Crack'd Kitchen

The vendor opportunity at Crack'd Kitchen

Crack'd Kitchen is a quick-service restaurant concept headquartered in Massachusetts with a total footprint of 5 units — 4 company-owned and 1 franchised — according to its 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document. The brand does not report average unit volume in the current FDD, and year-over-year unit growth is not disclosed. For a software vendor, the addressable market is small but concentrated: a single HQ decision can cover all locations. The royalty rate is 5.0% on gross sales, and the initial franchise term runs 10 years.

Who controls software purchasing

The 2024 FDD lists the following executives in Item 1: Daniel Azzarello (Co-Founder and Owner), Alan Frati (Co-Founder and Owner), Emma Azzarello (Director of Business Development), Gary Matusiak (Outsourced Director of Franchise Development), and Steven Gardner (Outsourced Director of Franchise Development). With no separate CIO or CTO named, technology purchasing authority likely rests with the Co-Founders, potentially with input from the Director of Business Development. The outsourced franchise development directors are less likely to influence internal software decisions. No parent company is on file; Crack'd Kitchen appears independently owned.

Mandated and current tech stack

Crack'd Kitchen mandates a specific set of technology systems for its operators. The 2024 FDD names the following as required: Fusion Prep for kitchen management, Instant Card for payment or loyalty functions, NCR for point-of-sale, Paychex (by Paychex, Inc.) for payroll and HR, and Restaurant 365 (by Restaurant365) for accounting and back-office operations. This is a relatively comprehensive mandated stack covering POS, back-office, payroll, and kitchen ops. Vendors selling adjacent or replacement solutions should note the deep integration already in place and the centralized control that makes switching a top-down decision.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

The 2024 FDD does not include an Item 8 extract detailing procurement or supply chain requirements, so whether Crack'd Kitchen uses a designated supplier model, an approved supplier list, or an open procurement process is not publicly disclosed. On renewals, Item 17 provides that a franchisee in good standing may renew for two additional consecutive five-year terms, subject to conditions including signing the then-current franchise agreement (which may have materially different terms), renovating to meet then-current image requirements, complying with then-current training and qualification requirements, and paying a renewal fee. These renewal triggers — particularly the renovation and retraining requirements — often create natural windows for technology evaluation and vendor switching.

How to read the Crack'd Kitchen FDD

The full 2024 Crack'd Kitchen Franchise Disclosure Document is available below. It contains the complete Item 1 executive roster, Item 11 tech mandates, Item 17 renewal conditions, and all other regulatory disclosures filed with state franchise regulators. For software vendors, the key sections are Item 11 (the mandated systems listed above) and Item 1 (who controls the buying process). The FDD confirms a small, centrally managed system where a relationship with the Co-Founders is the most direct path to adoption. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help.