From the filings

HQ-led decisions

Ghost Kitchen

Quick service restaurant

Software purchasing at Ghost Kitchen is controlled by a lean HQ team led by CEO Massimo Noja De Marco and Head of Franchise Systems and Development David Sarner. The brand currently mandates Soigne as its operational tech platform across a single franchised location. Vendors evaluating this account should understand the centralized decision-making structure and the narrow but potentially growing addressable market.

For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.

Live signals

Total units
1
1 franchised
Unit growth YoY
—
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2023
Royalty
0%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$40K
per unit
Investment range
$194K–$515K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
2 years
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.

2%of gross sales (FY2023)

Ongoing fees: 2% of gross sales (FY2023)Royalty 0%, Ad fund 2%. Total 2% of gross sales. Drawn against a 15% reference scale.

15% reference

Royalty 0%Ad fund 2%

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.

FacebookMeta
MarketingItem 13

c media, including the Internet, or any social media, for viewing by the public that contains our registered trademarks without our prior written approval. You may not establish a Facebook®, MySpace®,

InstagramMeta
MarketingItem 13

e public that contains our registered trademarks without our prior written approval. You may not establish a Facebook®, MySpace®, SnapChat®, TikTok®, or similar page, post through Instagram® or on You

SnapchatSnapchat
MarketingItem 13

e Internet, or any social media, for viewing by the public that contains our registered trademarks without our prior written approval. You may not establish a Facebook®, MySpace®, SnapChat®, TikTok®,

TikTokTikTok
MarketingItem 13

or any social media, for viewing by the public that contains our registered trademarks without our prior written approval. You may not establish a Facebook®, MySpace®, SnapChat®, TikTok®, or similar p

TwitterX
MarketingItem 13

®, SnapChat®, TikTok®, or similar page, post through Instagram® or on YouTube®, or utilize other, similar social media, without our prior written approval. You may not establish a Twitter® feed or oth

YouTubeGoogle
MarketingItem 13

tains our registered trademarks without our prior written approval. You may not establish a Facebook®, MySpace®, SnapChat®, TikTok®, or similar page, post through Instagram® or on YouTube®, or utilize

Franchisor behaviours

What the franchisor requires

26 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 5 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?

Yes

Item 11

You must purchase and use the complete computer software services and electronic cash register/point-of-sale system (i.e., the “POS System”) we require, which we have the right to change at any time.

Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?

Yes

Franchise agreement

Ghost Kitchen has the right to independently access any and all information on your POS System, at any time, without first notifying you.

Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?

Yes

Franchise agreement

You shall submit to Ghost Kitchen, on or before the fifteenth (15th) day following the end of each month, financial reports on the income and expenses of the Ghost Kitchen restaurant in the format specified in the Manual.

How the franchisor buys

Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?

Yes

Franchise agreement

We may become an approved supplier, and/or the only supplier, for any item, product, good and/or service at any time.

Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?

Yes

Item 8

We have the right to require you to purchase any items or services necessary to operate your Franchised Business from a supplier that we approve or designate (each, an “Approved Supplier”), which may include us.

How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?

0

Item 8

In our last fiscal year, ending on December 31, 2022, we received $0 in revenue from all required purchases and leases of products and services by franchisees, including purchases of items to be resold in the Kitchen, and rebates we receive from third-parties.

Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?

Yes

Item 8

We 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?

50

Item 8

We estimate that your Required Purchases, purchases from Approved Suppliers and purchases that must meet our specifications in total will be about 50% of your total purchases to establish the Kitchen and about 50% of your purchases to continue the operation of the Kitchen.

Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?

Yes

Item 8

You must pay our then- current supplier or non-approved product evaluation fee when submitting your request, as well as cover our costs incurred in evaluating your request.

Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?

Yes

Item 8

We may, but are not obligated to, grant your request to: (i) offer any products or services in connection with your Franchised Business 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?

Yes

Item 11

You acknowledge and agree that we will own all rights and interest in each telephone number (regardless of whether such telephone number pre-existed any Franchise Agreement) and telephone directory listing, email address, domain name, social media platform, and comparable electronic identify that is associated in any…

Data and IT

Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?

Yes

Franchise agreement

You shall at all times be compliant with all Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, any and all requirements imposed by all applicable payment processors and payment networks, including credit card and debit card processors, and any and all state and federal laws, rules and regulations relating to data…

Franchise management

Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?

Yes

Franchise agreement

You must present customers with such evaluation cards or forms as the Franchisor may periodically prescribe, for return by the customers to Ghost Kitchen.

Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?

Yes

Franchise agreement

Ghost Kitchen and/or its designated agents or representatives may conduct periodic quality control and records inspections of the Ghost Kitchen restaurant at any time during the Term.

Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?

Yes

Franchise agreement

Ghost Kitchen will revise the Manual periodically, at its discretion to conform to the changing needs of the Franchise Network and will distribute updated pages containing these revisions to You from time-to-time.

Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?

Yes

Item 14

We must approve your site before you open your Ghost Kitchen Business franchise.

Marketing

Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?

Yes

Franchise agreement

Unless otherwise approved in writing by Ghost Kitchen, You shall not establish a separate Website.

Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?

Yes

Franchise agreement

You shall spend at least two-thousand ($2,000) on a grand opening advertising program conducted in accordance with the guidelines for such a program in the Manual, in addition to Your regular monthly Local Advertising pursuant to Section 7.6.2 of this Agreement.

Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?

Yes

Item 11

You are, however, required to spend at least 1% of Gross Revenues per month on local advertising each month, as outlined in Item 6 of this Franchise Disclosure Document.

Payments

Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?

Yes

Franchise agreement

Payment of royalties and fees shall be made by electronic funds transfer or direct deposit.

Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?

Yes

Item 8

Currently, we require to you to utilize Soigne POS:

People

Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?

Yes

Franchise agreement

However, another employee who has successfully completed Ghost Kitchen initial training program shall be present at the Kitchen whenever the Ghost Kitchen restaurant is open for business.

Point of sale

Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?

Yes

Item 11

You must purchase and use the complete computer software services and electronic cash register/point-of-sale system (i.e., the “POS System”) we require, which we have the right to change at any time.

Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?

Yes

Item 11

Franchisor will have 24 Ghost Kitchens America Inc. FDD – May 15, 2023 independent access, with no contractual limits, to the information generated and stored in the point of sale or computer system.

Training

Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?

Yes

Item 6

We may charge you for training newly-hired personnel; for refresher training courses; for the annual convention; and for additional or special Additional Training assistance or training or Assistance

Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?

Yes

Item 14

If and when we do, you (or your Operating Principal) must attend a regional or national conference, which shall not occur more than one time per year.

The filing answers no to 3 questions
  • Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 11
  • Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
  • Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?Item 8

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.

Sales LeaderSingle 1 19

The franchisee/operator personally, or a small franchisor still owner-run. Wears every hat.

OwnerCEOPresidentPrincipal
  1. 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%.
  2. 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.
  3. 97.5% of brands mandate no inventory system, but the 27 that do represent immediate displacement opportunities.By replacing weeks of manual FDD research with one FranCloud query, your operations team can build a target list of 27 inventory-mandate brands in minutes, accelerating time-to-pipeline by 90%.

The vendor opportunity at Ghost Kitchen

Ghost Kitchen is a quick-service restaurant concept headquartered in New York. According to its 2023 Franchise Disclosure Document, the system consists of exactly one franchised unit. The number of company-owned locations is not disclosed. Year-over-year unit growth and average unit volume are also not reported in the most recent FDD. For software vendors, this is a micro-cap account: a single-location franchise system with centralized purchasing control and a known technology mandate. The opportunity lies in building an early relationship with HQ decision-makers before any expansion occurs.

Who controls software purchasing

The 2023 FDD lists two executives in Item 1: Massimo Noja De Marco, Chief Executive Officer, and David Sarner, Head of Franchise Systems and Development. In a system this small, software purchasing authority almost certainly rests with these two individuals. Sarner’s title explicitly includes franchise systems, making him the most likely point of contact for any technology evaluation. There is no CIO, CTO, or VP of IT named in the disclosure. Vendors should expect a direct, founder-led buying process rather than a formal RFP-driven procurement cycle.

Mandated and current tech stack

Ghost Kitchen mandates Soigne as its operational technology platform. The FDD does not disclose any other required or recommended software systems. Soigne’s presence as the sole mandated vendor suggests the brand has standardized on a single stack for its kitchen and operational workflows. For vendors selling complementary or replacement technology, understanding Soigne’s integration points and feature gaps will be essential to any pitch. No POS, payroll, inventory, or HRIS systems are named beyond Soigne.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

The FDD does not include an Item 8 extract, so Ghost Kitchen’s procurement model—whether designated supplier, approved supplier, or open—is not publicly known. The initial franchise agreement runs for 10 years. Renewal is available for an additional 5 years, provided the franchisee is in good standing, gives timely advance notice, signs a new Franchise Agreement that may contain materially different terms, is current on payments, signs a release, and modernizes the kitchen to meet then-current standards. This renewal structure means any software contract tied to the franchise term could have a long initial lock-in, with re-evaluation windows tied to the 5-year renewal cycle.

How to read the Ghost Kitchen FDD

The 2023 Ghost Kitchen FDD is embedded below for full reference. It was filed with state franchise regulators and contains the legal and operational disclosures required under the FTC Franchise Rule. Key sections for software vendors include Item 1 (executives), Item 11 (mandated systems and suppliers), Item 8 (procurement restrictions), and Item 17 (renewal and termination). Because the system is so small, the FDD provides a concentrated view of exactly who decides and what is already in place. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help.

Questions vendors ask

Ghost Kitchen, answered from the filing

CEO Massimo Noja De Marco and Head of Franchise Systems and Development David Sarner are the key executives listed in the 2023 FDD. Decisions appear centralized at HQ given the single-unit system.
The 2023 FDD mandates Soigne as the operational technology platform. No other mandated systems or vendors are disclosed.
Ghost Kitchen has 1 total unit, which is franchised. Company-owned unit count is not disclosed in the 2023 FDD.
The 2023 FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract, so the designated-supplier versus approved-supplier model is not publicly disclosed.
The initial franchise term is 10 years. Renewal terms are 5 years, contingent on good standing, modernization, and signing a new agreement that may differ materially.
The 2023 FDD was filed with state franchise regulators. You can view the embedded PDF viewer below to review the full disclosure document.
Source

Read the filing itself

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Ghost Kitchen2023 FDDView only

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FDD alert

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The brands you can actually sell into, from the filings.

Operator footprint

Who runs the locations

1 operators run 1 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.

Operators by units owned

Single-unit1

Top states by locations

TX1

Ownership

The portfolio behind Ghost Kitchen

unknown of ghost kitchen brands.

Related Quick service restaurant brands

Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.