DoorDash
Mandatoryrocedures in our Blaze Standards Guidelines, which may require you to provide catering and delivery services and/or utilize third-party delivery services (e.g. Uber Eats, Grubhub, DoorDash, EZCater, e
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Blaze Pizza
Quick service restaurantSoftware purchasing at Blaze Pizza is driven by a mandated tech stack overseen by Chief Technology Officer Chris Demery and the leadership team at the brand's Georgia headquarters. The franchise system currently operates 230 franchised locations, all of which must run approved digital menu boards, kitchen display systems, loyalty platforms, online ordering, and POS software. For vendors selling into quick-service restaurant chains, this represents a concentrated, tech-dependent account with a single buying center and no company-owned units to navigate separately.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
230
230 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-9.804%
vs prior filing
AUV
$1.34M
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
5%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$30K
per unit
Investment range
$757K–$1.30M
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Franchisor controlled
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.
7%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
4 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.
ezCater
Mandatoryin our Blaze Standards Guidelines, which may require you to provide catering and delivery services and/or utilize third-party delivery services (e.g. Uber Eats, Grubhub, DoorDash, EZCater, etc.). You
Grubhub
Mandatoryies and procedures in our Blaze Standards Guidelines, which may require you to provide catering and delivery services and/or utilize third-party delivery services (e.g. Uber Eats, Grubhub, DoorDash, E
Uber Eats
Mandatoryering policies and procedures in our Blaze Standards Guidelines, which may require you to provide catering and delivery services and/or utilize third-party delivery services (e.g. Uber Eats, Grubhub,
Acrelec
5. Previously, Mr. Owen served as Principal at Owen & Associates in Chicago, Illinois from January 2023 to December 2023. Prior to that, Mr. Owen served as President, Americas for ACRELEC Americas in
Apple Pay
rmine. The term “credit card vendors” includes, among other things, companies that provide services for electronic payment, such as near field communication vendors (for example, “Apple Pay” and “Goog
Facebook
es, implementation, and maintenance, search engine optimization strategies, rebate strategies, costs associated with inbound marketing channels and providers (for example, Google, Facebook and Yelp),
Google Pay
“credit card vendors” includes, among other things, companies that provide services for electronic payment, such as near field communication vendors (for example, “Apple Pay” and “Google Wallet”). We
Yelp
ation, and maintenance, search engine optimization strategies, rebate strategies, costs associated with inbound marketing channels and providers (for example, Google, Facebook and Yelp), the developme
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
27 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 2 explicit no's; 5 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
We (or our designee) have the right to independently access the electronic information and data generated from the Computer System.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Within 60 days following the end of each calendar year, Franchisee shall submit to Franchisor an unaudited financial statement prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles, and in such form and manner prescribed by Franchisor, which shall be certified by Franchisee to be accurate and complete.
How the franchisor buys
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
We formed an advisory council in February 2019 (“Council”) to advise us on System policies.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may also determine that certain Non- Proprietary Products (e.g. beverages) shall be limited to a designated brand or brands set by Franchisor which brand(s) it may change from time to time.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
During our 2025 fiscal year ended December 28, 2025, neither we nor our affiliates received any revenue from required purchases and leases of products and services by franchisees, although we and they may receive revenue from franchisees’ required purchases and leases in the future.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We may retain any or all rebates, commissions, fees, and other economic benefits received from unaffiliated suppliers based on franchisees’ purchases.
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?
85Item 8
We estimate that approximately 85%-95% of purchases required to open your Restaurant and 85%- 95% of purchases required to operate your Restaurant will be from us or from other approved suppliers or under our specifications.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
We may charge a fee to evaluate the proposed product, service, or supplier.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you want to use or sell a product or service that we have not yet evaluated, or if you want to purchase or lease a product or service from a supplier or provider that we have not yet approved (for services and products that require supplier approval), you must notify us and submit to us the information…
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee acknowledges that all telephone numbers, facsimile numbers, social media websites, Internet addresses and email addresses (collectively “Identifiers”) used in the operation of Franchisee’s Restaurant constitute Franchisor’s assets, and upon termination or expiration of this Agreement, Franchisee will take…
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall adhere to all PCI (Payment Card Industry), CISP (Cardholder Information Security Program) and SDP (Site Data Protection) compliance specifications, as amended.
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesItem 16
Unless specifically directed by us in writing, you must participate in all advertising, marketing, secret shopper programs, promotions, research and public relations programs instituted by the Creative Fund.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor shall have the right to modify the Blaze Standards Guidelines at any time and from time to time; provided, that no such modification shall alter Franchisee’s fundamental status and rights under this Agreement.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 12
You may operate the Restaurant only 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
Franchisee shall not develop, create, generate, own, license, lease, participate in or use in any manner any computer medium or electronic medium (including any Internet home page, email address, website, domain name, bulletin board, social media site, crowdfunding campaign, blog, PR publication, newsgroup or other…
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 7
You must spend a minimum of $10,000 in connection with your grand opening advertising program.
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
You are required to spend 2% of your total Gross Sales on local advertising.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee is obligated to participate in Franchisor’s gift and loyalty card program.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase the Proprietary Products we or our affiliates develop from time to time, pursuant to secret recipes or formulas, and purchase them only from us or a third party who we have approved to prepare and sell the products.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must use the internet service, computer hardware and software, including the point-of-sale system, online ordering system, phone order system, reporting system, and payment system, and IT-related cabling relating to the computer hardware and software and other IT-related services and systems, that we either…
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must use our designated merchant services provider for debit and credit cards.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
We currently require you to pay fees and other amounts due to us or our affiliates via EFT or other similar means.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
You must have at least 3 Blaze Certified Managers in your first Restaurant in a new Development Area for at least the first 30 days of operation, and you must have a minimum of two Blaze Certified Managers for subsequent Restaurants in the same Development Area for at least the first 30 days of operation, and then a…
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall cause all employees, while working in the Franchised Restaurant, to: (i) wear uniforms of such color, design, and other specifications as Franchisor may designate from time to time;
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must use the internet service, computer hardware and software, including the point-of-sale system, online ordering system, phone order system, reporting system, and payment system, and IT-related cabling relating to the computer hardware and software and other IT-related services and systems, that we either…
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall at all times provide Franchisor with all passwords, access keys and other security devices or systems as necessary to permit Franchisor to access the Computer System and obtain the data Franchisor is permitted to obtain.
Training
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee, or if Franchisee is an Entity, its Operating Principal or a major Owner acceptable to Franchisor, must attend Franchisor’s annual convention, for which Franchisor may charge a reasonable registration fee, and Franchisee must bear all of its attendee’s Travel Expenses and Wages and other expenses.
The filing answers no to 2 questions
- Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?Item 8
- 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.
HQ leadership: CEO/President + VP Ops/Franchise + a first dedicated IT/systems owner.
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 Blaze Pizza
Blaze Pizza operates 230 franchised quick-service restaurants with no company-owned locations, creating a unified technology environment where all units follow the same mandated systems. Average unit volume sits at $1,341,998, and the brand pays a 5.0% royalty under 10-year initial franchise terms. Year-over-year unit growth declined by 9.804%, a contraction that may sharpen the franchisor's focus on operational efficiency and technology-driven margin improvement.
The operator base includes 108 mapped franchisees, 84 of whom are multi-unit operators. The unit-band split shows 24 single-unit operators, 68 with 2–9 units, and 16 with 10–24 units. No operator controls 25 or more locations. The top states by unit count are Florida (312), Texas (52), California (36), Tennessee (25), and Idaho (17). This concentration in the Southeast and select Western markets shapes the deployment and support requirements for any software vendor.
Who controls software purchasing
Technology purchasing authority rests at the brand level. The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document lists Chris Demery as Chief Technology Officer, making him the primary executive responsible for evaluating and selecting software vendors. The broader leadership team includes CEO John Owen, COO Jaime Denney, CMO Casey Terrell, and Chief Development Officer Kevin Moran. Because Blaze Pizza mandates specific technology systems across all franchised locations, the CTO and C-suite function as a centralized buying committee. Vendors should prepare for a top-down sales motion rather than a franchisee-by-franchisee approach.
Mandated and current tech stack
Blaze Pizza's Item 11 obligations require franchisees to use a fully mandated technology suite. The named systems and vendors include a digital menu board solution and its associated software, a kitchen display system and its software, a loyalty platform software, online ordering, and POS software. Apple Pay by Apple Inc. is also explicitly mandated. The FDD does not disclose the specific vendors behind the POS, KDS, loyalty, or digital menu board solutions in the provided extract, but the mandate structure means any new vendor must displace an incumbent or fill a gap approved at HQ.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement signal in the provided data, leaving the designated-versus-approved supplier framework unclear. Vendors should clarify this early in conversations with the technology team. On renewals, Item 17 states that franchisees in good standing may enter into two successor agreements of 10 years each, though the successor contract may contain materially different terms. With the current unit count contracting, the franchisor may be motivated to refresh technology to stabilize operations and support remaining franchisees, creating potential openings for vendors who can demonstrate ROI against that $1.34 million AUV.
How to read the Blaze Pizza FDD
The 2026 Blaze Pizza FDD is embedded below for full review. Key sections for software vendors include Item 11, which lists the mandated technology systems and any required vendors, and Item 17, which outlines renewal conditions and term lengths that affect long-term software deployment planning. The franchise agreement's 10-year initial term and two optional renewals mean technology decisions can lock in for a decade or more. For a ranked target list of franchise brands matched to your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize accounts by tech mandate strength, unit count, and buyer accessibility.
Questions vendors ask
Blaze Pizza, answered from the filing
The Chief Technology Officer, Chris Demery, leads technology decisions. The C-suite including the CEO, COO, and CMO also influence major vendor selections given the fully mandated tech environment.
The 2026 FDD mandates POS software, kitchen display system software, digital menu board software, loyalty platform software, online ordering, and Apple Pay by Apple Inc.
There are 230 total units, all franchised. The brand operates in the quick-service restaurant segment with a footprint spanning multiple states including FL, TX, CA, TN, and ID.
The most recent FDD does not disclose a specific procurement model in the provided extract. Vendors should inquire directly about designated versus approved supplier requirements during discovery.
Franchise agreements run 10 years with two optional 10-year successor terms if in good standing. With 230 units and recent negative unit growth, renewal-driven evaluation cycles may create openings.
The 2026 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can review the embedded PDF viewer below to examine the full document, including Item 11 tech mandates and Item 17 renewal terms.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Blaze Pizza files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
230 operators run 672 mapped locations. 84 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit146
2–9 units68
10–24 units16
Top states by locations
| FL | 313 |
|---|---|
| TX | 52 |
| CA | 43 |
| TN | 25 |
| ID | 17 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind Blaze Pizza
unknown of blaze pizza holdings.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.