From the filings

Mandated tech stack

Cobs USA

Quick service restaurant

Software purchasing control at Cobs USA is not detailed in the most recent FDD, as no HQ executives are listed. The chain mandates COBS Connect across its 194 locations. With 188 franchised units and an AUV of $1,222,819, the addressable market for vendors is a concentrated, single-brand operator base.

For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.

Live signals

Total units
194
188 franchised
Franchised outlet growth
—
Item 20, last two year-ends
AUV
$874K
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
7% component; full terms unconfirmed
percentage component
Ad fund
3%
percentage component
Initial fee
$25K
per unit
Investment range
$934K–$1.27M
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Item 19
Claims
from the filing

Ordinary royalty terms

7% component; full terms unconfirmed

Complete royalty terms are not confirmed for the selected filing.

Recorded percentage components

These are recorded percentage components. Each has its own base and conditions; the chart does not state the total payment or confirm ad-fund completeness.

1recorded components (FY2025)

Recorded percentage components (FY2025)Ad fund 3%. Components use their own filing bases and conditions. Drawn against a 15% reference scale.

15% reference

Ad fund 3%

Franchisor behaviours

What the franchisor requires

22 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 2 explicit no's; 10 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?

Yes

Franchise agreement

(p) purchase and install at the Franchisee's cost the Technology, including but not limited to the Licensed Software specified by the Franchisor and:

Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?

Yes

Franchise agreement

provide or allow access to the Franchisor to all data stored in the Licensed Software, upon request

Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?

Yes

Franchise agreement

The Franchisee must forward electronically to the Franchisor an accurate and complete monthly financial statement for the previous month in the form and within the timeframe specified by the Franchisor from time to time.

How the franchisor buys

Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?

Yes

Franchise agreement

The Franchisee must: (a) only use in the Bakery Business the Approved Equipment, Products and Services; Page 40 (b) purchase the Approved Equipment, Products and Services from the Franchisor or the Franchisor's Affiliate or Associate if such products or services are available from the Franchisor or Affiliate or…

Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?

Yes

Item 8

We may add to or delete from the list of products and services that must be purchased from approved or designated suppliers.

Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?

Yes

Item 8

Current rebates from suppliers are 2% of the cost of certain ingredients.

Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?

Yes

Franchise agreement

The Franchisee shall bear the Franchisor's Costs associated with such approval.

Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?

Yes

Item 8

If you want to purchase or lease from an unapproved supplier, it is our policy that you or the supplier must send us a written request for approval.

Franchise management

Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?

Yes

Franchise agreement

The Franchisee agrees to: (a) participate in and co-operate with the Mystery Shopper Program, the Customer Satisfaction Program and/or the Customer Loyalty Program;

Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?

Yes

Franchise agreement

The Franchisor may at any time require the Franchisee's Net Sales and Gross Sales to be audited by the Franchisor or by an independent auditor appointed by the Franchisor.

Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?

Yes

Item 11

We may add to and otherwise modify the Operations Manual periodically, as we think necessary.

Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?

Yes

Item 12

You may operate your Bakery Business only at a location expressly approved by us.

Marketing

Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?

Yes

Item 11

You are expected to spend at least $5,000 on your opening advertising, marketing and promotion.

Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?

Yes

Item 11

You are required to contribute amounts equal to three percent (3%) of your Net Sales from the Bakery Business on a weekly basis, to an advertising and marketing fund held and administered by us (Section 22(e) and See Item 6).

Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?

Yes

Franchise agreement

The Franchisee agrees to: (a) participate in and co-operate with the Mystery Shopper Program, the Customer Satisfaction Program and/or the Customer Loyalty Program;

Operations

Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?

Yes

Item 8

In operating the Bakery Business, you will be required to purchase all materials, ingredients, packaging supplies, uniforms, printing, communication and information technology services and certain other products and services from our approved suppliers.

Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?

Yes

Item 8

In operating the Bakery Business, you will be required to purchase all materials, ingredients, packaging supplies, uniforms, printing, communication and information technology services and certain other products and services from our approved suppliers.

Payments

Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?

Yes

Item 6

For all ongoing payments to the Franchisor, the Franchisee will sign a Direct Debit Authorization in the Franchisor’s prescribed form authorizing the Franchisor to debit the Franchisee’s nominated bank account for the payment amounts.

People

Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?

Yes

Item 8

In operating the Bakery Business, you will be required to purchase all materials, ingredients, packaging supplies, uniforms, printing, communication and information technology services and certain other products and services from our approved suppliers.

Point of sale

Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?

Yes

Item 11

You must use the required computer hardware, software, Internet connections and service, required dedicated telephone and power lines and other computer-related accessories, peripherals and equipment that make up the POS System (Section 27(p) and 58 F.A.).

Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?

Yes

Item 11

We will store information from your POS System on our server.

Training

Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?

Yes

Item 11

If requested by you or if we consider it necessary, at your cost, provide supplementary training to you, your Bakery Principal and your employees (Section 91(b) F.A.);

The filing answers no to 2 questions
  • Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Franchise agreement
  • Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?Franchise agreement

The vendor opportunity at Cobs USA

Cobs USA operates 194 bakery-cafes, 188 of which are franchised. The chain is a quick-service restaurant concept headquartered in British Columbia. For software vendors, the total addressable market is 194 units. The operator base is fragmented: all 103 mapped operators are single-unit owners, with no multi-unit operators on file. This structure means a sale to the franchisor does not guarantee a multi-unit rollout, but it also means no dominant franchisee gatekeeper exists to block adoption.

Who controls software purchasing

The 2025 FDD does not list any executives at the franchisor level. Without named officers, the specific decision-maker for technology purchases is unknown. Vendors should assume that technology decisions are centralized at the headquarters level, given the mandated COBS Connect system. The lack of a disclosed CIO or VP of IT means initial outreach should target operations leadership or the franchise support team at the British Columbia office.

Mandated and current tech stack

The only mandated technology disclosed in the FDD is COBS Connect. No other POS, scheduling, inventory, or loyalty platforms are named in the available data. This presents a clear gap for vendors offering complementary solutions that integrate with or sit alongside the mandated system. The absence of a named POS vendor is notable and suggests either an open specification or a system that is not disclosed in the franchise disclosure document.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

The procurement model is not described in the available FDD extracts. There is no Item 8 signal indicating a designated supplier, approved supplier list, or open purchasing policy. Vendors will need to clarify this directly with the franchisor. The renewal process, however, offers a potential window for technology evaluation. The franchisor may, at its option, give written notice of renewal terms three months before the agreement expires. These terms can be materially different from the original agreement. If the franchisor does not offer renewal, the franchisee must cease operations. This creates a natural inflection point where both the franchisor and franchisees may reassess operational tools, including software.

How to read the Cobs USA FDD

The 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document is the primary source for understanding the legal and operational framework of the brand. It details the obligations of both franchisor and franchisee, including technology mandates and renewal conditions. The embedded viewer below contains the full document. Focus on Item 11 for the franchisor's obligations regarding technology and Item 17 for renewal and termination terms. For vendors, the key takeaway is the single mandated system and the highly fragmented, single-unit operator base, which shapes the sales strategy. To identify the right entry point at Cobs USA and similar franchise systems, use FranCloud to build a ranked target list.

Ordinary royalty terms

Complete royalty terms are not confirmed.

Questions vendors ask

Cobs USA, answered from the filing

The 2025 FDD does not list any HQ executives, so the specific buying center is unknown. Vendors should identify the operations or IT lead through direct outreach to the British Columbia headquarters.
The FDD mandates COBS Connect. No other specific POS or operational technology vendors are named in the available data.
There are 194 total units, with 188 franchised and 6 company-owned. The operator footprint is entirely single-unit operators, with top states being NY, PA, and FL.
The procurement model is not disclosed in the available FDD extracts. Vendors should inquire directly about designated or approved supplier processes.
The initial term length is not disclosed. Renewal requires notice 3 months prior to expiry, with the franchisor holding the option to offer new, materially different terms, creating potential re-evaluation points.
The 2025 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can read it directly using the embedded PDF viewer below.
Source

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The brands you can actually sell into, from the filings.

Operator footprint

Who runs the locations

103 operators run 103 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.

Operators by units owned

Single-unit103

Top states by locations

NY3
PA2
FL1

Ownership

The portfolio behind Cobs USA

Parent company: Bakers Delight Holdings Ltd..

Related Quick service restaurant brands

Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Read the original filing for definitions, conditions, and qualifications.