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From the filings
+3.566% units YoYHQ-led decisions
Firehouse Subs
Quick service restaurantSoftware purchasing decisions at Firehouse Subs are controlled at the franchisor headquarters, led by President Michael Hancock. The system mandates a back-of-house system, an internet accounting system, and a reporting and accounting system, creating a defined tech environment for vendors. With 1,291 total units, the addressable market for a compliant software solution is substantial.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
1,291
1,249 franchised
Unit growth YoY
+3.566%
vs prior filing
AUV
$974K
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
9%
of gross sales
Ad fund
5%
national + local
Initial fee
$20K
per unit
Investment range
$404K–$1.65M
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.
14%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.
Facebook
e page address, unless such use is expressly approved by us in writing. You may not operate or create a social media site, page or group containing our Marks using tools including Facebook, TikTok, X,
Instagram
e is expressly approved by us in writing. You may not operate or create a social media site, page or group containing our Marks using tools including Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube, Instagram, Google, P
Pinterest
by us in writing. You may not operate or create a social media site, page or group containing our Marks using tools including Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube, Instagram, Google, Pinterest, Tumblr, SnapCh
Snapchat
ng. You may not operate or create a social media site, page or group containing our Marks using tools including Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube, Instagram, Google, Pinterest, Tumblr, SnapChat, Vine, or o
TikTok
ress, unless such use is expressly approved by us in writing. You may not operate or create a social media site, page or group containing our Marks using tools including Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube,
YouTube
s such use is expressly approved by us in writing. You may not operate or create a social media site, page or group containing our Marks using tools including Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube, Instagram,
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
23 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 8 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must report Gross Sales and other business information to Franchisor using the format, reporting system and accounting system (the “Accounting System”) that Franchisor requires from time to time.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We and approved third parties for support will have access to your computer network at all times, including any data and information in your POS System and BOH System.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall, at its expense, submit to Franchisor: (i) each Period (as defined below), month or quarter, as determined by Franchisor, within twenty (20) days following the end of each Period, month or quarter of the Term hereof, profit and loss statements with such detail and in a format as Franchisor may…
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
Approval of a supplier may be conditioned on requirements relating to product quality, frequency of delivery, standards of service and concentration of purchases with one or more suppliers to obtain better prices and service and may be temporary, pending our further evaluation of the supplier.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 20
We created and support the following Franchisee Association: Firehouse Subs Market Fund, Inc.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We may change approved suppliers from time to time.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We and FRG negotiate with suppliers and manufacturers to receive rebates on certain items you must purchase.
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?
30Item 8
approximately 30% to 40% of your overall purchases in operating the Restaurant.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesFranchise agreement
A charge not to exceed the cost and expenses actually incurred by Franchisor to conduct any inspection, including the actual cost of testing, shall be paid by the supplier or Franchisee.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you want to use any item that does not comply with System Standards or is to be purchased from a supplier that has not yet been approved, you must first submit an approval request form, and provide sufficient information, specifications and samples for our determination whether the item complies with System…
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
authorize the transfer of such numbers and directory listings to Franchisor or at Franchisor’s direction
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall also comply with the then current Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI/DSS) as those standards may be revised by the PCI Security Standards Council, LLC or successor organization, including (i) implementing (at Franchisee’s expense) all security requirements that the PCI Security…
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall, in accordance with such requirements as Franchisor may from time to time prescribe in the Manual, participate in a guest feedback program offered through a third party service provider designated by Franchisor.
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Shall grant Franchisor and its agents the right to enter upon the premises of the Franchised Restaurant at any time during ordinary business hours for the purpose of conducting inspections;
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor retains the right to modify, add to, or rescind any requirement, standard, or specification set forth in the Manual in order to adapt the Firehouse Subs System to changing conditions, competitive circumstances, business strategies, business practices, and technological innovations and other changes that…
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 12
When you sign a Franchise Agreement for a FIREHOUSE SUBS® Restaurant, you will be granted a franchise for a specific location that must first be approved by us (the “Site”).
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 shall not, without Franchisor’s prior written consent, operate, create, register or use any domain name, website, Internet site or presence, avatar, online account or username, social media site, page, account, profile or group containing the Proprietary Marks or referencing the Restaurant, including, but…
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
You must join and actively participate in the Co-op and sign the membership documents and agreements the Co-Op requires.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase some of these products from suppliers that we approve.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
The Franchise Agreement requires that you purchase or lease and use only such equipment and supplies as we may specify or approve.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
All Royalty and System Fund Contributions applicable to the Gross Sales and other amounts owed under the Franchise Agreement, including interest charges, must be received by us or credited to our account by pre- authorized bank debit before 5:00 p.m. on the 12th day following the issuance of each invoice, or at a…
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must purchase, install, and use at your Restaurant a POS System provided by a vendor we have approved.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We and approved third parties for support will have access to your computer network at all times, including any data and information in your POS System and BOH System.
The filing answers no to 3 questions
- Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?Franchise agreement
- 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
- Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?Franchise agreement
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.
Formal HQ procurement; C-suite sponsor + cross-functional committee + IT/security/legal; often PE-backed.
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 Firehouse Subs
Firehouse Subs operates 1,291 total restaurants, of which 1,249 are franchised and 42 are company-owned. The system showed year-over-year unit growth of 3.566%. For a software vendor, the primary addressable market is the 1,249 franchised locations, which must comply with technology mandates set by the franchisor. The brand does not report an average unit volume (AUV) in the available data, and the royalty rate is 9.0% of gross sales. The initial franchise term is 10 years.
Who controls software purchasing
Software purchasing authority sits at the franchisor headquarters. The FDD identifies Michael Hancock as President. Other named executives include Director Jill Granat, Director Sami Siddiqui, Executive Chairman of Restaurant Brands International Inc. Patrick Doyle, and CEO of Restaurant Brands International Inc. Joshua Kobza. While no dedicated Chief Information Officer is listed, the President and this leadership group are the buying center for any system-wide technology decision. The operator footprint consists of 15 mapped operators, all single-unit operators, meaning no multi-unit franchisees exert significant independent purchasing influence.
Mandated and current tech stack
The FDD mandates several technology systems for franchisees. These include a back-of-house (BOH) system, the Firehouse Subs mobile app, the Firehouse Subs website, an internet accounting system, and a reporting and accounting system. The specific vendors providing the BOH, internet accounting, and reporting systems are not named in the FDD extract. This creates a clear requirement for vendors: any software sold into this system must either integrate with or replace these mandated components, and the sales process must target the HQ team that enforces these mandates.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The procurement model details from Item 8 are not available in the provided data. The renewal process, outlined in Item 17, offers a 10-year successor term but comes with significant conditions. Franchisees must execute the then-current form of franchise agreement, which may contain materially different terms, including higher royalty fees and different ownership requirements. This contractual reset point every 10 years is a natural window for the franchisor to introduce new technology requirements or change approved vendors. Vendors should align their sales cycles with these long-term contractual rhythms.
How to read the Firehouse Subs FDD
The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document is the foundational document for understanding the legal and operational constraints of this brand. Item 1 discloses the executive team. Item 11 details the mandated technology systems. Item 17 outlines the renewal terms and the franchisor's right to update requirements. The operator footprint and unit counts come from Item 20. For vendors, the FDD is a map of who to call and what problems the franchisor has already decided to solve with mandated technology. Review the embedded document to build your account-based sales strategy for Firehouse Subs.
Questions vendors ask
Firehouse Subs, answered from the filing
The FDD lists Michael Hancock as President. While a specific CIO or CTO is not named, the executive team at the Florida headquarters controls system-wide technology mandates and approvals.
The FDD mandates a back-of-house (BOH) system, an internet accounting system, and a reporting and accounting system. Specific vendor names for these systems are not disclosed in the filing.
The 2026 FDD reports 1,291 total units, consisting of 1,249 franchised locations and 42 company-owned restaurants, placing it firmly in the large quick-service restaurant segment.
The procurement model is not detailed in the provided FDD extract. The Item 8 procurement signal was not available, so whether they use designated or approved suppliers is not disclosed.
The initial franchise term is 10 years. Renewal conditions include executing the then-current agreement, which may have materially different terms, suggesting potential re-evaluation points at each 10-year cycle.
The FDD was filed with state franchise regulators in 2026. You can read the full document in the embedded PDF viewer below to conduct your own detailed analysis.
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.
View only A one-time purchase: the original filing, yours to keep.
FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Firehouse Subs files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
218 operators run 218 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit218
Top states by locations
| FL | 113 |
|---|---|
| CA | 31 |
| AZ | 21 |
| AL | 15 |
| CO | 10 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind Firehouse Subs
unknown of frg.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.