Facebook
n; or (4) inconsistent with the public image of the System or the Marks. Digital Marketing. We or our affiliates may establish and operate websites, social media accounts (such as Facebook, Twitter, I
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Best Cafe - Franchises
Quick service restaurantSoftware purchasing at Best Cafe – Franchises is controlled at the corporate level, with a mandated Technology System governing all locations. The brand operates 99 total units (67 company-owned, 32 franchised) and lists key HQ executives including a Chief Executive Officer, President, and Chief Financial Officer. For vendors, the addressable market is 99 locations, though recent unit contraction (-13.5% YoY) signals a consolidating footprint.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
99
32 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-13.514%
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
5%
of gross sales
Ad fund
1.25%
national + local
Initial fee
$40K
per unit
Investment range
$1.09M–$2.33M
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
2 years
from the filing
Item 19
No 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.
6.25%of gross sales (FY2025)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
Systems named in Item 11 of this filing. None is recorded as mandated here, which is not the same as the filing mandating nothing. Read Item 11 before treating the category as open.
Instagram
ent with the public image of the System or the Marks. Digital Marketing. We or our affiliates may establish and operate websites, social media accounts (such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, P
LinkedIn
he System or the Marks. Digital Marketing. We or our affiliates may establish and operate websites, social media accounts (such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn, etc.), blo
Pinterest
image of the System or the Marks. Digital Marketing. We or our affiliates may establish and operate websites, social media accounts (such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, LinkedIn,
Sysco
costs of any such program that we implement, the program is currently funded with a drop size incentive of $-0.10 to $0.10 on each case purchased from the broadline distributor or Sysco brand purchase
TikTok
e public image of the System or the Marks. Digital Marketing. We or our affiliates may establish and operate websites, social media accounts (such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Pinterest, L
Twitter
inconsistent with the public image of the System or the Marks. Digital Marketing. We or our affiliates may establish and operate websites, social media accounts (such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
29 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 1 explicit no; 4 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
do all things necessary to give us unrestricted access to the Technology System at all times (including users IDs and passwords, if necessary) so that we may at any time independently download and transfer data via a connection that we specify
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You must prepare and submit to us the reports at the times and in the format specified by us in this Section and in the Manual.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We are the only approved supplier of certain information technology services with regard to menu management.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
We currently have a Franchise Advisory Council (“FAC”) that is typically comprised of five members elected by franchisees.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We may, at any time, in our discretion, change, delete, or add to any of our specifications or quality standards or any other element of the System.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
In 2024, Best Cafe - Franchises, LLC did not receive any revenue from required purchases and leases by our franchisees.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
Our affiliate, Best Cafe Enterprises, LLC has entered into arrangements with several suppliers that have agreed to pay rebates or commissions to Best Cafe Enterprises, LLC based on purchases made by franchised and Company-Owned Cafes.
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?
90Item 8
We estimate that the purchase of products that are subject to our standards and specifications represents approximately 90% of your overall purchases in establishing and operating the Franchised Cafe.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesFranchise agreement
You or the proposed supplier shall pay to us in advance all of our reasonably anticipated costs in reviewing the application of the Alternate Approved Supplier and all current and future reasonable costs and expenses, including travel and lodging costs, related to inspecting, re-inspecting and auditing the Alternate…
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you desire to procure Non-Proprietary Products from a supplier other than one previously approved or designated by us, you must deliver written notice to us
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 also must comply with all Applicable Laws and payment card provider standards relating to the security of the Technology System, including, without limitation, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards.
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesFranchise agreement
You shall participate in any such quality control programs, including those we add or modify from time to time, and bear your proportionate share, as determined by us in our sole discretion, of the costs of any such program.
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
We will periodically inspect the Franchised Cafe and its operations to assist your operations and ensure compliance with the System.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
You acknowledge that we may amend, modify, or supplement the Manual at any time, so long as such amendments, modifications, or supplements will, in our good faith opinion, benefit us and our existing and future franchisees or will otherwise improve the System.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
You must follow the site selection and site approval processes and standards set forth in the Manual for each site that you develop.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 11
Unless we consent otherwise in writing, you and your employees may not, directly or indirectly, conduct or be involved in any Digital Marketing that use the Marks or that relate to the Franchised Cafe or the network.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
you must, during the period beginning 30 days before the scheduled opening of the Franchised Cafe and continuing for 180 days after the Franchised Cafe first opens for business, spend at least $15,000 to conduct grand opening marketing and promotion in authorized advertising media and for authorized expenditures.
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, you must contribute 1.25% of the Gross Sales of the Franchised Cafe to the National Marketing Fund, and you must spend 1% of the Gross Sales of the Franchised Cafe for Field Marketing as described below.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesItem 8
You are required to accept debit cards, credit cards, stored value gift cards or other non-cash payment systems, including participation in loyalty programs, specified by us to enable customers to purchase authorized products and to obtain all necessary hardware and/or software used in connection with these non-cash…
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase those Proprietary Products only from us or a third party designated and licensed by us to prepare and sell those products.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase those Proprietary Products only from us or a third party designated and licensed by us to prepare and sell those products.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
At all times, you must maintain credit-card relationships with the credit- and debit-card issuers or sponsors, check or credit verification services, financial-center services, and electronic-fund-transfer systems that we designate as mandatory, and you must not use any such services or providers that we have not…
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
You must participate in our electronic funds transfer program authorizing us to utilize a pre-authorized bank draft system to sweep your business checking account (“Electronic Depository Transfer Account” or “EDTA”) for any amounts owed to us under the Franchise Agreement and any other agreements with us.
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesFranchise agreement
You must sign our Gift Card Participation Agreement, which is attached to this Agreement as Appendix F, and any future Gift Card Participation Agreements that we require to designate new vendors or procedures for administering out gift card program.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesFranchise agreement
For a 6-month period following the opening date, the Franchised Cafe shall at all times be under the on-site supervision of your Operating Partner, Multi-Unit Manager or General Manager and three Managers (one of whom may be a Shift Supervisor if approved by us) who meet all applicable training qualifications for…
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must purchase and use in your Franchised Cafe the Technology System that we designate in the Manual.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
There are no contractual limitations on our right to access information and data stored on your Technology System.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We have the right (which may be exercised at any time and in our sole discretion) to require that your Required Trainees take and successfully complete other in person and e- Learning training courses in addition to the Initial Training Program described above.
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.
The franchisor's owner/CEO decides; an ops or franchise-development lead may evaluate.
VP SalesHead of SalesCROSales Director
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The vendor opportunity at Best Cafe
Best Cafe – Franchises operates 99 total quick-service restaurant locations, with 67 company-owned and 32 franchised units. The brand is headquartered in Texas and filed its most recent Franchise Disclosure Document in 2025. For software vendors, the immediate addressable market is 99 units, though year-over-year unit growth declined by 13.5%, suggesting a period of consolidation rather than expansion. The franchise system carries a 5.0% royalty and an initial term of 20 years, with renewal options extending up to two additional 10-year periods. Average unit volume is not disclosed in the FDD.
Who controls software purchasing
Technology purchasing authority at Best Cafe sits at the corporate level. The FDD lists five key executives in Item 1: Chris Dharod (Chief Executive Officer), Erin Hasselgren (President), Dan Patel (Vice President and Chief Financial Officer), Cheryl Green (Chief People Officer), and Keith Kemplay (Chief Accounting Officer). While no dedicated CIO or CTO is named, the presence of a mandated Technology System across all units indicates that software evaluation and approval flows through this leadership group. Vendors should expect a centralized buying process, with the CEO and President likely holding final sign-off on enterprise technology decisions.
Mandated and current tech stack
The 2025 FDD mandates a Technology System for all franchisees, but does not disclose the specific vendors or platforms currently in use. This is a common pattern in franchise disclosure: the franchisor reserves the right to specify technology without publicly listing every approved solution. For software vendors, this means the existing stack is a black box until you engage directly with HQ. The mandate itself is a strong signal that Best Cafe enforces technology standardization, making corporate-level adoption the only viable path to system-wide deployment. No operator-level purchasing autonomy is indicated.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 of the FDD, which typically outlines procurement restrictions and designated suppliers, contains no extract in the available data. This leaves the procurement model—whether designated supplier, approved supplier, or open—unclear without direct inquiry. On renewals, Item 17 provides two paths: an initial 20-year term followed by a single 10-year renewal, or, if certain criteria are met, two successive 10-year renewal terms. Renewal conditions include paying a renewal fee, providing notice 6 to 12 months before term end, remodeling to current Manual standards, and signing a general release. The renewal Franchise Agreement may contain substantially different terms, including royalty and advertising obligations. For vendors, the 6-to-12-month notice window before a 20-year term expires represents a natural trigger for technology re-evaluation, especially if franchisees are required to remodel and update systems.
How to read the Best Cafe FDD
The full 2025 Best Cafe – Franchises FDD is embedded below for your review. Key sections for software vendors include Item 1 (executive team), Item 11 (franchisor’s obligations, where the Technology System mandate appears), Item 8 (procurement restrictions, though not extracted here), and Item 17 (renewal and transfer conditions). The FDD is filed with state franchise regulators and serves as the definitive source on the franchisor-franchisee relationship. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize outreach based on tech mandates, unit counts, and decision-maker signals.
Questions vendors ask
Best Cafe - Franchises, answered from the filing
The FDD lists Chris Dharod (CEO), Erin Hasselgren (President), Dan Patel (VP/CFO), and Cheryl Green (Chief People Officer) as key executives. Technology decisions likely route through this leadership group, given the mandated Technology System requirement.
The 2025 FDD mandates a 'Technology System' for all franchisees but does not name specific POS or operational software vendors. Vendors should inquire directly about the current approved technology list.
Best Cafe – Franchises has 99 total units in the US, comprising 67 company-owned and 32 franchised locations, as disclosed in the 2025 FDD.
The 2025 FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract, so the designated-supplier versus approved-supplier model is not publicly disclosed. Direct inquiry with HQ is necessary.
Initial franchise terms are 20 years, with two optional 10-year renewals requiring remodel and compliance. Renewal notice windows (6–12 months before term end) and the recent -13.5% unit contraction may trigger tech re-evaluation.
The Best Cafe 2025 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can view the embedded PDF viewer below to read the full disclosure document directly on this page.
Source
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Best Cafe - Franchises files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
42 operators run 42 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit42
Top states by locations
| TX | 13 |
|---|---|
| CA | 6 |
| UT | 4 |
| CO | 4 |
| WI | 2 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind Best Cafe - Franchises
unknown of best cafe.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.