Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
All store sales must be accounted for through the FRANCHISOR described point of sale system.
From the filings
No mandated tech stack
Gloria Jean's Coffees
Retail foodSoftware purchasing authority at Gloria Jean's Coffees is not detailed in the most recent FDD, and no HQ executives are on file to identify a specific buyer. The franchise does not mandate any named technology systems, meaning the tech landscape is largely undefined for vendors. The total number of US units is not disclosed, so the addressable market size remains unconfirmed.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
—
system-wide
Unit growth YoY
—
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2023
Royalty
—
of gross sales
Ad fund
—
national + local
Initial fee
—
per unit
Investment range
—
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
—
from the filing
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?
YesItem 11
The POS System is designed to enable us to have independent access to the information monitored by the POS System, and there is no contractual limitation on our right to access or use the information we obtain.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Within thirty (30) days following FRANCHISEE’s receipt of written request from FRANCHISOR, FRANCHISEE shall submit to FRANCHISOR financial statements for the preceding quarter, including a Balance Sheet and Profit and Loss Statement, prepared in the form and manner prescribed by FRANCHISOR and in accordance with…
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesFranchise agreement
Certain PRODUCTS may be offered by an affiliate of FRANCHISOR.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
While we are not required to submit any proposed or other expenditures by (or any other matters relating to) the Marketing Fund for approval by the Franchisee Advisory Council, if we do submit any matters for approval and approval is granted by a majority of the Franchisee Advisory Council, the approval will be final…
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
FRANCHISOR may modify specifications for and components of the Computer System 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 our affiliates have the right to receive rebates, incentive amounts, discounts, commissions and other economic benefits from unaffiliated suppliers, in addition to receiving a profit on our sales of products and/or services to you.
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?
90Item 8
We estimate that 90-100% of your expenditures for leases and purchases in establishing your GJC Store and on an ongoing basis will be for goods and services which are subject to sourcing restrictions (that is, for which suppliers must be approved by us, or which must meet our standards or specifications).
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you propose to sell any product that we have not approved or to purchase from a supplier that we have not approved, you must first notify us in writing and submit sufficient photographs, drawings, specifications, samples and/or other information concerning the product and/or the supplier.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
all telephone numbers appearing under the NAMES AND MARKS will immediately become the property of Franchisor
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
C. AUDITS Upon ten (10) days prior written notice, FRANCHISOR, its agents or representatives may
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 11
We have the right to add to and otherwise modify the Operating Manual to reflect changes in the type or quantity of authorized Products, standards of service or product quality, the operation of a GJC Store or to meet competition.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesFranchise agreement
Before acquiring a site by lease or purchase, you must submit any information and materials we request to evaluate the site and to assess your financial capability to develop the site, along with a letter of intent or other evidence of your ability to obtain 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 must not establish a Website.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
You must pay a $10,000 Grand Opening Fee to us or approved vendors for a Grand Opening advertising, marketing, and promotion package before you open your GJC Store.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesItem 8
You must use the approved Loyalty Program through our designated vendor.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
The authorized distributor is the only approved supplier of roasted coffee beans to GJC Stores.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase only from us all Products and services supplied by us, and purchase only from approved suppliers all Products and services not supplied by us.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
ITEM 6 OTHER FEES TYPE OF FEE1 AMOUNT DUE DATE REMARKS Your bank account will be debited weekly on each Royalty Fee 6% of Gross Sales.2 Thursday for the Royalty Fee due from the preceding week’s Gross Sales.3 Maximum of 3% of Gross Same time and See Item 11 for a detailed Marketing Fund Sales; currently, 2% of manner…
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesItem 8
You must participate in the gift card program we have implemented for GJC Stores.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
We require franchisees to use the TASK POS System.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
The POS System is designed to enable us to have independent access to the information monitored by the POS System, and there is no contractual limitation on our right to access or use the information we obtain.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We may also provide refresher, ongoing, or new training to you (or the Managing Owner) and experienced managers, to correct, improve and/or enhance the operation of the GJC Store.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
FRANCHISEE agrees to attend, at its sole expense, all annual and other meetings, conventions, and conference calls of franchisees that FRANCHISOR determines are mandatory for all franchisees, or groups of franchisees (as designated by FRANCHISOR in its sole discretion).
The filing answers no to 3 questions
- Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?Item 8
- Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?Franchise agreement
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
The vendor opportunity at Gloria Jean's Coffees
Gloria Jean's Coffees operates in the retail food segment, with its headquarters in California. For software vendors, the opportunity begins with understanding the franchise's structure and purchasing behavior. However, the 2023 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) leaves many traditional entry points undefined. The total number of US units—both franchised and company-owned—is not disclosed, making it impossible to size the addressable market with precision. Similarly, average unit volume (AUV) is not reported, so vendors cannot estimate per-location software budgets based on typical revenue metrics.
The absence of these figures does not mean there is no opportunity. It means vendors must rely on direct engagement with the franchisor to qualify the account. The brand appears independently owned, with no parent company on file, which may simplify outreach by eliminating layered corporate approvals.
Who controls software purchasing
The 2023 FDD does not list any HQ executives in Item 1, so the specific buying center at Gloria Jean's Coffees remains unknown. There is no CIO, VP of Technology, or procurement lead named in the document. This lack of visibility means software vendors cannot target a known decision-maker based on FDD data alone. The decision-making level—whether centralized at the franchisor, delegated to multi-unit operators, or mixed—is also unclear. No operator footprint is mapped in our corpus, so we cannot confirm if large franchisee groups influence technology choices.
In practice, this means the first step for any vendor is to identify the right contact at the California headquarters. Without a named executive, a general inquiry to the corporate office may be necessary to map the purchasing process.
Mandated and current tech stack
Gloria Jean's Coffees does not mandate any specific technology systems in its 2023 FDD. There are no named POS providers, no required back-office platforms, and no recommended software vendors. This is a critical finding for software sellers: the franchise appears to have no enforced technology stack, which could mean individual franchisees select their own tools, or that the franchisor simply does not disclose its requirements in the FDD.
Either way, the tech landscape is undefined from a vendor's perspective. If you sell POS, inventory management, loyalty, or HR software, you cannot assume an incumbent or a mandated replacement cycle. The absence of a mandate also means there is no built-in trigger for software evaluation, so vendors must create their own urgency through direct outreach.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The 2023 FDD provides no Item 8 procurement signal, leaving the franchise's purchasing model opaque. It is not clear whether Gloria Jean's Coffees designates specific suppliers, maintains an approved supplier list, or allows franchisees to purchase freely. This ambiguity extends to software procurement: without a stated policy, vendors cannot know if they need franchisor approval or can sell directly to individual locations.
Contract renewal timing is equally uncertain. The FDD does not disclose the initial franchise term length, nor does it include an Item 17 renewal signal. Without these data points, there is no way to estimate when franchise agreements come up for renewal—a common window for technology changes. Royalty rates are also not reported, so vendors cannot gauge the franchisor's revenue model or potential appetite for revenue-driving technology investments.
How to read the Gloria Jean's Coffees FDD
The 2023 FDD is embedded below for your review. It was filed with state franchise regulators and contains the full legal disclosures required under the Franchise Rule. When reading it, pay close attention to Items 1, 8, and 11 for any updates on executives, procurement policies, or technology requirements that may not have been captured in this summary. The document remains the single best source for understanding the franchise's operational mandates and purchasing structure. For a ranked target list of franchise systems that match your software category, talk to FranCloud.
Questions vendors ask
Gloria Jean's Coffees, answered from the filing
The 2023 FDD does not list any HQ executives, so the specific buying center is unknown. Vendors should inquire directly with the franchisor's California headquarters to identify decision-makers.
No mandated POS or operational technology is disclosed in the 2023 FDD. The franchise appears to leave technology choices open, with no named vendors or systems required.
The total number of US units, including franchised and company-owned, is not disclosed in the 2023 FDD. The addressable market size for software vendors is therefore unconfirmed.
The 2023 FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement signal, so it is unclear whether the franchise uses designated suppliers, an approved supplier list, or an open procurement model.
No renewal or term signals are available from the 2023 FDD. Without initial term length or renewal data, contract window timing cannot be estimated.
The 2023 FDD was filed with state franchise regulators. You can view the embedded PDF viewer below to review the document directly.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Gloria Jean's Coffees files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
36 operators run 51 mapped locations. 6 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit30
2–9 units6
Ownership
The portfolio behind Gloria Jean's Coffees
holding_vehicle of Retail Food Group.
Related Retail food brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.