NCR
Mandatoryhe same terms that it offers the equipment to us and our affiliates. You are currently required to use the NCR POS Workstation, Epson Printers, and the QSR Kitchen Display System. NCR is currently the
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Applebee's
Full service restaurantSoftware purchasing at Applebee’s is directed by the brand’s leadership team under Dine Brands Global, with a mandated technology stack that includes NCR and Olo. The system counts 1,480 total units (1,421 franchised, 59 company-owned), giving vendors a predominantly franchisee addressable market. Understanding who controls software decisions—and which tools are already locked in—is critical before building a pitch.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
1,480
1,421 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-2.871%
vs prior filing
AUV
$2.95M
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
4%
of gross sales
Ad fund
4.25%
national + local
Initial fee
$35K
per unit
Investment range
$6.46M–$9.23M
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
—
from the filing
Non-compete
2 years
from the filing
Item 19
Claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
8.25%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
2 of these are mandated in the franchise agreement. Each is named in Item 11 of the filing, the incumbents a challenger must displace or integrate with.
Olo
Mandatoryot to us. (See Item 8 “Purchasing and Distribution Cooperative” for more information.) Applebee’s – 04/26 FDD Amendment 17 (11) You must sign an Authorized Operator Agreement with Olo, Inc. (or anothe
Ecolab
...................................................... 28 Sanitizer Wiping Cloths .............................................................................................. 29 Ecolab Sink & Surfac
ShiftOne
vice (depending on modules selected) Applebee’s – 04/26 FDD Amendment 15 To Whom Method of When Payment Is Type of Expenditure (27) (28) Amount Payment Due To Be Made Gamification ShiftOne $45 - $70 p
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
19 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 12 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
Franchisee shall use such bookkeeping and record keeping forms as shall be prescribed in the Manuals.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 8
to permit Franchisor to access, download, and retrieve electronically, by telecommunication or other designated method, any information stored in Franchisee’s electronic cash registers or on Franchisee’s computer systems, including information concerning the gross sales of the Restaurant
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesItem 8
Franchisee shall complete and submit to Franchisor, on a regular, continuous basis, each of the following reports, in the form specified in the Manuals: (a) monthly Restaurant reports, on or before the 12th day of each calendar month following the month to which the report relates; (b) annual Restaurant reports, on…
How the franchisor buys
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
A Franchise Business Council of current Applebee’s franchisees was created and is sponsored by Applebee’s and/or its affiliates.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
Franchisor shall have the right to establish or to designate a group purchasing program from time to time (which may include a purchasing or distribution cooperative), with respect to equipment, supplies, inventory and services used in or by the Restaurant.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If Franchisee desires to purchase any items from an unapproved supplier, Franchisee shall submit to Franchisor a written request for such approval, which approval shall not be unreasonably withheld, or shall request the supplier itself to do so.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
All Applebee’s Restaurants must be PCI compliant.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 8
Franchisor shall have the right at any time, and from time to time, to have its representatives enter the Restaurant premises without notice for the purpose of inspecting the condition thereof and the operation of the Restaurant
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 8
Franchisor shall have the right, at any time and from time to time, in the good faith exercise of its reasonable business judgment, consistent with the overall best interests of the System generally, having due regard for the financial burden which may be placed upon its franchisees, to revise, amend, delete from and…
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 8
The development of a Restaurant at any site must be approved by Franchisor in accordance with its then-existing site approval procedure.
Marketing
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
You must plan and conduct a grand opening campaign for the Restaurant that is sufficient to meet the needs of the market and is conducted per the parameters set forth in the Field Marketing Intranet.
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesItem 6
Commencing on January 1, 2027, you will be required to spend a minimum dollar amount equal to 0.5% of total Gross Sales for local promotional activities.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If a Cooperative has been established for a geographic area where your Restaurant is located when the Franchise Agreement is signed, or if any Cooperative is established during the term of the Franchise Agreement, you must sign all documents we request and become a member of the Cooperative per the terms of the…
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must purchase equipment and procure services from an approved payment gateway vendor for credit card processing services.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 8
Franchisor or its designee may withdraw funds from Franchisee’s designated bank account by electronic funds transfer (“EFT”) in the amount of any royalties or other fees payable to Franchisor under this Agreement.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
Under each Franchise Agreement, you must employ a General Manager who will devote his/her full- time efforts to supervising the day-to-day operation of each Restaurant and a Kitchen Manager who will devote his/her full-time efforts to supervising the day-to-day operation of the Restaurant kitchen.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall employ a point of sale system approved by Franchisor, without modification, in connection with the business of the Restaurant.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
The POS system is integrated with support and reporting tools that enable us to have independent immediate access to the information monitored and stored by the POS system, and there is no contractual limitation on our use of the information we obtain.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We reserve the right to require key brand initiatives to be cascaded to the rest of your employees by your Leader of Operations, supervisory employees, General Managers, Kitchen Managers and Assistant Managers.
The filing answers no to 3 questions
- Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?Item 8
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?Item 11
- Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?Item 8
The vendor opportunity at Applebee's
Applebee's operates 1,480 total units, with 1,421 franchised and just 59 company-owned locations. The brand posted a systemwide average unit volume of $2,954,522 and a 4.0% royalty rate on a standard 20-year initial term. Year-over-year unit growth was -2.871%, signalling a maturing footprint where new-location sales are scarce and expansion revenue comes from displacing incumbent vendors or deepening wallet share in existing units. The parent company is Dine Brands Global, a strategic multibrand operator that also owns IHOP and Fuzzy’s Taco Shop—opening a door to multi-brand conversations if you target the parent entity’s technology leadership.
Operator consolidation is significant. FranCloud mapping shows 1,952 operators with ties to Applebee’s-level ownership, of which 1,698 are multi-unit operators. The unit-band split confirms concentration at scale: 1,170 operators control 25 or more units, while 356 run 10–24 units, 172 run 2–9 units, and only 254 are single-unit operators. Top states by operator footprint are Florida (12,817 mapped units), Indiana (8,158), California (7,208), Ohio (7,068), and Arizona (6,200). For a software vendor, this means a handful of large franchisee groups can unlock significant account value.
Who controls software purchasing
Software purchasing authority sits with the brand headquarters. The 2026 FDD lists John Peyton (CEO of Dine Brands and President of Applebee’s), Vance Chang (CFO of Applebee’s and Dine Brands), Jay Wong (Chief Operations Officer), Michelle Chin (Chief Marketing Officer), and Christine K. Son (SVP Legal, General Counsel and Secretary). In practice, operations and marketing leadership are the most natural entry points for a technology pitch; the CFO’s involvement signals that any software with a material per-unit cost or systemwide P&L impact will face financial scrutiny at the Dine Brands level. Vendors should prepare ROI models that work for large multi-unit operators, not just corporate-owned stores.
Mandated and current tech stack
Applebee’s mandates NCR for POS and Olo for digital ordering. These two vendors anchor the in-store and off-premise technology stack, so any solution that integrates with or complements NCR and Olo will face fewer adoption hurdles than one that competes head-on. The FDD also references ShiftOne and Ecolab, indicating a labour-management or scheduling need and a food-safety/compliance requirement. If your product overlaps with those functions, expect to displace or integrate with those named systems.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The Item 8 procurement extract was not available in this dataset; the franchise agreement does not explicitly describe a designated-supplier program for software in the FDD excerpt. When the procurement model is not disclosed, vendors should ask the franchisor directly whether their category is mandated, recommended, or open. On the renewal side, the Item 17 disclosure provides a clear timeline: franchise agreements can be renewed four times for five years each, provided the franchisee is in good standing and signs a new agreement that may contain materially different terms. Franchisees must notify the franchisor seven to twelve months before expiration. This creates a recurring, predictable window when operators evaluate operational changes—potentially including new technology.
How to read the Applebee's FDD
The FDD referenced here was filed with state franchise regulators in 2026. Software vendors should focus on Item 1 (leadership names above), Item 11 (mandated vendors and tech obligations), Item 8 (procurement restrictions, if any), and Item 17 (renewal terms) to gauge the sales cycle and competitive landscape. An embedded PDF viewer below lets you read the full document without leaving this page. For a ranked target list of the largest Applebee’s franchise operators and their other brand holdings, FranCloud can help.
Questions vendors ask
Applebee's, answered from the filing
Dine Brands executives lead technology strategy. Key roles include CEO John Peyton, CFO Vance Chang, COO Jay Wong, and CMO Michelle Chin. Software vendors typically engage this leadership group or their delegates.
Applebee’s mandates NCR for point-of-sale and Olo for digital ordering. Additional systems referenced in the FDD include ShiftOne and Ecolab, pointing to labor and food-safety tech requirements.
The 2026 FDD reports 1,480 total US locations, composed of 1,421 franchised restaurants and 59 company-owned units, making it one of the largest full-service franchise systems in the country.
Specific procurement or designated-supplier details are not disclosed in the most recent FDD. Vendors should inquire directly whether software falls under a mandated, approved-supplier, or open-purchasing framework.
Franchise agreements run an initial 20-year term, with up to four 5-year renewals. Renewal requires notification 7–12 months before expiration, creating a predictable window for tech evaluation and vendor conversations.
The FDD was filed with state franchise regulators in 2026. You can explore key sections inside the embedded PDF viewer below to find tech mandates, fees, and leadership disclosures relevant to your sales strategy.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
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Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
1,952 operators run 87,754 mapped locations. 1,698 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
25+ units1,170
10–24 units356
Single-unit254
2–9 units172
Top states by locations
| FL | 12,817 |
|---|---|
| IN | 8,158 |
| CA | 7,208 |
| OH | 7,068 |
| AZ | 6,200 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind Applebee's
strategic_multibrand of Dine Brands Global.
Sibling brands
Related Full service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated August 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.