From the filings
Software purchasing at Fogo de Chão is controlled at the corporate level by the parent company, Fogo de Chão, Inc., headquartered in Texas. The 2023 FDD does not disclose any mandated or recommended technology systems, leaving the current tech stack largely unknown to outside vendors. With 48 company-owned US locations and an average unit volume of $9.37 million, the addressable market is concentrated but high-value.
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.
6%of gross sales (FY2023)
15% reference
Franchisor behaviours
25 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 5 explicit no's; 4 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?
YesItem 11
The Franchise Agreement requires that you use only the point of sale cash registers and computer systems and equipment that we prescribe for the Restaurants (“Computer System”) and that you adhere to our requirements for use.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We may independently poll your Gross Sales and other information input and compiled by your Computer System from a remote location.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
(a) Unaudited monthly profit and loss statements (in the form prescribed by Franchisor and showing the sources of all income and the amount expended each month during the period on local advertising as well as including, but not limited to, earnings before the deduction of interest, tax, and amortization expenses…
How the franchisor buys
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
However, Franchisor expressly reserves the right to, at any time during the Term and upon delivery of written notice to Franchisee, (a) require Franchisee to provide prior written notice and/or obtain Franchisor’s prior approval of any such outsourcing arrangements, and (b) elect to require Franchisee to change…
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
As of the date of this disclosure document, neither we nor our affiliates had received any revenue as a result of franchisee purchases or leases directly from us, our affiliates, or third- party 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?
0.5Item 8
We estimate that your purchases and leases from us or our designated or approved suppliers will be less than .5 percent of your total initial investment (not including the Store Franchise Fee) and approximately .5% to 1.5% of your ongoing purchases and leases in the operation of the Restaurant.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
We may charge a fee for testing, which will not exceed the reasonable cost of the inspection and the actual cost of the test.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you propose to purchase from an unapproved source any items for use in your Restaurant for which we have identified, designated, or approved supplier(s), you must request our written approval.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee will execute all forms and documents required by Franchisor, by any telephone company, or by any Internet service provider at any time to transfer those services and numbers to Franchisor.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must, at all times, be compliant with all applicable and current Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (“PCI DSS”) requirements and other data security policies that we may implement.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall permit Franchisor or its agents, at any reasonable time, access to the Franchised Restaurant to conduct inspections to ensure compliance with Franchisor’s then-current Standards.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
If amended or modified by Franchisor, Franchisee agrees that it will fully implement Franchisor’s amended Operations Manual, within a period of time prescribed by Franchisor, but in no event to exceed one (1) month after receipt of notice of such amendment or modification;
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesFranchise agreement
Once Franchisor approves the Site, Franchisee shall provide to Franchisor, at Franchisee’s expense, field measurements of the lease space, no later than ten (10) days after Franchisor approves
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesFranchise agreement
Unless otherwise approved in writing by Franchisor, Franchisee shall not establish a separate Website, but shall only have one or more references or webpage(s), as designated and approved in advance by Franchisor, within Franchisor’s Website.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
In each calendar year during the term of the Franchise Agreement, you will be required to spend up to two and one-half percent (2.5%) of your Restaurant’s Gross Sales on advertising-related expenditures.
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
In each calendar year during the term of the Franchise Agreement, you will be required to spend up to two and one-half percent (2.5%) of your Restaurant’s Gross Sales on advertising-related expenditures.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall purchase all equipment, supplies and other products and materials used in the operation of the Franchised Restaurant solely from suppliers approved in writing by Franchisor.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall purchase all equipment, supplies and other products and materials used in the operation of the Franchised Restaurant solely from suppliers approved in writing by Franchisor.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall pay Franchisor monthly one percent (1%) of Gross Sales of the prior month as the marketing fee, such fee payable within ten (10) days after the end of the month for which the marketing fee is payable.
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall establish and operate a gift card program in compliance with applicable laws and approved by Franchisor.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
Throughout the term of the Development Agreement and each Franchise Agreement, you must appoint and retain a Brand Manager and a Director of Operations (among other positions).
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Cause all employees to wear uniforms of the color, style and design prescribed by Franchisor;
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
The Franchise Agreement requires that you use only the point of sale cash registers and computer systems and equipment that we prescribe for the Restaurants (“Computer System”) and that you adhere to our requirements for use.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We may independently poll your Gross Sales and other information input and compiled by your Computer System from a remote location.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 6
You must pay our then- Training current rate for training tuition for (i) each individual in excess of six individuals attending pre-opening training, (ii) any replacement management personnel, and (iii) any individuals attending training for the second or subsequent time.
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 franchisor's owner/CEO decides; an ops or franchise-development lead may evaluate.
Fogo de Chão operates 48 US locations, all company-owned, with no franchised units reported in the 2023 FDD. The average unit volume sits at $9.37 million, and the royalty rate is 5%. The initial franchise term is 10 years, with renewal options for two additional five-year periods. For software vendors, the opportunity is a concentrated, high-revenue chain where purchasing decisions are made centrally at the Texas headquarters. The parent company, Fogo de Chão, Inc., controls all operations, meaning a single sales engagement can cover the entire US footprint.
The FDD lists several key executives in Item 1. G. Barry McGowan serves as Manager of Fogo de Chão US Franchise LLC and is Director and Chief Executive Officer of Fogo de Chão, Inc. Anthony Laday is Manager of the franchise entity and Chief Financial Officer. Richard Lenderman holds the Chief Operating Officer role, Andrew Feldmann is President, International, and Blake Bernet is General Counsel. No dedicated Chief Information Officer or Chief Technology Officer is named, but the C-suite group—particularly the CEO, CFO, and COO—likely forms the core buying center for enterprise software decisions.
The 2023 FDD does not capture any mandated or recommended technology systems. There are no named POS vendors, no required back-office platforms, and no specified digital ordering or loyalty tools in the disclosure. This absence of mandated tech means the current stack is not publicly documented through franchise filings. Vendors should approach with discovery in mind, as the chain may use proprietary or legacy systems not disclosed to regulators.
Item 8 of the FDD, which typically outlines procurement restrictions, was not extracted in the available data. Without that signal, it is unclear whether Fogo de Chão requires franchisees—if any are added—to purchase from designated suppliers or allows open-market buying. Renewal conditions in Item 17 offer some timing insight: to renew, a franchisee must sign the then-current Franchise Agreement, complete all required refurbishments, meet sales goals, and pay a renewal fee equal to 50% of the then-current Store Franchise Fee. These renewal triggers, occurring at the 10-year mark and again at 15 and 20 years, may create natural windows for technology evaluation and replacement.
The 2023 Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below for full review. It provides the legal and operational framework governing the brand, including the franchise agreement, fee structure, and executive disclosures. For software vendors, the key sections are Item 1 (the franchisor and its executives), Item 8 (procurement restrictions, though not captured here), and Item 11 (franchisor assistance, where tech mandates would appear if they existed). Use this document to verify the facts above and to identify any additional contacts or obligations relevant to a technology sale.
For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize outreach based on unit counts, growth rates, and tech gaps.
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 FOGO DE CHAO files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
1 operators run 1 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Top states by locations
| WI | 1 |
|---|
Ownership
unknown of fogo de ch o.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.