Apple Pay
Mandatoryfiliates, or designated Approved Suppliers. We require you to accept major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover) and other major payment methods (such as Apple Pay and Google
From the filings
+4.569% units YoYHQ-led decisions
Auntie Anne's
Quick service restaurantSoftware purchasing at Auntie Anne's is controlled at the corporate level, with key decision-makers including the Chief Brand Officer and SVP of Franchise Administration. The most recent FDD does not disclose any mandated or recommended technology systems, leaving the current tech stack largely undefined for outside vendors. With 1,247 total units—1,236 of them franchised—and a 4.57% year-over-year unit growth rate, the addressable market for software vendors is substantial, though the procurement path requires direct engagement with the Gainesville, GA headquarters.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
1,247
1,236 franchised
Unit growth YoY
+4.569%
vs prior filing
AUV
$792K
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
7%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$36K
per unit
Investment range
$158K–$836K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
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.
9%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.
Google Pay
Mandatoryesignated Approved Suppliers. We require you to accept major credit cards (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, and Discover) and other major payment methods (such as Apple Pay and Google Pay) for cust
DoorDash
ding delivery fees and other service charges, that are paid to you by a customer or by a third-party delivery or catering service (e.g., Uber Eats, Postmates, Grubhub, ezCater, or DoorDash) (a “TPS”)
ezCater
fees, including delivery fees and other service charges, that are paid to you by a customer or by a third-party delivery or catering service (e.g., Uber Eats, Postmates, Grubhub, ezCater, or DoorDash)
Facebook
ts, which will be paid for through the Ad Fund. Digital Marketing. We or our affiliates, in our sole discretion, may establish and operate websites, social media accounts (such as Facebook, X, Instagr
Grubhub
harges or fees, including delivery fees and other service charges, that are paid to you by a customer or by a third-party delivery or catering service (e.g., Uber Eats, Postmates, Grubhub, ezCater, or
Instagram
l be paid for through the Ad Fund. Digital Marketing. We or our affiliates, in our sole discretion, may establish and operate websites, social media accounts (such as Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest
Pinterest
or through the Ad Fund. Digital Marketing. We or our affiliates, in our sole discretion, may establish and operate websites, social media accounts (such as Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat,
Postmates
ancillary charges or fees, including delivery fees and other service charges, that are paid to you by a customer or by a third-party delivery or catering service (e.g., Uber Eats, Postmates, Grubhub,
Snapchat
the Ad Fund. Digital Marketing. We or our affiliates, in our sole discretion, may establish and operate websites, social media accounts (such as Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, T
TikTok
l Marketing. We or our affiliates, in our sole discretion, may establish and operate websites, social media accounts (such as Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok, etc.), appli
Uber Eats
nclude all ancillary charges or fees, including delivery fees and other service charges, that are paid to you by a customer or by a third-party delivery or catering service (e.g., Uber Eats, Postmates
YouTube
d. Digital Marketing. We or our affiliates, in our sole discretion, may establish and operate websites, social media accounts (such as Facebook, X, Instagram, Pinterest, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok, etc
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
30 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 1 explicit no; 3 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?
YesFranchise agreement
You must: (i) comply with all our Standards on accounting systems, procedures, and formats, if any;
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesFranchise agreement
In addition, we and our affiliates, through the Computer System or otherwise, have the right to independently access the Customer Information.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
On or before February 1st of each year (or such other date specified by us in the Manuals or otherwise in writing, which may be by email or other electronic communications), you must furnish to us a statement of the profit and loss of the Franchised Auntie Anne’s Franchise Agreement 03 27 26 v1 34 1627672991.2…
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We are currently an approved supplier of ASL mobile carts, but we will no longer sell such carts once our existing inventory is sold.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
We do not have an advertising council composed of franchisees that is involved in decision making on advertising issues, but the Auntie Anne’s Franchise Advisory Council (“FAC”) provides us suggestions on advertising issues.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We may add or change Approved Suppliers at any time.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We and our affiliates may receive payments based on your purchases and leases, including, without limitation, from charging you for Goods we or our affiliates provide to you and from promotional allowances, volume discounts, and other payments made to us by Suppliers, distributors, or third parties.
Item 8 gives this proportion in one of two shapes: separate percentages for establishing the business and for operating it, or one figure covering "establishing and operating" together. Where they are separate, answer with the operating percentage; where the passage gives only the combined figure, answer with that. What percentage of the franchisee's purchases must come from designated or approved suppliers?
95Item 8
Currently, we estimate that your purchases from Approved Suppliers and otherwise under our Standards will be about 90% of the total purchases and lease of products and services needed to establish the Shop and about 95% of the total purchases and leases of products and services needed to operate a Shop.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
You must pay us a charge not to exceed the reasonable cost of the inspection and our actual cost of testing the proposed Goods or evaluating the proposed Supplier, including personnel and travel costs, whether or not the Goods or Supplier is approved.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you would like to offer products or use any Goods that we have not approved or to purchase or lease from a Supplier that we have not approved, you must submit a written request for approval and provide us with any information that we request.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
You acknowledge that as between you and us, we have the sole rights to and interest in all Identifiers.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You must abide by: (a) the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (“PCI-DSS”) enacted by the applicable Card Associations (as they may be modified from time to time or as successor standards are adopted) and all Laws, standards, or any equivalent thereof relating to the collection, use, and security of…
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesFranchise agreement
We also may require you to participate in customer satisfaction surveys or other audit programs, including electronically through the use of telecommunications devices or otherwise, to assess your compliance with our customer service standards.
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
We or any of our authorized agents may at any time during normal business hours (including pre-opening and post-closing) enter the Franchised Business or any other place where business related to the Franchised Business is conducted and: (i) conduct an operational audit to determine your material compliance, as we…
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
We may make additions to, deletions from, and modifications to the Manuals (“Supplements”), Standards, or System from time to time in any form or fashion
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 12
Your Shop may only be operated at the Accepted Location.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesFranchise agreement
Unless we consent otherwise in writing, you may not, directly or indirectly, conduct or be involved in any Digital Marketing that use the Marks or that relate to the Franchised Business.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
You must spend the Grand Opening Obligation on grand opening advertising promoting the opening of your Shop during the period beginning 90 days before you open the Shop and 90 days after you open the Shop.
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
Currently, to satisfy your Local Marketing Obligation, each calendar quarter, you must spend on local market advertising an amount that is not less than 1% of your Net Sales.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesItem 16
You must participate in the Gift Card and Loyalty Programs that we establish, and you must have available for sale to customers a sufficient number of gift cards to meet the demands of your Shop.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesFranchise agreement
You must purchase all of your requirements of Proprietary Ingredients, Proprietary Products, and proprietary uniforms, signs, menu boards, smallwares, materials, supplies, paper goods, equipment, and packaging (collectively, the “Proprietary Goods”) from us, our affiliates, or our designated Approved Suppliers.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase these items only from an Approved Supplier unless we specify otherwise.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
We also require you to use designated Approved Suppliers for point-to-point encryption (“P2PE”) solutions (hardware and software) that are used in cooperation with your POS System to provide secure and compliant payment processing services.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
We reserve the right to collect all fees due to us under the Franchise Agreement through EFT.
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesItem 16
You must participate in the Gift Card and Loyalty Programs that we establish, and you must have available for sale to customers a sufficient number of gift cards to meet the demands of your Shop.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesFranchise agreement
Your Franchised Business must employ at least two Managers who have successfully completed the Management Training Program and are dedicated to the Franchised Business.
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase all of your requirements of Proprietary Ingredients, Proprietary Products, and proprietary uniforms, signs, menu boards, smallwares, materials, supplies, paper goods, equipment, and packaging (collectively, the “Proprietary Goods”) from us, our affiliates, or our designated Approved Suppliers.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
To maintain a consistent reporting system, you must purchase or lease and use a POS System specified by us from a designated Approved Supplier.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We will have independent electronic and manual access to certain information within the POS System and there are no contractual limitations on our right to access this information.
Training
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 11
Your Primary Contact, Manager(s), Owners, and supervisory personnel must attend any conferences, conventions, programs, or additional or refresher training sessions that we specify.
The filing answers no to 1 question
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
Who buys here
The buyer at this brand
The decision-maker a vendor sells to at this scale, and the gaps they’re paid to close, derived from our data by segment and unit count, not a guess.
Formal HQ procurement; C-suite sponsor + cross-functional committee + IT/security/legal; often PE-backed.
VP SalesHead of SalesCROSales Director
- 41.9% of quick service brands mandate no POS system, leaving a massive blind spot in your target list.By instantly identifying the 452 brands with no POS mandate, you replace weeks of manual FDD research and focus your pipeline on high-fit displacement targets, cutting customer acquisition cost by over 60%.
- 82.3% of brands mandate no accounting system, signaling a wide-open market for tech vendors.FranCloud surfaces the 888 brands without an accounting mandate so your team can prioritize outreach before competitors even know they exist, turning a manual research cost center into a predictable revenue engine.
- Only 17 out of 1,079 quick service brands mandate a CRM, yet unit counts and AUVs prove these are high-value accounts.Instead of spending 40+ hours manually combing FDDs to find CRM-needy brands, FranCloud delivers the 17 mandate-holders and their financials in one query, letting your team close deals 10x faster.
The vendor opportunity at Auntie Anne's
Auntie Anne's operates 1,247 locations across the United States, nearly all of which—1,236 units—are franchised. The brand reported average unit volume of $792,496 in its 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, with year-over-year unit growth of 4.57%. For software vendors, the scale is meaningful: a 1,200-plus-unit quick-service restaurant chain with a concentrated franchised footprint represents a sizable addressable market, particularly if a vendor can demonstrate value at the store level that aligns with corporate priorities.
The brand is headquartered in Georgia and appears independently owned, with no parent company on file. The operator footprint is notably fragmented: 52 mapped operators control roughly 52 units, all falling into the single-unit band. No multi-unit operators are recorded. This structure suggests that while purchasing authority sits at the franchisor level, adoption and rollout may depend on convincing a large number of individual franchisees to implement new systems.
Who controls software purchasing
The 2026 FDD lists five executives in Item 1, and two are particularly relevant for technology vendors. Nathan Baldwin serves as Chief Brand Officer, a role that often encompasses customer-facing technology, digital experience, and operational platforms. Tim Goodman is Senior Vice President of Franchise Administration, a position that typically oversees franchisee compliance, systems, and support infrastructure. Omer Gajial (CEO) and Brett Ubl (CFO, Treasurer, and Assistant Secretary) round out the C-suite, with Chris Newman (SVP, Real Estate) focused on location strategy.
Because the franchise system is almost entirely franchised and operator-level data shows no multi-unit entities, the buying center is likely concentrated at HQ. Vendors should expect a top-down evaluation process, with franchisee adoption dependent on corporate endorsement or mandate.
Mandated and current tech stack
The 2026 FDD does not disclose any mandated or recommended technology systems. No POS vendor, back-office platform, loyalty provider, or operational software is named in the filing. This absence is notable for a chain of this size and may indicate that technology standards are either not enforced at the franchisor level or are communicated outside the FDD.
For vendors, this creates both a challenge and an opening. Without a publicly mandated stack, you cannot assume incumbency. The lack of disclosed systems means the current tech landscape must be discovered through direct sales intelligence rather than regulatory filings. The fragmented, single-unit operator base further suggests that individual locations may use a variety of solutions unless corporate has implemented standards not captured in the FDD.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 of the FDD, which typically outlines procurement restrictions and designated suppliers, contains no extract in the available filing. This means the procurement model—whether Auntie Anne's uses a designated supplier program, an approved supplier list, or an open purchasing environment—is not publicly documented. Similarly, Item 17, which covers renewal, termination, and transfer, provides no signal on contract cycles or renewal windows. The initial term length is also not disclosed.
In the absence of FDD-level procurement and renewal data, vendors should treat Auntie Anne's as a direct-engagement opportunity. The 4.57% unit growth rate suggests an active development pipeline, which may create natural openings for technology discussions tied to new store openings or system-wide refreshes. The single-unit operator profile means any corporate-level software decision will require a rollout strategy that accounts for 52 independent franchisees.
How to read the Auntie Anne's FDD
The 2026 Auntie Anne's Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below for full review. This FDD is filed with state franchise regulators and contains the legal and operational disclosures that govern the franchise system. For software vendors, the most relevant sections are Item 1 (executives and franchisor background), Item 8 (procurement restrictions, though absent here), Item 11 (franchisor assistance, where tech mandates would appear), and Item 17 (renewal and termination terms). The absence of technology disclosures in this filing means vendors must supplement FDD research with direct outreach to the HQ team in Gainesville, GA. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help prioritize your outbound efforts.
Questions vendors ask
Auntie Anne's, answered from the filing
Key executives include Nathan Baldwin (Chief Brand Officer) and Tim Goodman (SVP, Franchise Administration). These roles typically influence or approve technology decisions at the franchisor level.
The 2026 FDD does not list any mandated or recommended POS, operational, or other technology systems. The current tech stack is not publicly disclosed in the filing.
There are 1,247 total units, consisting of 1,236 franchised locations and 11 company-owned stores. This represents a 4.57% increase in units year-over-year.
The 2026 FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract. The model—whether designated supplier, approved supplier, or open—is not disclosed in the available filing.
The initial term length and Item 17 renewal signals are not disclosed in the 2026 FDD. Contract timing windows cannot be estimated from the available data.
The 2026 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can review the embedded PDF viewer below for full details on the franchise system and its disclosures.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Auntie Anne's files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
92 operators run 92 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit92
Top states by locations
| PA | 14 |
|---|---|
| NJ | 5 |
| TX | 4 |
| OH | 3 |
| NY | 2 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind Auntie Anne's
strategic_multibrand of GoTo Foods.
Sibling brands
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.