BYC Franchising vs Papa Murphy's

BYC Franchising’s per-unit budget profile seals the deal. An AUV north of $2.6M and an investment range that stretches into seven figures signal operators running complex, high-volume sites — exactly the kind who need and can pay for integrated POS, scheduling, and marketing automation. Papa Murphy’s units, with a build-out capped at ~$693k, imply leaner operations and tighter tech allowances. When you sell software into a franchise system, the wallets that open fastest belong to owners generating enough top-line revenue to treat a robust tech stack as an operating necessity, not a luxury. BYC gives you that budget signal at every door.

Timing compounds the case. BYC is adding units, albeit modestly, meaning net-new software seats and onboarding momentum without the headwind of churn. Papa Murphy’s is shrinking at nearly 4% per year — a system where closures outpace openings, franchisees are defensive, and every “save the renewal” conversation drains sales capacity. A growing brand with a small base creates a land-and-expand rhythm; a declining giant forces you to swim against a tide of cost-cutting and exit planning. Yes, Papa Murphy’s 965 franchised locations dwarf BYC’s 40, giving it an overwhelming TAM advantage on paper. But software sales to franchisees is a ground war, and right now, that TAM is eroding while BYC’s addressable base is compounding, however gently.

The terrain is neutral — both use approved-supplier procurement, so the gatekeeper dynamics are comparable. The meaningful tradeoff is this: Papa Murphy’s offers breadth, BYC offers depth and direction. In a resource-constrained sales effort, depth and positive momentum win. You can saturate BYC’s 40 franchisees quickly, lock in high-revenue reference accounts, and expand to adjacent brands from a position of strength, rather than burning cycles on a system shedding units.

Verdict: BYC Franchising is the stronger software-sales opportunity right now — budget per location and positive unit growth outweigh raw unit count.