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Waffles & Whatnot Sells First Franchise
Longtime employee Kelvin Guzman takes over Muldoon Road location.
Apr. 17, 2026 at 6:54pm
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Waffles & Whatnot's first franchise sale marks a new chapter of growth for the Anchorage-based restaurant brand.Anchorage TodayWaffles and Whatnot, a popular Anchorage restaurant, has sold its first franchise to Kelvin Guzman, who has worked with the company since 2022. Guzman, who previously operated the Elim Café, will take over the Muldoon Road location as part of the new franchise agreement.
Why it matters
The franchise sale marks a significant milestone for Waffles and Whatnot, which had previously operated company-owned locations. The move to franchising aligns with the company's strategy to expand its reach and offer more entrepreneurial opportunities to those with culinary and business expertise.
The details
Guzman has been working alongside Waffles and Whatnot since 2022, first retailing its foods at his Elim Café and, since that business closed, as a direct employee. The company's founder, Green, says the decision to franchise was inspired by a 2019 conference where an attendee asked about bringing the concept to Australia. Green realized there were many entrepreneurs and cooks who lacked the business acumen to successfully run a restaurant on their own.
- Guzman has been working with Waffles and Whatnot since 2022.
- Waffles and Whatnot closed its first location in Eagle River in 2019.
- Waffles and Whatnot's founder attended a conference in 2019 where the franchise question was raised.
The players
Kelvin Guzman
A longtime employee of Waffles and Whatnot who is taking over the Muldoon Road location as the company's first franchisee.
Green
The founder of Waffles and Whatnot, who developed a 'proprietary system' to help franchise owners succeed.
Jared Reynolds
The executive director of the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development and a former restaurant owner, who believes the mentorship and support Green plans to offer franchisees would be very beneficial.
What they’re saying
“'Since day one,' when he saw 'what we do with the food and the way that people were treated,' Guzman says he wanted to be part of Waffles and Whatnot.”
— Kelvin Guzman, Franchisee
“'I started to learn that there are so many entrepreneurs out there or people that know how to cook, but they don't necessarily know how to run a business,' Green says. Even those who know how to run a business 'may not know how to manage their numbers to actually profit from the business,' he adds.”
— Green, Founder, Waffles and Whatnot
“'There's a lot of challenges, like especially financial challenges, to running a restaurant,' says Jared Reynolds, executive director of the University of Alaska Center for Economic Development and a former restaurant owner himself. The kind of mentorship and support Green plans to offer franchisees 'would be very beneficial' to a new restaurant owner, Reynolds says.”
— Jared Reynolds, Executive Director, University of Alaska Center for Economic Development
What’s next
Waffles and Whatnot plans to continue expanding its franchise model, with the goal of bringing the concept to new markets both domestically and internationally.
The takeaway
Waffles and Whatnot's decision to franchise represents a strategic shift for the company, allowing it to leverage the expertise and entrepreneurial spirit of local operators like Kelvin Guzman to grow the brand. This model could prove beneficial for both the company and aspiring restaurateurs who lack the full suite of business skills required to launch a successful eatery on their own.
