From the filings
Software purchasing at CSG flows through a tight leadership group at the franchisor’s Massachusetts headquarters, where CEO and Lead Corporate Trainer Lisa Dowd is the named executive. The system currently mandates an Online Bookkeeping System, but no other operational or POS platforms are specified in the 2025 FDD. With only 4 total units—2 franchised and 2 company-owned—the addressable market is extremely small, making this a niche target for vendors who can serve a micro-franchise with centralized decision-making.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Ongoing fee load
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
7%of gross sales (FY2025)
15% reference
Franchisor behaviours
25 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 4 explicit no's; 5 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 and our affiliate will have independent, unlimited access to the computer data and equipment containing the information, records and reports required by the Franchise Agreement.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
You must buy all Trade Secret Products, which currently consist of our proprietary products, including but not limited to “Mac & Cheese,” from Us or our Affiliate, and/or designated or approved suppliers;
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 11
We reserve the right to change the Computer System requirements at any time.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
During fiscal year 2024, neither we, nor our affiliate, derived any revenue from selling products or services to franchisees, nor did we or it receive any rebates from suppliers on account of purchases of required and approved items by 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?
90Item 8
Collectively, leases and purchases from Us, our Approximately Affiliates, or designated or approved suppliers that N/A 90% must meet our specifications.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
We may charge you or the supplier a reasonable fee for the evaluation (see Item 6) and will decide within a reasonable time (generally no more than 30 days).
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If we have not instituted any type of restrictive sourcing program (which, as noted above, we already have done for certain items and may do so for other items), and if you want to use any item or service that we have not yet evaluated or to buy or lease from a supplier that we have not yet approved or designated…
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee acknowledges that as between Franchisor and Franchisee, Franchisor has the sole rights to and interest in all telephone number and directory listings associated with any Names or Marks of the Business.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 1
You are required to comply with Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (“PCIDSS”).
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
Inspect the Business from time to time and observe its operation to help you comply with the Franchise Agreement and all System Standards.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may from time to time revise the contents of the Manuals and the contents of any other manuals and materials created or approved for use in the operation of the Business, and Franchisee expressly agrees that each new or changed standard shall be deemed effective upon receipt by Franchisee or as specified…
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 12
You will locate and operate a permanent Traditional Restaurant at a specific location within the Territory that we first must accept.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 13
You may not use the Marks with modifying Cheesy Street Grill Franchising, LLC FDD – NY – 2025.03 46 words, terms, designs, or symbols (except for those we license to you); in selling any unauthorized services or products; or as part of any domain name, homepage, electronic address, or otherwise in connection with a…
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 7
This is the minimum required amount you must spend on grand opening marketing for your Business.
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesItem 11
you must spend a monthly minimum on a descending scale based on longevity as a Franchisee to advertise and promote your Business (including the costs of virtual and/or print business listings) as described below: Minimum Monthly Amount Time Period $1,000 Months 4 – 12 $750 Months 13 -24 $500 Months 25 - conclusion
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If your Restaurant or MBL Unit is located in an ACA, you must participate.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You must buy all Trade Secret Products, which currently consist of our proprietary products, including but not limited to “Mac & Cheese,” from Us or our Affiliate, and/or designated or approved suppliers; and you must currently buy all of your food products, standard and seasonal packaging, tools of the trade, small…
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must buy all Trade Secret Products, which currently consist of our proprietary products, including but not limited to “Mac & Cheese,” from Us or our Affiliate, and/or designated or approved suppliers; and you must currently buy all of your food products, standard and seasonal packaging, tools of the trade, small…
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must obtain and use gift cards and transaction processors, including internet or other connections, from vendors designated by us.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
Before your Business opens, you must sign and deliver to us an “Electronic Depository Transfer Account Document” or “EDTA” (Exhibit G), which authorizes us to debit your business checking account automatically for the Royalty payments, Fund contributions, and other amounts due under the Franchise Agreement.
People
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Wear Approved Uniforms.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must buy all Trade Secret Products, which currently consist of our proprietary products, including but not limited to “Mac & Cheese,” from Us or our Affiliate, and/or designated or approved suppliers; and you must currently buy all of your food products, standard and seasonal packaging, tools of the trade, small…
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We and our affiliate will have independent, unlimited access to the computer data and equipment containing the information, records and reports required by the Franchise Agreement.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 6
We may charge you for additional, or special assistance, and/or training you need or request; for refresher training courses; and/or for training newly hired personnel.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 11
Besides attending these courses, you must attend an annual meeting, which may be virtual, of all franchisees at a location we designate, or by online/virtual methods.
Who buys here
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.
The franchisee/operator personally, or a small franchisor still owner-run. Wears every hat.
CSG is a quick-service restaurant concept headquartered in Massachusetts with a total footprint of just 4 units—2 franchised and 2 company-owned—according to the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. No year-over-year unit growth rate is disclosed, and no parent company is on file, indicating an independently owned micro-franchise. For software vendors, the addressable market is limited to the 2 franchised locations, as the 2 company-owned units are under direct HQ control. The royalty rate is 6.0% of gross sales, and the initial franchise term runs 10 years. Average unit volume is not reported in the FDD, so revenue-based sizing is unavailable.
All software purchasing decisions appear to be centralized at the franchisor level. The 2025 FDD lists Lisa Dowd as CEO and Lead Corporate Trainer, making her the most likely point of contact for technology vendors. The board of directors includes Geoffrey Howe, Ann Howe, Patricia Mischke, and Todd Fairchild. No multi-unit operators are mapped in our corpus, and the FDD does not identify any franchisee-level technology decision-makers. Vendors should expect a direct, relationship-driven sales process with this small leadership group rather than a decentralized, operator-led procurement cycle.
The only technology explicitly mandated in the 2025 FDD is an Online Bookkeeping System. No specific vendor is named for this system, and no point-of-sale, inventory management, payroll, or other operational platforms are listed as required or recommended. This suggests the franchise may be in a very early stage of technology adoption or that the franchisor leaves most operational software choices to individual franchisees. Vendors offering accounting integrations, financial reporting, or bookkeeping automation may find a direct mandate to leverage, while those selling POS or broader operational suites will need to build a case from scratch.
Item 8 of the FDD, which typically outlines procurement restrictions and designated suppliers, contains no extract in our data. This means the franchisor’s formal procurement model—whether designated supplier, approved supplier, or open—is not publicly disclosed. The renewal terms in Item 17, however, provide a potential window for software evaluation. Franchisees seeking a successor 10-year term must give at least 90 days’ notice, maintain or find acceptable premises, remodel to then-current standards regardless of cost, and sign the then-current Franchise Agreement, which may contain materially different terms. They must also achieve Gross Sales of at least 50% of the chain median over the prior 12 months and an average audit and mystery shopper score of at least 85% over the prior three years. These renovation and compliance triggers often prompt operational reviews where new technology can enter the conversation.
The full 2025 CSG Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below. Key sections for software vendors include Item 1 (identifying executives and the franchisor entity), Item 11 (the franchisor’s obligations, where the Online Bookkeeping System mandate appears), Item 8 (procurement restrictions, though not extracted here), and Item 17 (renewal conditions that may open technology evaluation periods). Because CSG is a micro-system with only 4 units, the FDD is likely concise, but every data point matters when assessing whether this account fits your ideal customer profile. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help.
Questions vendors ask
Every number on this page traces back to this document. Read it in full, page by page. Buy the original PDF to download, search, and annotate it.
View only A one-time purchase: the original filing, yours to keep.
FDD alert
We’ll email you the moment CSG files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
CSG’s FDD on file does not disclose a franchisee directory.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.