Facebook
Mandatoryhout our written permission, in any social media such as Yelp, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and others (currently franchisees are authorized to participate on Facebook, Instagram
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Cupcake Heaven
Retail foodSoftware purchasing at Cupcake Heaven is controlled at the headquarters level in Virginia, where CEO Kim Newman and President Mark Vincellette oversee decisions for a tiny, three-unit system. The franchisor mandates a specific POS system and software, making this a centralized, low-volume target for vendors. With only one franchised location and two company-owned stores, the addressable market is extremely limited.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
3
1 franchised
Unit growth YoY
0%
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
4%
of gross sales
Ad fund
1%
national + local
Initial fee
$10K
per unit
Investment range
$69K–$189K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Item 19
No claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
5%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
6 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.
Instagram
Mandatoryill only have one Website, as we designate and approve, within our Website. Internet pages, as well as other electronic sites (such as social networking sites like Yelp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter,
LinkedIn
Mandatoryn of our approval or disapproval. In addition, you must not conduct any advertising without our written permission, in any social media such as Yelp, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest
Pinterest
Mandatorypproval or disapproval. In addition, you must not conduct any advertising without our written permission, in any social media such as Yelp, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest and others
Twitter
Mandatoryve one Website, as we designate and approve, within our Website. Internet pages, as well as other electronic sites (such as social networking sites like Yelp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, I
Yelp
Mandatoryy other written form of communication of our approval or disapproval. In addition, you must not conduct any advertising without our written permission, in any social media such as Yelp, Twitter, Faceb
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
20 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 11 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 reserve the right to have independent access to all information that you store in any POS system, computer, laptop, tablet, or software related to the Business and there are no contractual limits imposed upon our access to your data and information (Franchise Agreement Sections XII.I and XX.A).
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
Cupcake Heaven and Café, LLC which is our affiliate is currently the only approved vendor and supplier for our proprietary dry ingredients, flavorings, and logoed apparel and coffee sleeves to be purchased by you for the operation of your Business.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
In the future, we may form a franchisee-elected Franchisee Advisory Council or cooperative whose sole purpose is to advise on System Advertising Fund usage and advertising policies.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
We did not receive any such revenues from required purchases made by franchisees in the prior fiscal year.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We may derive revenue through license fees, promotional fees, advertising allowances, rebates or other monies paid by approved suppliers.
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?
35Item 8
We anticipate that during the operation of your Business, required purchases from us, our affiliates, or the vendors that we specify or approve (not including your lease, royalties, or labor costs) are estimated to be approximately 35%-50% of your total monthly purchases in the continuing operation of your Business
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
There is a product, vendor and equipment assessment fee for supplier approval and we may require third party testing, in which case you will pay the actual cost of the tests as described in Item 6.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
We will respond to a written request by you to approve a product (including any single ingredient), piece of equipment or a supplier within 30 days after we receive it.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee Shall Cancel Assumed Names and Transfer Phone Numbers
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
Monitor the operation of your Business and inspect the inventory of products, supplies and kitchen equipment at your Business, then advise you of the results for each inspection, at our cost.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 11
We have the right to add to, and otherwise modify, the Operations Manual to reflect changes in authorized products (including ingredients), supplies, kitchen equipment and services, as well as changes in specifications, standards, and operating procedures of a Cupcake Heaven® business.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
You may not sign a lease for the site (or contract to purchase the premises, if applicable) in which you wish to operate your Business until you have obtained our written approval.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 11
Unless we approve otherwise in writing, you may not establish a separate Website and will only have one Website, as we designate and approve, within our Website.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesItem 16
You must participate in any gift certificate or gift card program, loyalty, or rewards program we establish.
Operations
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must use and offer only the products (including ingredients and retail items), supplies, kitchen equipment and services that we specify in writing which may be amended or modified by us periodically.
Payments
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesItem 16
You must participate in any gift certificate or gift card program, loyalty, or rewards program we establish.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 11
Before the opening of your Business, you (or an Owner if you are an Entity) and your managers (you must have a minimum of at least one manager, of which can be but does not need to be you or one of the Owners of your Business) you designate are required to attend our nine day initial training program at our corporate…
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
To maintain uniform quality standards, all products, kitchen equipment, services, signage, advertising, trademark usage, trade dress, uniforms and other supplies and services you use to operate your Business must meet our standards and specifications.
Point of sale
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We reserve the right to have independent access to all information that you store in any POS system, computer, laptop, tablet, or software related to the Business and there are no contractual limits imposed upon our access to your data and information (Franchise Agreement Sections XII.I and XX.A).
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
In addition, we have the right to require that you (and if you are an Entity, any Owner) and any manager(s) complete refresher training programs during the term of the Franchise Agreement, to be furnished at our corporate headquarters currently in Haymarket, Virginia.
The filing answers no to 3 questions
- 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
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
- Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?Item 11
The vendor opportunity at Cupcake Heaven
Cupcake Heaven is a retail food franchise based in Virginia with a total footprint of just three units—two company-owned and one franchised—as disclosed in its 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. For a software vendor, the addressable market is essentially that single franchised location, because the two corporate stores are already under direct HQ control and likely use whatever systems management has chosen. There is no disclosed year-over-year unit growth, and the system’s average unit volume is not reported in the FDD. This is not a volume play; it is a relationship play with a very small leadership team.
The royalty rate is 4.0%, but the initial franchise term is not stated in the available data, which makes it harder to anticipate renewal-driven technology refresh cycles. Vendors evaluating this brand should weigh the extremely limited unit count against the fact that a single win here could mean 100% penetration of the franchised estate—if the HQ mandate extends to that location.
Who controls software purchasing
Software purchasing authority at Cupcake Heaven sits at headquarters. The 2026 FDD lists two executives in Item 1: Kim Newman, CEO, and Mark Vincellette, President. In a system of this size, there is no separate CIO or VP of Technology on file. The CEO and President are the de facto technology buyers. Any vendor pitch should be directed to them, framed around operational efficiency for a tiny but growing (or static) retail food concept. There is no multi-unit operator layer to navigate because our corpus maps no franchisee operators beyond the single franchised unit.
Mandated and current tech stack
The FDD mandates a POS System and Software. The specific vendor or product name is not disclosed in the filing, which is common when franchisors reserve the right to designate or change systems without amending the disclosure. This means the existing stack is a black box to outside vendors unless they engage directly with HQ. The mandate signal is strong—franchisees must use the specified system—but the lack of a named vendor means you will need to ask during discovery whether they are locked into a long-term contract or open to evaluating alternatives.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Cupcake Heaven’s 2026 FDD provides no Item 8 extract describing procurement rules, designated suppliers, or approved vendor lists. This absence suggests either that procurement is handled informally at this scale or that the franchisor does not impose supply-chain constraints beyond the POS mandate. Similarly, Item 17 renewal conditions are not extracted, and the initial term length is not disclosed. Without term and renewal data, it is impossible to model contract windows or predict when a technology review might occur. Vendors should approach this as an opportunistic, relationship-based sale rather than a calendar-driven RFP cycle.
How to read the Cupcake Heaven FDD
The full 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document for Cupcake Heaven is embedded below. It was filed with state franchise regulators and contains the legal and financial disclosures that govern the franchise relationship. For software vendors, the most relevant sections are Item 1 (executives), Item 11 (mandated systems), and Item 8 (procurement restrictions, if any). Because this is a small, privately held brand with no parent company on file, the FDD is the single best source of truth on how technology decisions are made. For a ranked list of franchise targets matched to your software category, FranCloud can help.
Questions vendors ask
Cupcake Heaven, answered from the filing
CEO Kim Newman and President Mark Vincellette are the named executives in the 2026 FDD. For a system this small, they likely make or directly approve all technology purchasing decisions.
The 2026 FDD mandates a POS System and Software. The specific vendor or product name is not disclosed in the filing.
Cupcake Heaven has 3 total units: 2 company-owned and 1 franchised, according to the 2026 FDD. It is a very small retail food concept.
The 2026 FDD does not include an Item 8 extract detailing procurement restrictions or designated suppliers. The model is not publicly disclosed.
The FDD does not disclose the initial franchise term or renewal conditions in Item 17. With only 3 units and no growth data, timing is unpredictable.
The 2026 FDD was filed with state franchise regulators. You can review the embedded PDF viewer below for the full disclosure document.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Cupcake Heaven files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
2 operators run 2 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit2
Top states by locations
| VA | 1 |
|---|---|
| WI | 1 |
Related Retail food brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.