Medallia
Mandatoryu must participate in a guest feedback/hotline program operated by ServiceCheck, Inc. You must also participate in an interactive voice response customer survey program, known as “Medallia / SMT,” ope
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Church's Chicken
Quick service restaurantSoftware purchasing at Church's Chicken is driven by a lean HQ team in Georgia, where the CEO and EVP of US Franchising oversee a system of 873 restaurants. The brand mandates specific operational technology—including Qu POS and the Operations 360 tablet—creating a defined replacement cycle but limited greenfield opportunity. With 714 franchised units and a 1% royalty on AUVs exceeding $1.1M, the addressable market for compliance-adjacent tools is concentrated among 240 operators, half of whom are multi-unit.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
873
714 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-4.032%
vs prior filing
AUV
$1.12M
Item 19, 2024
Royalty
1%
of gross sales
Ad fund
5%
national + local
Initial fee
$20K
per unit
Investment range
$618K–$1.82M
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%of gross sales (FY2025)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
3 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.
Olo
Mandatorytionally, you must participate in our order ahead, pay ahead program (the “Order Ahead Program”). This program, which operates through integrated ordering enterprise software from Olo, allows our cust
Qu
Mandatorysoftware, helpdesk, and menu maintenance are typically between $4,500 and $5,500, based on software and equipment purchased and the level of support desired. Our approved vendor, Qu POS, Inc. must pro
Acrelec
eep any (“Restaurant Support (Medallia/SMT), OPS 360 portion of these fees. If you are Fund”) Tablet program (LTE using the HME Drive-Thru Service, Protective Timer in lieu of the Acrelec Hardware, Sa
DoorDash
livery and catering programs operated by us or third party delivery and catering programs operating in the Restaurant area (the “Delivery and Catering Program”), such as UberEats, DoorDash, Postmates
Grubhub
rams operated by us or third party delivery and catering programs operating in the Restaurant area (the “Delivery and Catering Program”), such as UberEats, DoorDash, Postmates and GrubHub, among other
Postmates
catering programs operated by us or third party delivery and catering programs operating in the Restaurant area (the “Delivery and Catering Program”), such as UberEats, DoorDash, Postmates and GrubHub
Uber Eats
in food delivery and catering programs operated by us or third party delivery and catering programs operating in the Restaurant area (the “Delivery and Catering Program”), such as UberEats, DoorDash,
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
26 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 4 explicit no's; 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
We have the right to retrieve any data and information from your computer and POS System we deem appropriate, including access to real-time data via SaaS, electronically polling the daily sales, menu mix and other data of your Restaurant.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Within 90 days following the end of each calendar or fiscal year, Franchisee shall, at its expense, provide to Cajun an unaudited financial statement (including profit and loss statement, cash flow statement, and balance sheet) for the preceding calendar or fiscal year for the Franchised Restaurant, and such other…
How the franchisor buys
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
We have an informal Marketing Excellence Advisory Council (“Marketing EAC”) composed of franchisees self- nominated and appointed by our CEO and including at least one member of the Church’s Independent Franchise Association (“CIFA”).
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
Cajun, in its sole discretion, may from time to time change or modify the System, including modifications to the Manual, the menu and menu formats, the required equipment, the signage, the building and premises of a Church’s Restaurant (including the trade dress, décor and color schemes), the presentation of the…
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
2333000Item 8
Our parent, Church’s Holding, received $2,333,000 from products and services our U.S. franchisees must purchase from our approved suppliers or suppliers that we designate or otherwise under our standards.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee acknowledges that Cajun and its affiliates may receive fees, commissions, royalties, volume discounts, rebates, or other consideration from approved suppliers based on sales to franchisees.
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?
99Item 8
We estimate that your purchases from approved suppliers or from suppliers that we designate, and otherwise under our standards, will be about 99% of the total purchases and leases of products and services needed to establish the Restaurant, and about 99% of the total purchases and leases of products and services…
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you want to obtain items from a non-approved supplier or distributor, you (or the supplier or distributor) must make a written request to us seeking approval.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall be solely responsible for ensuring that all credit card, debit card and similar systems used by Franchisee comply with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI-DSS) and any similar standards applicable to payment card systems.
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall participate in programs required from time to time by Cajun regarding customer satisfaction or Franchisee’s compliance with the System, which may include (but are not limited to) a guest feedback hotline, guest survey programs, mystery shopping, or other programs as Cajun may require.
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
We will inspect the Restaurant and its operations to assist your operations and ensure compliance with the System, at times we determine.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
Cajun, in its sole discretion, may from time to time change or modify the System, including modifications to the Manual, the menu and menu formats, the required equipment, the signage, the building and premises of a Church’s Restaurant (including the trade dress, décor and color schemes), the presentation of the…
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
You select the site of your Restaurant subject to our acceptance of the site.
Marketing
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesFranchise agreement
Simultaneously with Franchisee’s execution of this Agreement, Franchisee shall pay to Cajun $15,500 (the “Grand Opening Funds”) to be used for the purpose of conducting a Grand Opening Advertising Campaign (“GO Campaign”) commencing no earlier than the date the Franchised Restaurant opens and concluding no later than…
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee is required to participate in Cajun’s integrated digital and technology platforms that are part of Cajun’s loyalty program, which connect various platforms to enhance customer experiences with ordering, product pick up, and store level management (“Digital Initiative”).
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
We may create Regional Advertising Cooperatives (“Ad Co-ops”) and require your participation in them.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall purchase all ingredients, products, materials, supplies, and other items required in the operation of the Franchised Restaurant which are, or incorporate, trade secrets of Cajun, as designated by Cajun (“Trade Secret Products”), only from Cajun or from suppliers and distributors designated by Cajun.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
After 30 days’ notice to you of our appointment of a Designated Beverage Supplier, you must purchase all designated beverage items only from the Designated Beverage Supplier.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
We require you to obtain, install and use point-of-sale equipment, software, back-office computer systems and credit card processing (collectively, “POS System”) from our approved suppliers, which are currently SynergySuite and QuBeyond.
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 use a pre-authorized bank draft system.
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesFranchise agreement
Within a reasonable period of time following Cajun’s request, Franchisee shall accept debit cards, credit cards, stored value gift cards or other non-cash systems specified by Cajun to enable customers to purchase authorized products and shall obtain all necessary hardware and/or software used in connection with…
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall employ at the Franchised Restaurant the number of MIT Certified Managers required by Cajun, which in no event shall be less than two.
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must buy Proprietary Products only from manufacturers we approve in writing.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
We require you to obtain, install and use point-of-sale equipment, software, back-office computer systems and credit card processing (collectively, “POS System”) from our approved suppliers, which are currently SynergySuite and QuBeyond.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We have the right to retrieve any data and information from your computer and POS System we deem appropriate, including access to real-time data via SaaS, electronically polling the daily sales, menu mix and other data of your Restaurant.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
Although we do not currently charge a fee for additional mandatory training programs and related materials, we reserve the right to charge fees in the future to cover the cost of presenting the additional mandatory training programs and producing the related materials.
The filing answers no to 4 questions
- Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?Item 8
- Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?Item 8
- Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?Franchise agreement
- Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?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 committee: CEO/President + VP Ops + IT/CIO + Franchise + procurement involved.
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 Church's Chicken
Church's Chicken operates 873 quick-service restaurants in the US, 714 of which are franchised. The brand posted an average unit volume of $1,115,708 in its 2025 FDD, with a 1% royalty rate and a 20-year initial franchise term. Year-over-year unit count declined by 4.03%, a contraction that may shift operator focus toward efficiency tools and cost control. For software vendors, the immediate addressable base is the 714 franchised locations, run by 240 distinct operators. Of those, 51 are multi-unit operators controlling roughly 205 units; the remaining 189 operators run a single store. No operator runs 25 or more units, so enterprise-scale deals are unlikely. The top state is Texas with 211 units, followed by California (36), Missouri (16), Arizona (15), and Georgia (12).
Who controls software purchasing
HQ is the primary decision-maker for technology mandates. The 2025 FDD lists Roland Gonzalez as CEO and Director, and Ryan Hanawalt as SVP of US Franchising and Operations Services. No CIO or CTO is named, which suggests technology purchasing authority sits with the CEO and the operations leadership. The executive team also includes Danton Nolan (CFO), Navin Sharma (CMO), and Alisa Cleek (Chief People and Legal Officer). Vendors pitching operational or financial software should route outreach through Gonzalez and Hanawalt, with Nolan as a likely influencer on budget approval. Because the franchisor mandates core systems, franchisees have limited autonomy on POS or operational tools, making HQ the sole gatekeeper for stack changes.
Mandated and current tech stack
The 2025 FDD mandates three systems. Point-of-sale is provided by Qu POS, Inc., a cloud-native platform. Store-level operations run through the Operations 360 Tablet, a mandated device that likely handles checklists, training, and compliance. Reporting and sales data flow through the Church’s Sales Information (CSI) web portal. These mandates create a locked environment: any software that integrates with or replaces these systems must pass HQ scrutiny. Vendors offering complementary tools—labor scheduling, inventory management, or loss prevention that sit alongside Qu POS—may find a path if they can demonstrate integration readiness. The absence of a named back-office or ERP system in the FDD leaves a potential gap for financial and HR platforms, though no formal RFP window is indicated.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 of the 2025 FDD does not include a procurement extract, so the franchisor’s supplier designation model is not publicly defined. This could mean an open or approved-supplier framework rather than a strict designated-supplier regime. Renewal terms, detailed in Item 17, run 10 years and require franchisees to sign a new Franchise Agreement—potentially with higher royalties and advertising contributions—complete a refurbishment, and execute a general release of claims. These renewal triggers, combined with the 20-year initial term, suggest that major capital outlays (including software upgrades) may cluster around refurbishment events rather than contract anniversaries. With unit counts shrinking, the franchisor may prioritize vendors who can demonstrate ROI through operational savings.
How to read the Church's Chicken FDD
The full 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below. Key sections for software vendors: Item 1 lists the executives who control purchasing; Item 11 details the mandated technology stack; Item 8 (when populated) describes procurement rules; and Item 17 outlines renewal conditions that can force technology refreshes. The operator footprint and unit economics in Item 19 help size the total addressable market. Use this FDD to map the buying center, identify integration points with Qu POS and Operations 360, and time your outreach to align with refurbishment-driven renewal cycles. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help.
Questions vendors ask
Church's Chicken, answered from the filing
CEO Roland Gonzalez and SVP of US Franchising Ryan Hanawalt are the primary buying-center leads. No dedicated CIO is listed; technology decisions appear centralized at the executive level.
The 2025 FDD mandates Qu POS, Inc. for point-of-sale, the Operations 360 Tablet for store-level ops, and the Church’s Sales Information (CSI) web portal for reporting.
873 total units: 714 franchised and 159 company-owned. The system contracted by 4.03% year-over-year, signaling consolidation.
The FDD does not disclose a designated supplier framework in Item 8. Procurement requirements are not publicly specified, suggesting an open or approved-supplier model.
Renewal terms run 10 years with modernization mandates. With a 20-year initial term and recent unit decline, near-term openings may align with refurbishment cycles rather than mass renewals.
The 2025 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can review it directly in the embedded PDF viewer below.
Source
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
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Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
1,182 operators run 1,336 mapped locations. 51 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit1,131
2–9 units41
10–24 units10
Top states by locations
| TX | 726 |
|---|---|
| CA | 93 |
| GA | 62 |
| AZ | 60 |
| OK | 36 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind Church's Chicken
unknown of cajun operating.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.