The vendor opportunity at Cookie Co
Cookie Co is a quick-service restaurant brand headquartered in Utah with a total of 12 units, according to its 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document. Of those, 8 are franchised and 4 are company-owned. The franchised locations represent the addressable market for software vendors, as company-owned units typically fall under internal IT procurement. With no year-over-year unit growth disclosed, the brand appears to be in a very early or static stage of expansion. Average unit volume is not disclosed in the most recent FDD, and the royalty rate stands at 7.0% on a 10-year initial term.
Who controls software purchasing
The 2024 FDD does not list any headquarters executives on file, and there is no clear signal indicating whether software purchasing decisions are made at the HQ level, by multi-unit operators, or through a mixed model. Vendors approaching Cookie Co should be prepared for an unknown decision-maker structure. In practice, a chain of this size—12 units—often concentrates purchasing authority with the founder or a small leadership team, but the FDD provides no confirmation. The absence of named executives means outreach will require direct discovery.
Mandated and current tech stack
Cookie Co’s technology mandates are minimal based on the 2024 disclosure. Zoom is the only technology explicitly mandated. No point-of-sale system, back-office platform, or other operational software is listed as required or recommended. This suggests the brand either leaves technology choices to franchisees or has not formalized a tech stack in its FDD. For vendors, this represents a blank slate but also a lack of proven demand. Any pitch should assume franchisees currently operate with self-selected tools and may have little incentive to switch without a clear HQ directive.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 of the 2024 FDD contains no extract regarding procurement, so the supplier model—whether designated, approved, or open—is not disclosed. This lack of transparency makes it difficult to assess how a vendor would formally enter the supply chain. Renewal conditions, detailed in Item 17, require franchisees to provide 180 days’ written notice, sign the then-current franchise agreement, pay a renewal fee, remodel the shop, and secure premises rights. The renewal term is 10 years. With only 8 franchised units and no disclosed growth, contract windows are rare and tied to individual franchisee cycles rather than a predictable corporate calendar.
How to read the Cookie Co FDD
The 2024 Cookie Co FDD is the primary source for understanding the franchise system’s obligations and constraints. Key sections for software vendors include Item 11 (franchisor’s assistance, advertising, computer systems, and training) for tech mandates, Item 8 (restrictions on sources of products and services) for procurement rules, and Item 17 (renewal, termination, transfer, and dispute resolution) for contract timing. The document is filed with state franchise regulators and is available in full below. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help.