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 + multi-unit
Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar
Full service restaurantSoftware purchasing at Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar is primarily driven by the franchisor, Dine Brands Global, which mandates NCR for POS and Olo for online ordering. While the specific HQ buying center is not disclosed in the 2026 FDD, the 1,421 franchised locations offer a sizable addressable market, with multi-unit operators controlling over 44,000 units across all brands.
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
—
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
4%
of gross sales
Ad fund
4.25%
national + local
Initial fee
$35K
per unit
Investment range
—
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
20 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 11 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 11
Commencing on January 1, 2027, you will be required to spend, annually throughout the term of the Franchise Agreement, 0.5% of the Gross Sales of the Restaurant on Local Advertising for the Restaurant.
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.
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
Franchisee agrees to adhere strictly to the requirements in the Manuals relating: (a) to the construction, design, decor, building and equipping of the Restaurant; and (b) to the limitations on the number of video games or similar devices which may be placed on the Restaurant premises.
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 Neighborhood Grill & Bar is a full-service restaurant chain with 1,480 total units in the U.S., 1,421 of which are franchised. The system is mature, contracting slightly (YoY unit growth -2.87%), but the operator base is concentrated and heavily multi-unit: FranCloud maps 1,455 operators, of which 1,182 are multi-unit, collectively controlling over 44,300 located units across all their brands. The top states by operator unit count are Ohio (5,216), Florida (3,591), Michigan (3,387), Texas (3,067), and Indiana (2,674). For a software vendor, the immediate market is the 1,421 franchise locations, with the potential to expand into sister brands IHOP and Fuzzy’s Taco Shop under the same parent, Dine Brands Global.
Who controls software purchasing
The brand mandates two core technology systems — NCR for POS and Olo for online ordering — which signals strong HQ influence over tech decisions. Dine Brands Global, the franchisor, likely sets these mandates centrally. However, the FDD does not list HQ executives (Item 1), so the specific CIO or VP of IT is not publicly disclosed. Individual franchisees, especially the 1,182 multi-unit operators, may have autonomy on non-mandated tools like scheduling or workforce management, where ShiftOne is referenced. The buying center therefore appears to be Mixed: HQ for mandated platforms, and MUOs for complementary solutions.
Mandated and current tech stack
The FDD for 2026 explicitly mandates NCR as the POS system and Olo for online ordering. Additional systems named in the FDD include ShiftOne (likely scheduling/labor) and Ecolab (sanitation/inventory), though these are not described as mandates. This leaves room for vendors in areas like workforce management, back-of-house, marketing analytics, and employee training to compete, provided they can integrate with the mandated NCR environment.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 of the FDD does not provide a procurement extract, so the model (designated supplier, approved supplier, or open) is not clear. The franchise agreement has an initial term of 20 years, with four consecutive 5-year renewal options, each requiring a renewal fee of 10% of the then-current franchise fee and a new agreement that may have materially different terms. Renewal notice must be given 7-12 months before expiration. This long cycle means that major tech contract windows may be tied to franchisee renewal events, but the FDD doesn't specify a technology refresh cadence. The royalty rate is 4.0% of gross sales.
How to read the Applebee's FDD
The full Franchise Disclosure Document for Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar, filed with state regulators in 2026, is embedded below. It includes Item 1 (franchisor & executives), Item 7 (initial investment), Item 11 (obligations, including tech mandates), Item 17 (renewal terms), and more. Use the viewer to inspect the exact language of the NCR and Olo mandates, the franchisee profile, and the financial performance representations (if any). For a targeted list of operators ranked by cross-brand potential, connect with FranCloud.
Questions vendors ask
Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar, answered from the filing
The franchise system is owned by Dine Brands Global, which likely centralizes major tech mandates (NCR, Olo). Individual franchisees may have discretion over non-mandated tools, but the specific HQ buying center is not disclosed in the FDD.
The FDD mandates NCR as the point-of-sale system and Olo for online ordering. ShiftOne and Ecolab are also referenced but not noted as mandated.
1,480 total units, with 1,421 franchised and 59 company-owned. The system is concentrated in Ohio, Florida, Michigan, Texas, and Indiana.
The FDD does not extract a specific procurement policy (Item 8). It is unclear if the brand uses designated suppliers, approved suppliers, or an open model. Vendors should inquire directly.
Franchise agreements have a 20-year initial term, with four 5-year renewal options. Contract cycles could align with renewal windows, but the FDD does not specify procurement cadence.
The FDD is filed with state franchise regulators in 2026. You can view the full document using the embedded PDF viewer below.
Source
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Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
1,455 operators run 44,327 mapped locations. 1,182 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
25+ units681
10–24 units399
Single-unit273
2–9 units102
Top states by locations
| OH | 5,216 |
|---|---|
| FL | 3,591 |
| MI | 3,387 |
| TX | 3,067 |
| IN | 2,674 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind Applebee's Neighborhood Grill & Bar
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.