volume is the primary publicly disclosed unit-economic data point, featured in national franchise media coverage.
Grumpy's is led by President & CEO Daniel DeLeon and Vice President & Co-Founder Morgan DeLeon, with the original founder Chef Grumpy remaining as head chef. The franchise pipeline is anchored by the Hoard family, who operate the Middleburg (2020, rebuilt 2023 after fire) and forthcoming Fleming Island locations. The company is bootstrapped with no external funding rounds, captures extensive regional and franchise-industry recognition (Entrepreneur Franchise 500 in 2020, Top New Franchises 2023, Verified Franchise 2024 and 2025, Jacksonville Business Journal Fast 50 in 2021 and 2023, and seven consecutive Bold City Best 'Best Restaurant Overall' awards), and pursues community-driven marketing via partnerships with the Cliff Avril Family Foundation and The DONNA Foundation.
Grumpy's Restaurant firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Grumpy's Restaurant
- Legal name
- Grumpy's Restaurant Company, LLC
- Website
- https://grumpysrestaurantco.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Grumpy's Restaurant Company, LLC is a privately-held full-service American and Southern diner founded in 1999 in Orange Park, Florida, operating five (soon six) Northeast Florida locations serving made-from-scratch breakfast, brunch, and lunch to local families and working-class diners, with an active franchise program in Florida and Georgia.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Grumpy's Restaurant industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Casual Dining Restaurants
- NAICS
- Full-Service Restaurants (722511)
- SIC
- Retail-Eating Places (5812)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Casual Dining Restaurants (THAFACAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Breakfast & Brunch Fast Casual (THAFABAL)
Keywords
Where Grumpy's Restaurant is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Orange Park
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices6 records
Markets served
Grumpy's Restaurant business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Dine-in Restaurant Sales: Revenue from breakfast, brunch, and lunch service at company-owned and franchise restaurant locations. The company serves made-from-scratch comfort food including pancakes, waffles, omelets, burgers, sandwiches, homemade soups, salads, and daily specials. Operations close at 2:00 PM daily, providing work-life balance while maximizing morning and midday dining periods.
- Merchandise Sales: Sale of branded merchandise including apparel, with products like the 'Future Boss Of Brunch' youth t-shirts. Also includes 'Grumpy's Cash' gift cards available in $5 increments for purchase in restaurant and online.
- Franchise Fees and Royalties: The company generates revenue through franchise fees from franchise partners. Estimated initial investment ranges from approximately $654,000 to $1,669,000, including a $40,000 franchise fee. Franchise partners operate independently owned locations while following brand standards.
- Placemat Advertising: Local advertising opportunity where non-competing businesses can place ads on restaurant placemats. Advertisers pay a flat fee for placement, reaching thousands of diners who view ads for an average of 45 minutes per visit. The company prints 30,000 placemats per location every two months.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Dine-in restaurant service |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels5 records
Marketing channels5 records
Grumpy's Restaurant product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Grumpy's Restaurant is a full-service American and Southern diner that prepares and serves made-from-scratch comfort food for breakfast, brunch, and lunch daily across company-owned and franchise locations in Northeast Florida, with additional franchise opportunities in Georgia. The brand sells dine-in meals (pancakes, waffles, omelets, burgers, sandwiches, homemade soups, salads, daily specials) and complementary offerings including catering services, Grumpy's Cash gift cards, branded merchandise, and custom placemat advertising for local businesses. All locations close at 2:00 PM daily, supporting a daytime operating model with a stated work-life balance focus.
Product overview
Grumpy's Restaurant is a full-service Americana diner concept built around its core restaurant locations serving made-from-scratch breakfast, brunch, and lunch. The product portfolio centers on the dine-in restaurant experience (offering pancakes, waffles, omelets, burgers, sandwiches, homemade soups, salads, and daily specials) supplemented by complementary offerings: catering services for off-site events, Grumpy's Cash gift cards redeemable for food or merchandise, branded merchandise including apparel and accessories, and custom placemat advertising for local businesses. The company also operates a franchise program for qualified entrepreneurs in Florida and Georgia markets. Digital services include online ordering through a third-party platform. All offerings are unified under the Grumpy's Restaurant brand identity emphasizing Southern hospitality, generous portions, and family-friendly dining.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Grumpy's Cash: Gift card/cash card product available for purchase in restaurant and online in $5 increments, valid for food or merchandise purchases.
- Future Boss Of Brunch
Products and services
- Grumpy's Restaurant Dine-In Locations
Quantifiable outcome
- $3.17 million Average Unit Volume (AUV)
Companies that use Grumpy's Restaurant
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Grumpy's Restaurant technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Grumpy's Restaurant partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- The DONNA FoundationcoreGrumpy's Restaurant partnered with The DONNA Foundation for Breast Cancer Awareness Month campaign. The partnership includes limited-time pink menu items, exclusive merchandise, 'Round Up for Charity' fundraising, and a 'Wall of Strength' for honoring survivors. The DONNA Foundation is a Jacksonville-based nonprofit providing financial assistance and support to individuals and families living with breast cancer.
- Cliff Avril Family FoundationcoreGrumpy's Restaurant partners with the Cliff Avril Family Foundation for the Annual Charity Weekend and Family Fun Day. Grumpy's provides food donations for this community event benefiting local families and children in Northeast Florida. This marks the fourth consecutive year of partnership. The foundation was founded by former NFL Super Bowl Champion and Jacksonville native Cliff Avril.
- Hoard Family (Franchise Partners)coreThe Hoard family are experienced Grumpy's franchise partners who own and operate the Middleburg location (opened 2020) and are developing the Fleming Island location. After rebuilding their Middleburg restaurant following a 2022 fire, they demonstrated resilience and continue investing in the Grumpy's brand. They represent the brand's first and longest-standing franchise partnership.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Grumpy's Restaurant competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- IHOP: National breakfast-focused chain with deep brand recognition in family breakfast occasions. Competes for the same diner breakfast occasions but at much broader scale and with a more limited-service operating model.
- Denny's: Iconic 24/7 American diner chain operating thousands of units nationally. Overlaps heavily on diner menu and family positioning but operates full-day service and is orders of magnitude larger — sets the category baseline Grumpy's competes against.
- Cracker Barrel: Public Southern comfort food chain (NASDAQ: CBRL) combining full-service family dining with retail. Overlaps on Southern comfort food positioning and family demographic, but adds a retail component and broader geographic footprint.
- Waffle House: Iconic Southern diner chain with breakfast-heavy menu and 24/7 operations. Comparable Southern diner positioning and 'working-class' value proposition, but vastly larger footprint and counter-service format.
Direct peers
- Huddle House: Southern diner franchise chain with comparable comfort food menu, small-town positioning, and breakfast/daypart-heavy traffic mix. Direct franchise-format competitor at similar unit investment levels.
- Black Bear Diner: Family-casual diner franchise with full-service breakfast/brunch/lunch/dinner model and similar 'made-from-scratch comfort food' positioning. Comparable footprint, family-focused demographic, and franchise expansion strategy.
- First Watch Restaurant Group: Public breakfast/brunch/lunch focused full-service chain (NASDAQ: FWRG) operating in a similar limited-daypart model with comparable menu positioning (made-from-scratch breakfast/brunch/lunch). Closest direct comparable by concept, daypart strategy, and customer demographic.
- Another Broken Egg Cafe: Breakfast/brunch-focused franchise chain with similar full-service cafe positioning and Southern-inspired menu. Comparable unit size and franchise investment profile, directly competing for franchisee capital in the breakfast segment.
- The Original Pancake House: Established breakfast-focused franchise chain serving made-from-scratch breakfast and lunch. Highly comparable concept, footprint, and customer demographic; franchise model similar in structure to Grumpy's emerging franchise program.
Emerging players
- Snooze, an A.M. Eatery: Emerging breakfast/brunch focused chain with strong brand identity and daytime-only operating model very similar to Grumpy's. Represents the type of upscale breakfast concept Grumpy's may compete against in Florida expansion markets.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Grumpy's Restaurant social profiles
Digital presenceGrumpy's Restaurant financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Grumpy's Restaurant leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Grumpy's Restaurant funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Grumpy's Restaurant M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Grumpy's Restaurant
What does Grumpy's Restaurant do?
Grumpy's Restaurant is a full-service American and Southern diner that prepares and serves made-from-scratch comfort food for breakfast, brunch, and lunch daily across company-owned and franchise locations in Northeast Florida, with additional franchise opportunities in Georgia. The brand sells dine-in meals (pancakes, waffles, omelets, burgers, sandwiches, homemade soups, salads, daily specials) and complementary offerings including catering services, Grumpy's Cash gift cards, branded merchandise, and custom placemat advertising for local businesses. All locations close at 2:00 PM daily, supporting a daytime operating model with a stated work-life balance focus.
Is Grumpy's Restaurant a public or private company?
Grumpy's Restaurant is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Grumpy's Restaurant founded?
Grumpy's Restaurant was founded in 1999. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Grumpy's Restaurant based?
Grumpy's Restaurant is headquartered in Orange Park, United States, in the North America region.
How does Grumpy's Restaurant make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Dine-in Restaurant Sales are the primary driver. The others are merchandise Sales, franchise Fees and Royalties and placemat Advertising.
Who are Grumpy's Restaurant's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are IHOP, Denny's, Cracker Barrel and Waffle House. Direct peers are Huddle House, Black Bear Diner, First Watch Restaurant Group, Another Broken Egg Cafe and The Original Pancake House. Snooze, an A.M. Eatery is listed as an emerging player.
Does Grumpy's Restaurant have an API?
No public API is recorded for Grumpy's Restaurant.
What industry is Grumpy's Restaurant in?
Grumpy's Restaurant's product category is Casual Dining Restaurants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THAFACAB, Casual Dining Restaurants, with a secondary code of THAFABAL, Breakfast & Brunch Fast Casual. Its NAICS code is 722511 and its SIC code is 5812.