Square
Mandatoryus and billed to you. Point of Sale and Computer Systems We require you to buy and use a point-of-sale system and computer system as follows: The system will include at least one Square Register and o
From the filings
+66.667% units YoY
Crave Cookies Franchising
Retail foodSoftware purchasing control at Crave Cookies is not explicitly detailed in the 2025 FDD, but the franchisor mandates specific technology systems, suggesting centralized influence. The brand currently operates 37 total units (35 franchised, 2 company-owned) and mandates Square by Block, Inc. for POS and a KDS system. This creates a concentrated addressable market for vendors offering complementary or replacement solutions.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
37
35 franchised
Unit growth YoY
+66.667%
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
—
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$40K
per unit
Investment range
$328K–$735K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
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. It is a floor, not a total — the filing discloses one of the two headline fees.
2%+of gross sales (FY2025)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
1 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.
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
25 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 5 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 8
Franchisee acknowledges that Crave Cookies Franchising has the right to remotely access Franchisee’s point-of-sale system to calculate Gross Sales.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
Our affiliate is currently a supplier of a good or service that you must purchase, and we reserve the right to be a supplier (or the sole supplier) of a good or service in the future.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
Crave Cookies Franchising may change any such requirement or change the status of any vendor.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
632828Item 8
Our revenue from all required purchases and leases of products and services by franchisees in the prior fiscal year was $632,828.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We currently receive payments from designated suppliers based on purchases by you or other 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?
50Item 8
We estimate that the required purchases and leases of goods and services to operate your business are 50% to 80% of your total purchases and leases of goods and services to operate your business.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you want to use a supplier that is not on our list of approved suppliers, you must request our approval in writing.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
Franchisee must at all times comply with payment card industry data security standards (PCI-DSS).
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesItem 8
Franchisee shall participate at its own expense in programs required from time to time by Crave Cookies Franchising for obtaining customer evaluations, reviewing Franchisee’s compliance with the System, and/or managing customer complaints, which may include (but are not limited to) a customer feedback system…
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 8
Crave Cookies Franchising may enter the premises of the Business from time to time during normal business hours and conduct an inspection.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 8
Crave Cookies Franchising may supplement, revise, or modify the Manual, and Crave Cookies Franchising may change, add or delete System Standards at any time in its discretion.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
Your site is subject to our approval.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 8
Franchisee shall not conduct any marketing, advertising, or public relations activities (including in-store marketing materials, websites, online advertising, social media marketing or presence, and sponsorships) that have not been approved by Crave Cookies Franchising.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
You must spend at least $4,000 on your Market Introduction Plan.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesItem 8
Franchisee shall sell or otherwise issue gift cards, certificates, or other pre-paid systems, and participate in any customer loyalty programs, membership/subscription programs, or customer incentive programs, designated by Crave Cookies Franchising, in the manner specified by Crave Cookies Franchising in the Manual…
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If a Market Cooperative for the geographic area encompassing the Location has been established at the time Franchisee commences operations hereunder, Franchisee shall immediately become a member of such Market Cooperative.
Operations
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
All of your kitchen equipment must meet our specifications and be purchased only from approved suppliers.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
Franchisee shall accept payment from customers in any form or manner designated by Crave Cookies Franchising (which may include, for example, cash, specific credit and/or debit cards, gift cards, electronic fund transfer systems, and mobile payment systems).
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
We currently require you to pay royalty fees and other amounts due to us by pre-authorized bank draft initiated by us.
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesItem 8
At its own expense, Franchisee shall sell or otherwise issue gift cards, certificates, or other pre-paid systems, and participate in any customer loyalty programs, membership/subscription programs, or customer incentive programs, designated by Crave Cookies Franchising, in the manner specified by Crave Cookies…
People
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
Franchisee shall cause its personnel to comply with any dress attire, uniform, personal appearance and hygiene standards set forth in the Manual.
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 buy and use a point-of-sale system and computer system as follows: The system will include at least one Square Register and one KDS system, and Square POS system; squareup.com.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 8
Franchisee shall give Crave Cookies Franchising unlimited access to Franchisee’s point of sale system and other software systems used in the Business, by any means designated by Crave Cookies Franchising.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
If you need to send a new general manager to our training program, we will charge a fee, which is currently $250 per person, per day.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 8
The Principal Executive shall use reasonable efforts to attend all in-person meetings and remote meetings (such as telephone conference calls) that Crave Cookies Franchising requires, including any national or regional brand conventions.
The filing answers no to 5 questions
- Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?Franchise agreement
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 8
- Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?Item 8
- 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
- Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?Item 11
The vendor opportunity at Crave Cookies
Crave Cookies is a retail food franchise with 37 total units, 35 of which are franchised and 2 company-owned. The brand’s unit count grew 66.7% year-over-year, signaling a rapidly expanding system. For software vendors, this growth trajectory means a growing base of locations that must comply with franchisor technology mandates. The average unit volume (AUV) and royalty percentage are not disclosed in the most recent FDD, but the initial franchise term is 10 years, providing a long window for embedded solutions.
Who controls software purchasing
The 2025 FDD does not list any HQ executives, so the specific decision-maker—whether a CIO, VP of Operations, or owner—remains unknown. However, the franchisor’s mandate of specific systems (Square Register and a KDS) indicates that technology selection is controlled at the brand level, not left to individual franchisees. Vendors should prepare to engage whoever oversees operations and compliance at the franchisor entity, as that function likely evaluates and enforces tech standards across the network.
Mandated and current tech stack
Item 11 of the FDD mandates two systems: a KDS (kitchen display system) and Square by Block, Inc., specifically Square Register for point-of-sale. Yelp is also listed as a technology vendor in use. This stack suggests a lean, cloud-based operational model. For vendors selling adjacent tools—such as loyalty, inventory, or workforce management—integration with Square’s ecosystem is a practical requirement. The KDS mandate also opens a narrow wedge for vendors offering specialized kitchen automation or display hardware, provided they can demonstrate compatibility or superior ROI.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Procurement rules under Item 8 are not extracted in our corpus, so it is unclear whether Crave Cookies uses a designated supplier model, an approved supplier list, or an open procurement process. The renewal term is 5 years, and franchisees must sign the then-current form of franchise agreement, which includes updated system requirements. This creates a recurring window where the franchisor can introduce new technology mandates. With a 10-year initial term, the first major renewal cycle for early franchisees will begin roughly a decade after their signing, but the brand’s recent growth means many units are early in their term, making now a strategic time to build relationships before the next tech refresh.
How to read the Crave Cookies FDD
The 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document is the authoritative source for all mandated technology, fees, and contractual obligations. 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 cycle timing. The embedded viewer below contains the full filing. Use it to verify the Square and KDS mandates and to check for any updates to the executive team or procurement policies not captured in this summary. For a ranked target list of franchise brands aligned with your software category, FranCloud can help.
Questions vendors ask
Crave Cookies Franchising, answered from the filing
The 2025 FDD does not list HQ executives or a designated technology buyer. Given mandated tech systems, purchasing decisions likely involve franchisor leadership, but the specific buying center is not disclosed.
The FDD mandates a KDS system and Square by Block, Inc., specifically Square Register, for point-of-sale. Yelp is also listed as a current technology vendor.
As of the 2025 FDD, there are 37 total units: 35 franchised and 2 company-owned. This represents a 66.7% year-over-year unit growth rate.
The procurement model is not detailed in the FDD. Item 8, which typically outlines designated or approved supplier requirements, did not yield an extract in our corpus.
The initial franchise term is 10 years, with a 5-year renewal option. Renewal requires signing the then-current franchise agreement, which may include updated tech mandates, creating potential switching points.
The 2025 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can view the embedded PDF viewer below to analyze the full document and verify the tech mandates and terms directly.
Source
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FDD alert
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Operator footprint
Crave Cookies Franchising’s FDD on file does not disclose a franchisee directory.
Related Retail food brands
Primary franchise filings · updated July 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.