DoorDash
Pizza Restaurants or Red Robin Restaurants operating the Nested Donatos Systems to sell Donatos Core Products on DSP sites and mobile applications, including, without limitation, doordash, grub hub an
From the filings
+2.4% units YoYHQ-led decisions
Donatos Pizza
Quick service restaurantSoftware purchasing at Donatos Pizza is controlled from the brand’s Columbus, Ohio headquarters, where the executive team — led by CEO Kevin King and CFO Douglas V. Kourie — oversees technology decisions for 179 total locations. The franchise already mandates TRIO Software and the M.O.S.T. EDGE platform, and its System Website is a required tool, giving vendors a clear picture of the existing stack. With 128 franchised units operating under a 10-year term and a 4% royalty on $1.13 million average unit volume, the addressable market for complementary or replacement software is concentrated but meaningful.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
179
128 franchised
Unit growth YoY
+2.4%
vs prior filing
AUV
$1.13M
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
4%
of gross sales
Ad fund
1%
national + local
Initial fee
$30K
per unit
Investment range
$547K–$1.06M
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
3 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, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
5%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
Systems named in Item 11 of this filing. None is recorded as mandated here, which is not the same as the filing mandating nothing. Read Item 11 before treating the category as open.
Uber Eats
ed Robin Restaurants operating the Nested Donatos Systems to sell Donatos Core Products on DSP sites and mobile applications, including, without limitation, doordash, grub hub and uber eats. In some i
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
27 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 1 explicit no; 6 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 will have independent, unlimited access to the information that the Computer System generates and tracks.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
The following are items or services that you currently must purchase from us or an affiliate.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
We may periodically receive input and feedback from an advisory council known as the Donatos Advisory Council (“DAC”) regarding the disbursement of funds from the National Marketing Fund and the overall direction of the National Marketing Fund.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
We may periodically modify specifications for and components of the Computer System.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
7469583Item 8
During our 2025 fiscal year, our revenue from selling products and services to franchisees was approximately $7,469,583
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
we (and our affiliates) also may receive payments, like promotional allowances, volume discounts and other payments, from suppliers on account of their dealings with you and 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?
65Item 8
The purchases described above will constitute approximately 90% to 95% of your required initial purchases and approximately 65% to 70% of your ongoing required purchases in operating a Restaurant.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
We may charge you or the supplier our costs for the evaluation and will decide within a reasonable time, usually within 60 days after receiving all information we require.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
Upon our request, or if you want to use any item or service that we have not yet evaluated or buy or lease from a supplier that we have not yet approved (for items and services that require supplier approval), we must receive sufficient information, specifications, and samples so we can determine whether the item or…
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
A. OUR RIGHT TO INSPECT THE RESTAURANT ............................................ 33 B. OUR RIGHT TO AUDIT .................................................................................... 33
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 11
We may modify the Operations Manual periodically to reflect changes in Operating Standards, but these modifications will not alter your fundamental rights or status under the Franchise Agreement.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 12
You must propose a suitable location within the Site Selection Area for the Site, obtain our acceptance of the Site and sign the lease that we have accepted for the Site.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 11
Except for using social media according to our Operating Standards, you may not develop, maintain or authorize any other website, mobile application, other online presence or other electronic medium that mentions or describes you or your Restaurant or displays the Marks.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 7
You must spend at least $25,000 on the Grand Opening Marketing Program any may spend more, but we do not require you to spend Donatos 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document 17 more than $30,000.
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 are required to spend the Marketing Spending Requirement each calendar quarter on advertising, marketing and promotion of your Restaurant, which is, at a minimum, an amount equal to 5% of your Net Sales.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesItem 11
You must participate in all gift certificate, gift card, loyalty, and rewards programs sponsored at any time by us.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If an Advertising Cooperative is formed for a geographic area in which your Restaurant is located, you will be required to participate and contribute.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
Additionally, we currently require our franchisees to buy all pizza dough for their Restaurant from our approved third party distributors, including Jane’s Dough Premium Foods (“JDF”).
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
we currently require that you buy all equipment, food products, beverage products, insurance, uniforms and certain operating supplies for your Restaurant only from our approved suppliers.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must use our designated card vendor and transaction processor vendor and pay any fees directly to such vendors associated with such services.
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 all amounts due by automatic debit.
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesItem 11
You must participate in all gift certificate, gift card, loyalty, and rewards programs sponsored at any time by us.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 11
During all hours of operation, each Restaurant is required to have on-site at least one manager-level personnel staff member that has completed the Operational Management Training, or a Manager in Training.
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
we currently require that you buy all equipment, food products, beverage products, insurance, uniforms and certain operating supplies for your Restaurant only from our approved suppliers.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You are required to use our specified Computer System to operate the Restaurant.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We will have independent, unlimited access to the information that the Computer System generates and tracks.
Training
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
During the term of this Agreement, we may require you and/or previously trained and experienced employees at the Restaurant to attend and satisfactorily complete various training courses, programs and conventions that we choose to provide periodically at the times and locations we designate.
The filing answers no to 1 question
- Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?Item 11
Who buys here
The buyer at this brand
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.
HQ leadership: CEO/President + VP Ops/Franchise + a first dedicated IT/systems owner.
VP SalesHead of SalesCROSales Director
- 41.9% of quick service brands mandate no POS system, leaving a massive blind spot in your target list.By instantly identifying the 452 brands with no POS mandate, you replace weeks of manual FDD research and focus your pipeline on high-fit displacement targets, cutting customer acquisition cost by over 60%.
- 82.3% of brands mandate no accounting system, signaling a wide-open market for tech vendors.FranCloud surfaces the 888 brands without an accounting mandate so your team can prioritize outreach before competitors even know they exist, turning a manual research cost center into a predictable revenue engine.
- Only 17 out of 1,079 quick service brands mandate a CRM, yet unit counts and AUVs prove these are high-value accounts.Instead of spending 40+ hours manually combing FDDs to find CRM-needy brands, FranCloud delivers the 17 mandate-holders and their financials in one query, letting your team close deals 10x faster.
The vendor opportunity at Donatos Pizza
Donatos Pizza is a quick-service restaurant chain headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, with 179 total units as of its 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. Of those, 128 are franchised locations and 51 are company-owned, giving software vendors a targetable base of 128 independently operated stores that must comply with HQ technology mandates. The brand posted year-over-year unit growth of 2.4% and an average unit volume of $1,130,267, with a 4% royalty rate on gross sales. For a vendor, the math is straightforward: a small but stable franchise network where every new location or renewal cycle represents a potential software insertion point.
The franchise is independently owned — no parent company appears on file — which means the executive team in Ohio holds direct authority over technology standards without interference from a larger corporate hierarchy. That centralization simplifies the sales process for vendors who can reach the right decision-maker.
Who controls software purchasing
Technology purchasing authority sits at the Donatos Pizza headquarters. The FDD lists five key executives in Item 1: Founder James E. Grote, Executive Chairwoman and Chief Purpose Officer Jane M. Grote, Chief Executive Officer and President Kevin King, Chief Financial Officer Douglas V. Kourie, and Vice President of Development and Franchising Jeff Baldwin. For a software vendor, the most likely entry points are Kevin King, who runs day-to-day operations as CEO, and Douglas Kourie, who controls the budget as CFO. Jeff Baldwin’s role in development and franchising also makes him a stakeholder when technology touches store openings, training, or compliance.
Because the franchise mandates specific systems, any vendor pitch must address how a new tool integrates with or replaces existing mandated platforms. The buying center is small and senior, so outreach should be concise and data-driven.
Mandated and current tech stack
Donatos Pizza’s 2026 FDD mandates three technology components: a System Website, TRIO Software, and M.O.S.T. EDGE Software. The System Website is a required digital storefront, while TRIO and M.O.S.T. EDGE are operational platforms — likely covering point-of-sale, inventory, labor, or analytics functions, though the FDD does not break out each system’s exact role. For vendors selling adjacent tools (catering, delivery optimization, loyalty, HR, or financial reporting), these mandates define the integration landscape. Any new software must coexist with TRIO and M.O.S.T. EDGE, or make a compelling case for replacement at the franchisor level.
No other mandated or recommended vendors are named in the FDD, which leaves room for supplementary solutions that franchisees might adopt individually — but only if HQ permits it under the franchise agreement’s operational standards.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract, so the brand’s purchasing model — whether designated supplier, approved supplier, or open — is not publicly disclosed. Vendors should assume a controlled environment where HQ evaluates and endorses technology before franchisees can adopt it.
Franchise agreements run for an initial 10-year term, with one additional 10-year renewal available if the franchisee meets conditions including written notice, full compliance with the agreement, remodeling and upgrading the restaurant, and consistent operation aligned with the brand’s mission statement. These renewal triggers — particularly the remodeling and upgrading requirement — create natural windows where franchisees must invest in their operations, potentially opening the door for technology upgrades. With 128 franchised units and a 2.4% growth rate, a handful of renewals and new openings each year represent the most likely sales cycles for software vendors.
How to read the Donatos Pizza FDD
The 2026 Donatos Pizza Franchise Disclosure Document is the definitive source for understanding the brand’s legal, financial, and operational requirements. It contains the executive roster, unit counts, mandated technology, renewal terms, and financial performance representations — all of which a software vendor needs to build a credible pitch. The embedded PDF viewer on this page provides the full document. For vendors targeting Donatos, focus on Items 1 (executives), 11 (mandated systems), and 17 (renewal conditions) to map the buying center and timing. FranCloud can help you build a ranked target list of franchise systems that match your software category.
Questions vendors ask
Donatos Pizza, answered from the filing
The C-suite in Columbus, OH controls technology procurement. Key executives include CEO Kevin King and CFO Douglas V. Kourie, with development and franchising decisions involving VP Jeff Baldwin.
The 2026 FDD mandates TRIO Software and the M.O.S.T. EDGE Software platform. A branded System Website is also required for all franchisees.
Donatos operates 179 total units — 128 franchised and 51 company-owned — placing it in the quick-service restaurant segment with a concentrated footprint.
The most recent FDD does not disclose a specific Item 8 procurement structure, so the designated-supplier versus approved-supplier model is not publicly detailed.
Franchise agreements run 10 years with one additional 10-year renewal option, contingent on compliance and remodeling. Renewal cycles may create periodic tech evaluation windows.
The 2026 Donatos Pizza FDD is 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 Donatos Pizza files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
90 operators run 90 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit90
Top states by locations
| OH | 22 |
|---|---|
| TX | 9 |
| KY | 8 |
| FL | 6 |
| SC | 4 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind Donatos Pizza
unknown of destiny investment holdings.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.