Facebook
eading “Advertising and Marketing” for further information. (Franchise Agreement, Section 5(J)). 7. We also may maintain one or more social media sites (e.g., www.twitter.com; www.facebook.com, or suc
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
East Coast Wings
Quick service restaurantSoftware purchasing at East Coast Wings Corporation flows through a tight leadership group at the North Carolina headquarters, where Officers Sam G. Ballas, Steve Kontos, and Tom Scalese control vendor decisions. The system already mandates Paytronix for loyalty and rewards alongside a required POS platform, creating both integration opportunities and replacement windows. With 34 total units—28 franchised and 6 company-owned—the addressable market is small but concentrated, making every location a high-value target for SaaS vendors who can align with the existing tech ecosystem.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
34
28 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-6.667%
vs prior filing
AUV
$2.14M
Item 19, 2024
Royalty
5%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$40K
per unit
Investment range
$419K–$1.23M
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, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
7%of gross sales (FY2025)
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.
Mitchell 1
ion 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document 4 Ashley Mitchell: Vice President of Marketing Ashley Mitchell has been our Vice President of Marketing since April 2024. Prior to that, Ms. Mitchell was a fract
PAR
penses you and your designees incur. The training program will typically be provided in “phases” as follows: Phase 1: Serve Safe, food binder, prime vendors, primary food vendors, PAR manual, POS and
Paytronix
rve Safe 0.0 8.0 this Third-Party Training Corporate Office, Marketing 0.0 2.0 Winston-Salem, NC Unit Level Corporate Office, 0.0 7.0 Economics Winston-Salem, NC Corporate Office, Paytronix/Rewards 0.
Twitter
em 11 under the heading “Advertising and Marketing” for further information. (Franchise Agreement, Section 5(J)). 7. We also may maintain one or more social media sites (e.g., www.twitter.com; www.fac
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
24 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 7 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?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may, without notice to Franchisee, have the right to independently and remotely access and view Franchisee’s computer system used in connection with the Franchised Business (the “Computer System”) via the Internet, other electronic means or by visiting the Restaurant, in order to obtain Gross Sales, tenant…
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall submit, within (a) copies of a balance sheet, profit and loss statement and cash flow report for the Franchised Business operations that, at Franchisor’s option, is prepared and certified by a certified public accountant which cover the previous twelve (12) months of operations of the Franchised…
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
Our affiliate Commissary is our sole Approved Supplier for certain of the operating supplies, gift cards, loyalty cards, and certain other inventory and equipment you will need to operate your Restaurant.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
While we are not required to do so, we currently maintain a Franchise Advisory Council (“FAC”) that has five members.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
537035Item 8
For our last fiscal year ending December 31, 2024, we received revenue from franchisee purchases in the amount of $537,035, or 13.61% of our total revenue of $3,946,110 over our past fiscal year.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We and/or our Affiliates may receive payments or other compensation from Approved Suppliers or any other suppliers on account of these suppliers’ dealings with us, you, or other Franchised Businesses in the System, such as rebates, commissions or other forms of compensation.
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?
40Item 8
approximately 40% to 60% of your ongoing costs to operate the Franchised Business after the initial start-up phase.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
You must pay our then-current supplier or non- approved product evaluation fee when submitting your request.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
We may, but are not obligated to, grant your request to: (i) offer any products or services in connection with your Restaurant that are not Approved Products and Services; or (ii) purchase any item or service we require you to purchase from an Approved Supplier from an alternative supplier.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee acknowledges that there will be substantial confusion among the public if, after the termination or expiration and non-renewal of this Agreement, Franchisee continues to use advertisements and/or the telephone number listed in the telephone directory or online under or containing the Proprietary Marks or…
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
Since you accept credit cards as a method of payment at your Franchise, you must comply with payment card infrastructure (“PCI”) industry and government requirements.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor will, as it deems appropriate in its sole discretion, conduct inspections and/or audits of the Franchised Business and Premises to ensure that Franchisee is operating its Franchised Business in compliance with the terms of this Agreement, the Manuals and the System standards and specifications.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 11
We may periodically amend, update or replace the contents of the Manuals.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor must approve of Franchisee’s proposed location, as well as the lease for the Premises (the “Lease”) or purchase agreement for the location, prior to Franchisee entering into any such agreement for that location to serve as the Premises of the Franchised Business.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee may not establish any separate website or other Internet presence in connection with the Franchised Business, System or Proprietary Marks without Franchisor’s prior written consent.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must spend such amounts as Franchisor may reasonably require, at minimum Seven Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($7,500) to Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000) depending on the size of the Franchised Business and Designated Territory, to promote and advertise the grand opening of the Franchised Business within the…
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
Currently, you are required to spend two percent (2%) of monthly Gross Sales as your Local Advertising Requirement.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
With the exception of the Initial Franchise Fee, Franchisee shall pay all fees and other amounts due to Franchisor and/or its affiliates under this Agreement through an electronic funds transfer program (the “EFT Program”), under which Franchisor automatically deducts all payments owed to Franchisor under this…
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
Your Restaurant must, at all times, be managed and staffed with at least one (1) individual who has successfully completed our Initial Training Program.
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 15
All personnel must wear uniforms or other clothing approved by us.
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 point of sale hardware and accounting software approved by us, including, without limitation, touchscreens, printers, cash drawers, a server and modem, and assorted cables and mounting hardware.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We will have independent access to the information that will be stored on the computer system.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We may require you and, if applicable, your Operations Manager to attend annual additional/refresher courses, as we deem necessary in our sole discretion (“Additional Training”).
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must attend the annual business convention held by Franchisor, if conducted.
The filing answers no to 3 questions
- Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?Franchise agreement
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?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.
The franchisor's owner/CEO decides; an ops or franchise-development lead may evaluate.
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 East Coast Wings
East Coast Wings Corporation operates 34 quick-service restaurants, with 28 franchised and 6 company-owned locations. The system generated an average unit volume of $2,143,492.84, placing it in a competitive tier among smaller franchise systems where every location carries outsized weight for a software vendor’s pipeline. Year-over-year unit growth declined by 6.667%, signaling a period of consolidation rather than expansion—a dynamic that can shift priorities toward operational efficiency tools and away from new-unit deployment software.
The brand’s royalty rate sits at 5.0% on a 10-year initial term, with two additional five-year renewal options available. Renewal conditions are detailed and include executing the then-current franchise agreement, which may contain materially different terms. For vendors, this means that contract renewal windows—occurring at the 10-year mark and again at each 5-year extension—represent natural moments when franchisees may be required to adopt updated technology or re-evaluate existing systems.
Who controls software purchasing
The 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document identifies three Officers at the North Carolina headquarters: Sam G. Ballas, Steve Kontos, and Tom Scalese. No separate technology leadership role—such as a CIO, CTO, or VP of IT—is disclosed, which is common in systems of this size. Vendor outreach should assume that software purchasing decisions are made or heavily influenced by this small executive team, with operational input likely coming from the company-owned unit managers.
Because the franchisor mandates specific technology platforms, the HQ exerts centralized control over the tech stack. Franchisees do not appear to have independent purchasing authority for mandated systems, making the corporate office the sole buying center for any software that touches loyalty, rewards, or point-of-sale operations.
Mandated and current tech stack
East Coast Wings mandates two named systems in its FDD: Paytronix for loyalty program management and Paytronix/Rewards for the rewards engine. A POS software platform is also mandated, though the specific vendor is not named in the disclosure. This creates a clear integration landscape: any software pitched to this franchise must either integrate with Paytronix and the unnamed POS or offer a compelling replacement for one of those mandated components.
For vendors selling adjacent solutions—inventory management, labor scheduling, delivery logistics, or accounting—the absence of named mandates in those categories suggests an open field. However, the small unit count means that any adoption would likely require HQ approval and a rollout across all 34 locations simultaneously, rather than a franchisee-by-franchisee sales motion.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 of the FDD contains no extract regarding procurement, meaning the brand does not publicly disclose a designated supplier list, approved vendor program, or purchasing cooperative structure. This absence can indicate either an open procurement model or simply that the franchisor has not formalized supplier relationships in the disclosure document. Vendors should approach with the assumption that HQ evaluates software on a case-by-case basis.
Renewal timing offers the most concrete entry points. The initial 10-year term, followed by two successive 5-year renewal options, creates potential decision windows at years 10, 15, and 20 of a franchisee’s lifecycle. Renewal conditions include executing the then-current form of franchise agreement—which may impose new technology requirements—and completing refresher training at $250 per day per trainee. A $3,500 renewal fee and a general release in favor of the franchisor are also required. These contractual moments are when software mandates are most likely to shift or expand.
How to read the East Coast Wings FDD
The 2025 East Coast Wings FDD is embedded below for full review. Key sections for software vendors include Item 11, which lists the mandated Paytronix systems and the required POS software, and Item 17, which details the renewal conditions and term structure. Item 1 identifies the three Officers who control purchasing. Item 8, while silent on procurement specifics, confirms that no designated supplier framework is disclosed. For vendors building a business case, the unit count, AUV, and royalty rate in Item 19 provide the addressable market sizing. FranCloud can help you build a ranked target list of franchise systems aligned with your software category.
Questions vendors ask
East Coast Wings, answered from the filing
The FDD lists three Officers—Sam G. Ballas, Steve Kontos, and Tom Scalese—as the executive team. Vendor decisions likely route through this group, with no separate CIO or procurement lead disclosed.
The 2025 FDD mandates Paytronix for loyalty and Paytronix/Rewards, plus a required POS software. The specific POS vendor is not named, leaving room for vendor inquiry.
34 total units as of the 2025 FDD: 28 franchised and 6 company-owned. The brand operates in the quick-service restaurant segment with a concentrated footprint.
The FDD does not disclose a designated supplier list or approved-vendor program in Item 8. Procurement signals are absent, suggesting an open or unspecified model.
Initial terms run 10 years, with two optional 5-year renewals. Renewal requires a new franchise agreement, refresher training, and a $3,500 fee—potential trigger points for tech re-evaluation.
The 2025 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can view the full document in the embedded PDF viewer below to analyze Item 11 tech mandates and Item 17 renewal terms directly.
Source
Read the filing itself
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.
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment East Coast Wings 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
| NC | 1 |
|---|---|
| WI | 1 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind East Coast Wings
unknown of ecw enterprises.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.