Facebook
h a quarterly report and documentation of local advertising expenditures during the previous calendar quarter. You may not use social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram,
From the filings
+50% units YoYHQ-led decisions
Chuck's Hot Chicken
Quick service restaurantChuck's Hot Chicken's most recent FDD, from 2025, discloses 6 US locations — 5 franchised and 1 company-owned — at an average unit volume of $1,587,272, after 50% year-over-year unit growth. Item 1 names Charles Taylor and Jonathan Plawsky as Co-Owners and Co-Founders and Monica Horton as Franchise Development and Operations Director, with no CIO or CTO disclosed, so software purchasing is a founder decision at the Missouri HQ. The filing mandates no technology whatsoever: Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Square, Twitter and YouTube are named in it, and not one of them is required.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
6
5 franchised
Unit growth YoY
+50%
vs prior filing
AUV
$1.59M
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
5.5%
of gross sales
Ad fund
1%
national + local
Initial fee
$30K
per unit
Investment range
$499K–$817K
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.
6.5%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
rly report and documentation of local advertising expenditures during the previous calendar quarter. You may not use social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,
LinkedIn
local advertising expenditures during the previous calendar quarter. You may not use social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, X, Bluesky, LinkedIn, YouTube, T
Square
e the point-of-sale system (“POS System”) we specify, and have the latest versions of hardware, software and computer platforms to operate the POS System. We currently require the SquareUp POS System.
Twitter
you may do cooperative advertising with other Chuck’s Hot Chicken franchisees in your area, with our prior written approval. You may not maintain any business profile on Facebook, Twitter, X, Bluesky,
YouTube
rtising expenditures during the previous calendar quarter. You may not use social media platforms, including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, X, Bluesky, LinkedIn, YouTube, Tik Tok, bl
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
25 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 6 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
The POS System allows us to independently and remotely access all of your sales data, including your Gross Revenue, through the Internet.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We currently have a purchase arrangement with U.S. Foods.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 11
We may in the future establish or modify the sales reporting systems as we deem appropriate for the accurate and expeditious reporting of Gross Revenue, and you must fully cooperate in implementing any such system at your expense.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
41034.28Item 8
In our recent fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, we derived $41,034.28 from franchisee purchases, which represented approximately 23.3% of our total revenue of $175,962.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We receive a 2% rebate on all purchases made from our supplier U.S. Foods.
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?
40Item 8
We estimate that your purchase or lease of products, supplies and services from approved suppliers (or those which meet our specifications) will represent approximately 60% of your costs to establish your Franchised Business and approximately 40% of your costs for ongoing operation.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
If you request that we approve a proposed item or supplier, we may charge you an evaluation fee equal to our actual cost and expense of inspection and testing.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you would like us to consider another item or supplier, you must make such request in writing to us and have the supplier give us samples of its product or service and such other information that we may require.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee, at the option of Franchisor, shall assign to Franchisor all rights to the telephone numbers of the Franchised Business and any related public directory listing or other business listings and execute all forms and documents required by Franchisor and any telephone company at any time, to transfer such…
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
conduct inspections of your Franchised Business, at the frequency and duration that we deem advisable.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 17
we may 19.1.4 and 21.12 change the Operations Manual and System standards at any time.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesFranchise agreement
No site may be used for the location of the Franchised Business unless it is approved in writing by Franchisor.
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 maintain any business profile on Facebook, Twitter, X, Bluesky, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, Tik Tok, or any other social media and/or networking site, except in accordance with our specifications.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 7
You must conduct a grand opening advertising campaign with the opening of your Franchised Business.
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
Thereafter, while we recommend you spend 3% of your Gross Revenue each month on advertising for the Franchised Business in your territory, you are required to at least 1.5% of your Gross Revenue each month on advertising for the Franchised Business in your territory.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
Accept and honor all loyalty cards, promotional coupons, or other System-wide offers, on a uniform basis, as accepted by other franchisees in the System.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If a cooperative is established during the term of your Franchise Agreement, you must sign all documents we request and become a member of the cooperative according to the terms of the documents.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You are required to purchase your ingredients, food and beverage products from our designated suppliers.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase all equipment, uniforms and merch, ingredients, supplies and services from our designated suppliers and contractors or in accordance with our specifications.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must execute documents, including but not limited to, the Authorization attached as Attachment 3, that allow Franchisor to automatically take the Royalty Fee and Brand Fund Contribution due as well as other sums due Franchisor, from business bank accounts via electronic funds transfers or Automated…
People
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase all equipment, uniforms and merch, ingredients, supplies and services from our designated suppliers and contractors or in accordance with our specifications.
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 the point-of-sale system (“POS System”) we specify, and have the latest versions of hardware, software and computer platforms to operate the POS System.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
The POS System allows us to independently and remotely access all of your sales data, including your Gross Revenue, through the Internet.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor reserves the right to impose a reasonable fee for all additional training programs.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee’s failure to attend and/or complete mandatory additional training or failure to attend Franchisor’s national business meeting or annual convention is a material default of this Agreement.
The filing answers no to 3 questions
- Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?Item 6
- Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?Franchise agreement
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?Franchise agreement
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 franchisee/operator personally, or a small franchisor still owner-run. Wears every hat.
OwnerCEOPresidentPrincipal
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- 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.
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The vendor opportunity at Chuck's Hot Chicken
Chuck's Hot Chicken is a quick-service restaurant brand headquartered in Missouri, and the most recent FDD on file is from 2025. That filing reports 6 total locations — 5 franchised and 1 company-owned — with average unit volume of $1,587,272, a 5.5% royalty, and a 5-year initial term. Unit count grew 50% year over year, and at that AUV six restaurants carry roughly $9.5M of annual volume. The AUV is high for a system this small, so each unit can fund software; the 5.5% royalty and 5-year term are both at the light end for a QSR franchise, and a franchisor writing lighter obligations is generally one that has not yet locked its technology stack down.
Who controls software purchasing
Item 1 names three people. Charles Taylor and Jonathan Plawsky are both Co-Owner and Co-Founder; Monica Horton is Franchise Development and Operations Director. No CIO, CTO, or other technology officer is disclosed in the most recent FDD, so the two founders are the signers and the development and operations director is the closest thing to an internal champion. No parent company is on file, so there is no portfolio IT function above them. Five of six disclosed units are franchised, and our operator mapping finds 12 operators, none multi-unit, across roughly 12 located units in Missouri (11) and Kansas (1) — every one a single-store owner. That mapped count runs ahead of the 6 units the filing discloses, and the filing does not explain the difference. Either way the buying center is HQ.
Tech named in the FDD, and what is actually required
The 2025 FDD mandates no technology at all. Six systems appear in the document — Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Square, Twitter and YouTube — and every one of them is named only, with nothing in the filing requiring anyone to adopt it. That distinction carries the whole finding. Square is the name a vendor will be tempted to read as an incumbent POS, and the filing does not support that reading: it mentions Square, which is evidence the drafter had it in mind, not evidence of a signed vendor relationship. The same applies to the five social platforms. For a software vendor this is the open case — point of sale, payments, online ordering, labor, loyalty and back office all sit uncommitted here, and no franchisee can cite a contractual technology obligation as a reason not to move. A brand that mandates nothing at six units is one whose first mandate has not been written yet.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 — where designated-supplier and approved-supplier requirements normally sit — produced no extract from this filing, so the procurement model is not established by the data we hold. Item 17 is short and specific: a franchisee in good standing may sign a successor agreement for one additional term of 5 years, unless the franchisor has determined, in its sole discretion, to withdraw from the geographic area where the franchise sits. A 5-year initial term cycles contracts twice as fast as the 10-year term common in this segment, so agreements — and the standards attached to them — come back around quickly, and with 50% unit growth the newest are being written now.
How to read the Chuck's Hot Chicken FDD
The 2025 document was filed with state franchise regulators, and the full PDF is embedded in the viewer below. Item 1 gives the entity and the three people named above; Item 8 covers supplier obligations; Item 11 covers computer systems and required technology, where you can confirm nothing is mandated; Item 17 covers the successor term; Item 19 carries the $1,587,272 average unit volume; Item 20 carries the unit tables behind the 6-unit count. If you want Chuck's Hot Chicken scored against the rest of the US franchise corpus and returned as a ranked target list, talk to FranCloud.
Questions vendors ask
Chuck's Hot Chicken, answered from the filing
Item 1 names Charles Taylor and Jonathan Plawsky, both Co-Owner and Co-Founder — the signers in a six-unit founder-led system. Monica Horton, Franchise Development and Operations Director, is the likeliest operational evaluator. No CIO or CTO is disclosed in the most recent FDD, and no parent company is on file.
None. The 2025 FDD mandates no technology system at all. It names Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Square, Twitter and YouTube, but each is named only — the filing does not require any of them. Square in particular is mentioned, not mandated, so treat point of sale as an open category rather than incumbent-held.
The 2025 FDD reports 6 total locations — 5 franchised and 1 company-owned — in the quick-service restaurant segment, up 50% year over year off a small base. Our mapping finds 12 operators, none multi-unit, across roughly 12 located units, in Missouri (11) and Kansas (1).
Not established. Item 8 — where designated-supplier and approved-supplier requirements live — produced no extract from this filing, so we cannot say whether Chuck's Hot Chicken runs a designated, approved, or open model. The related signal we do hold is that the filing imposes no technology requirement at all.
The initial term is only 5 years, with one 5-year successor term for franchisees in good standing — unless the franchisor elects to withdraw from that geographic area. A 5-year cycle turns contracts over twice as fast as the usual 10-year term, so renewal conversations arrive early and often here.
It was filed with state franchise regulators in 2025. The full PDF is embedded in the viewer below — read Item 1 for the founders, Item 8 for suppliers, Item 11 for computer systems, Item 17 for the 5-year successor term, Item 19 for the average unit volume, and Item 20 for unit counts.
Source
Read the filing itself
Every number on this page traces back to this document. Read it in full, page by page. Buy the original PDF to download, search, and annotate it.
View only A one-time purchase: the original filing, yours to keep.
FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Chuck's Hot Chicken files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
12 operators run 12 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit12
Top states by locations
| MO | 11 |
|---|---|
| KS | 1 |
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated August 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.