From the filings
Software purchasing at Chuck Lager's Franchising is controlled at the HQ level by a tight leadership team, including CEO Craig W. Colby and COO Michael T. Colby. The brand mandates proprietary software programs across its small but growing system of 4 total units, only 1 of which is franchised. For software vendors, the addressable market is extremely limited today, but the mandated tech stack and renewal terms signal a centralized, founder-led buying process.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Ongoing fee load
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
7.5%of gross sales (FY2023)
15% reference
Franchisor behaviours
29 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 2 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 11
We may revise our specifications for the hardware and any software used in the Chuck Lager Restaurant as we deem necessary, including the designation of specific brands or models of accounting software or other software used for word processing, spreadsheets and other office functions, that you must use in the…
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
The software programs, point of sale systems and computer hardware used at Chuck Lager Restaurants are designed to enable us to have independent access to the information generated and stored by the system at all times, and there is no contractual limitation on our access to, or use of, the information we obtain from…
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Not later than March 1st after the end of each calendar year during the term of this Agreement, your complete annual financial statement (which may be unaudited), including a balance sheet, profit and loss statement, and statement of cash flows, prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles…
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We may designate ourselves or our affiliates as approved or designated suppliers of any item.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We reserve the right to add, remove or otherwise change designated sources for any products or services in our sole discretion at any time.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
Neither we nor our affiliates had any revenues from the sale of products or services to franchisees in the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, nor did we or our affiliates receive any rebates, refunds or other payments from any designated sources because of transactions with franchisees during such time period.
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 your required purchases for the operation of the Chuck Lager Restaurant will range between 90% and 95% of your annual purchases or leases.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesFranchise agreement
You or the proposed supplier will be required to pay for the cost of the inspection and the test (including our administrative expenses) and reimburse us for any costs or expenses we incur in connection with the evaluation of your proposed supplier.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If we require that an item be purchased from an approved supplier and you wish to purchase it from a supplier we have not approved, you must submit to us a written request for approval.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
At our option, assign to us all rights to the telephone numbers of the Chuck Lager Restaurant and any related business listings and execute all forms and documents required by us to transfer such service and numbers to us.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 1
You must, at your expense, comply with all payment card infrastructure (“PCI”) industry and government security standards and requirements designed to protect cardholder data.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
Conduct periodic evaluations of your operations.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
We have the right to add to or modify the Manuals from time to time, although the Manuals shall not contain any provisions now or in the future that would render us as your joint employer or otherwise make us responsible for your acts or omissions relating to your employees.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
We must accept the site as meeting our standards before you may begin any construction or renovations or use such site for your Chuck Lager Restaurant.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 11
You may not advertise, promote, post or list information relating to the Chuck Lager Restaurant on the Internet (through the creation of a Website or otherwise)
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesFranchise agreement
You must spend at least Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000) on advertising and promoting your Chuck Lager Restaurant during the Grand Opening Period.
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesFranchise agreement
you agree that each month you will spend an amount equal to at least two percent (2%) of the Chuck Lager Restaurant’s Gross Sales for advertising and promotion of the Chuck Lager Restaurant in the Protected Area.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
At your expense, you must fully participate in gift card programs, loyalty programs, credit card programs, customer tracking programs, incentive programs, reward programs, and other types of programs (“Customer Card Programs”) that we develop or designate to support and promote the System.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If a Cooperative is established for an area that includes your Protected Area, you must become a member of the Cooperative and participate in the Cooperative by contributing the amounts required by the Cooperative's governing documents.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase certain food products, as designated by us, for your Chuck Lager Restaurant only from U.S. Foods Inc., based in Rosemont, Illinois.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
If we have approved suppliers (including manufacturers, distributors and other sources) for any food and beverage items, ingredients, supplies, materials, fixtures, furnishings, equipment, computer systems and other products used or offered for sale at the Chuck Lager Restaurant, you must obtain these items from…
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
You agree to execute Exhibit E to this Agreement and all other documents necessary to permit us to withdraw funds from your designated bank account by electronic funds transfer (“EFT”) in the amount of the royalty fee, the Advertising Fund contribution (described in Section IX.C.), and any other amounts due under…
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesFranchise agreement
At your expense, you must fully participate in gift card programs, loyalty programs, credit card programs, customer tracking programs, incentive programs, reward programs, and other types of programs (“Customer Card Programs”) that we develop or designate to support and promote the System.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
At least 30 days before the Chuck Lager Restaurant opens for business, you must designate at least the number of Assistant Managers we require, but in no event less than two Assistant Managers.
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
Before opening your Chuck Lager Restaurant (and from time to time as needed during operation of your Chuck Lager Restaurant), you must purchase from approved suppliers certain items required for the operation of a Chuck Lager Restaurant, including, among other things, uniforms, kitchen equipment and appliances…
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase and use the Toast point-of-sale system, manufactured by Toast, Inc. based in Boston, Massachusetts, which meets our standards and specifications.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
The software programs, point of sale systems and computer hardware used at Chuck Lager Restaurants are designed to enable us to have independent access to the information generated and stored by the system at all times, and there is no contractual limitation on our access to, or use of, the information we obtain from…
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We have the right to charge a reasonable fee for these additional training programs and seminars
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
In addition, we may, at our option, conduct periodic franchisee conventions at a location designated by us, and your Operating Partner and/or General Manager must attend such conventions.
Chuck Lager's Franchising is a full-service restaurant concept headquartered in New Jersey. According to its 2023 Franchise Disclosure Document, the system consists of just 4 total units — 3 company-owned and 1 franchised. No year-over-year unit growth rate is disclosed, and average unit volume (AUV) is not reported in the FDD. For software vendors, the immediate addressable market is a single franchised location. The royalty rate is 5.5% of gross sales, and the initial franchise term runs 15 years.
This is a founder-led operation. The FDD lists Craig W. Colby as Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, and Michael T. Colby as Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder. No parent company is on file, and no multi-unit operators are mapped in our corpus. Every software purchasing decision likely runs through these two individuals.
With no separate IT or procurement executives named in the FDD, the buying center at Chuck Lager's is effectively the C-suite. Craig W. Colby (CEO) and Michael T. Colby (COO) are the only executives disclosed in Item 1. In a system this small, vendors should expect direct founder involvement in any technology evaluation. There is no indication of a franchisee advisory council or operator-level purchasing autonomy. The decision-maker level is firmly HQ.
The 2023 FDD mandates the use of proprietary software programs. No third-party point-of-sale, back-office, or operational technology vendors are named. This suggests the brand has either built custom tools or relies on systems it does not disclose to franchisees in the FDD. For a vendor, this represents either a competitive displacement opportunity — if you can identify what those proprietary programs cover — or a signal that the brand prefers in-house solutions. Without named commercial systems, the tech landscape remains opaque.
Item 8 of the FDD, which typically outlines purchasing and procurement requirements, contains no extract in our corpus. That means designated supplier arrangements, approved vendor lists, and rebate structures are not publicly known. Vendors should assume procurement terms are set directly by the founders.
Renewal conditions, detailed in Item 17, offer some timing insight. Franchisees may renew for an additional 15-year term, but they must sign the then-current franchise agreement — which may have materially different terms — and comply with then-current standards, including remodeling and training requirements. For a software vendor, the renewal window is the most structured trigger for technology re-evaluation. However, with only 1 franchised unit, that trigger is years away and affects a single location.
The 2023 Chuck Lager's Franchising FDD is embedded below. It was filed with state franchise regulators and contains the full legal and operational disclosures for the brand. Key sections for software vendors include Item 11 (franchisor assistance and mandated technology), Item 8 (procurement restrictions), and Item 17 (renewal and transfer conditions). Given the small unit count and founder-led structure, direct outreach to the Colby brothers is likely the only viable path to a software sale here. For a ranked target list of franchise systems with larger addressable markets, talk to FranCloud.
Questions vendors ask
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FDD alert
We’ll email you the moment Chuck Lager's Franchising files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
4 operators run 4 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Top states by locations
| FL | 2 |
|---|---|
| WA | 2 |
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Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.