FacebookMeta
s. If feasible, you may do cooperative advertising with other Great Harvest franchisees in your area, with our prior written approval. You may not maintain any business profile on Facebook, Bluesky, X
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Great Harvest Bread Co. Great Harvest Bakery Cafe
Quick service restaurantSoftware purchasing at Great Harvest Bread Co. is controlled at the franchisor level, with key decision-makers including CEO John Dikos and Director of Development Dawn S. Penecale. The 2026 FDD does not disclose any mandated or recommended technology systems, suggesting an open tech landscape for vendors. The addressable market consists of 155 franchised bakery-cafe locations across the US, all single-unit operators.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
155
155 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-1.274%
vs prior filing
AUV
$966K
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
5%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2.5%
national + local
Initial fee
$40K
per unit
Investment range
$592K–$871K
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.
7.5%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.
InstagramMeta
y do cooperative advertising with other Great Harvest franchisees in your area, with our prior written approval. You may not maintain any business profile on Facebook, Bluesky, X, Instagram, LinkedIn,
LinkedInLinkedIn
ative advertising with other Great Harvest franchisees in your area, with our prior written approval. You may not maintain any business profile on Facebook, Bluesky, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, T
YouTubeGoogle
rtising with other Great Harvest franchisees in your area, with our prior written approval. You may not maintain any business profile on Facebook, Bluesky, X, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, Threads, Ti
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
30 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 1 question 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 agrees to keep and maintain complete and accurate books and records of its transactions and business operations using the accounting procedures and chart of accounts specified by Franchisor.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
The POS System allows us to independently and remotely access all of your sales data, including your Gross Revenue, through the Internet.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Within ten (10) days after the close of each calendar month and within ninety (90) days after the close of each fiscal year, Franchisee will furnish Franchisor a full and complete written statement of income and expense and a profit and loss statement for the operation of the Franchised Business during said period…
How the franchisor buys
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
We have formed a franchise advisory group composed of franchisees that serves in an advisory capacity only with regard to marketing policies.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 11
We may in the future establish or modify the sales reporting systems as we deem appropriate for the accurate and expeditious reporting of Gross Sales, and you must fully cooperate in implementing any such system at your expense.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
79838Item 8
In our most recent fiscal year ending October 31, 2025, derived $79,838 from franchisee-required purchases, which comprised 1.4% of our total revenue of $5,577,330.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
An approved marketing vendor pays us a 30% rebate of the monthly revenue it receives from our franchisees.
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?
50Item 8
We estimate that your purchase or lease of products, supplies and services from approved suppliers (or those which meet our specifications) will represent approximately 80% - 90% of your costs to establish your Franchised Business and approximately 50% - 65% of your costs for ongoing operation.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
If you request that we 20 Great Harvest FDD 2026 A approve a proposed item or supplier, we may charge you an evaluation fee equal to our actual cost and expense of inspection and testing.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you would like us to consider another item or supplier, you must make such request in writing to us and have the supplier give us samples of its product or service and such other information that we may require.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall execute such forms and documents, including the Internet Advertising, Social Media, Software, and Telephone Listing Agreement contained in Attachment 7 hereof, to appoint Franchisor its true and lawful attorney-in-fact, with full power and authority, for the sole purpose of assigning to Franchisor…
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee is solely responsible for maintaining the security and integrity of the computer and payment processing systems used in the Franchised Business and the customer and other data stored therein and shall comply with all data protection, privacy, or security laws as well as then-current Payment Card Industry…
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
conduct inspections of your Franchised Business, at the frequency and duration that we deem advisable.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 17
we may 19.1.4 and 21.12 change the Operations Manual and System standards at any time.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesFranchise agreement
No site may be used for the location of the Franchised Business unless it is approved in writing by Franchisor.
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 establish any website or other listing on the internet except as provided and specifically permitted herein.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
We require you to spend a minimum of $12,000 on opening advertising and promotional activities beginning at least 15 days prior to, and for 90 days following, the opening of your Franchised Business.
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
Thereafter, you must spend a minimum of 2% of your Gross Sales each month on advertising for the Franchised Business in your Territory.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
Participate in, accept and honor all loyalty program cards or memberships, promotional coupons, gift cards, or other System-wide offers, on a uniform basis, as accepted by other franchisees in the System.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase all equipment, furniture, fixtures, ingredients, supplies and services from our approved suppliers and contractors or in accordance with our specifications.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase all equipment, furniture, fixtures, ingredients, supplies and services from our approved suppliers and contractors or in accordance with our specifications.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must purchase and use the POS System we specify, and have the latest versions of hardware, software and computer platforms to operate the POS System.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall, by the Tuesday immediately following the submission of the Gross Sales Report, pay Franchisor the Royalty Fee and the Brand Fund Contribution, as defined and more particularly described in Article 13, then due.
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesFranchise agreement
Participate in, accept and honor all loyalty program cards or memberships, promotional coupons, gift cards, or other System-wide offers, on a uniform basis, as accepted by other franchisees in the System.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall designate and retain at all times a general manager (“General Manager”) to direct the operation and management of the Franchised Business premises.
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall use its best efforts to ensure that Franchisee’s employees maintain a neat and clean appearance, including adherence to Franchisor’s standards for dress and uniforms, and render competent and courteous service to customers of the Franchised Business.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must purchase and use the POS System we specify, and have the latest versions of hardware, software and computer platforms to operate the POS System.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
The POS System allows us to independently and remotely access all of your sales data, including your Gross Revenue, through the Internet.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 6
Remedial Training Fee Our then-current per As incurred We may impose this fee, payable to diem rate for each us, if you request additional trainer, plus travel training at your premises from and other expenses. time-to-time, or if you are Our current rate is operating below our standards and $500 per day. we require…
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 11
If we require it, you must attend mandatory additional training course(s) for up to 5 days per year and a national business meeting or systemwide franchisee convention for up to 3 days per year at location(s) we designate.
The filing answers no to 3 questions
- Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?Item 8
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?Item 11
- 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.
HQ leadership: CEO/President + VP Ops/Franchise + a first dedicated IT/systems owner.
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 Great Harvest Bread Co.
Great Harvest Bread Co., also operating as Great Harvest Bakery Cafe, is a quick-service restaurant franchise with 155 locations across the United States. All units are franchised; no company-owned stores are reported in the 2026 FDD. The system is composed entirely of single-unit operators—38 mapped operators run approximately 38 located units, with no multi-unit franchisees on file. Top states by unit count are Utah (7), Illinois (3), Idaho (3), California (3), and Virginia (3).
For software vendors, the addressable market is 155 bakery-cafe locations. Average unit volume sits at $965,873, and the royalty rate is 5.0%. The system saw a year-over-year unit growth of -1.274%, indicating a slight contraction. This is a mature, stable franchise system where technology sales cycles will likely depend on HQ-level decisions rather than multi-unit franchisee influence.
Who controls software purchasing
Software purchasing authority at Great Harvest Bread Co. rests at the franchisor level. The 2026 FDD lists five key executives in Item 1: John Dikos (Chief Executive Officer), Jennifer Giem (Controller), Dawn S. Penecale (Director of Development), Brennan Juden (Consumer & Franchise Outreach Manager), and Jeff Evans (Director of Bakery Cafe Training). No dedicated Chief Information Officer or VP of Technology is named. For vendors, the most relevant initial contacts are likely CEO John Dikos and Director of Development Dawn S. Penecale, who would oversee system-wide initiatives and vendor relationships. The absence of a named technology executive suggests that software purchasing decisions may be handled by the CEO or Controller directly.
Because the system is 100% single-unit operators, individual franchisees are unlikely to have independent software purchasing authority. Vendors should expect a top-down sales motion, starting with HQ relationship-building.
Mandated and current tech stack
The 2026 FDD does not mandate or recommend any specific technology systems. No POS provider, back-office platform, online ordering vendor, or loyalty system is named in the filing. This is a critical signal for software vendors: the tech stack appears to be open, with no franchisor-imposed standards disclosed. This creates an opportunity to pitch solutions directly to HQ for potential system-wide adoption, but it also means there is no publicly documented incumbent to displace.
Vendors should approach discovery calls prepared to map the current technology landscape from scratch, as the FDD provides no visibility into what franchisees are using at the unit level.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 of the FDD, which typically discloses procurement obligations and designated suppliers, was not extracted in the available data. The procurement model—whether designated supplier, approved supplier, or fully open—is therefore not disclosed. Vendors should clarify this directly in initial conversations with HQ.
Franchise agreements run for an initial term of 10 years. Renewal is available for an additional 10-year term if the franchisee is in good standing, unless the franchisor has determined, in its sole discretion, to withdraw from the geographical area. With 155 units and slightly negative unit growth, the pace of new openings is slow, meaning renewal-driven technology evaluations may be the primary window for vendor engagement. However, the single-unit operator structure means that any system-wide technology change would likely require a strong HQ mandate and rollout support.
How to read the Great Harvest Bread Co. FDD
The 2026 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators and is the definitive source for understanding the franchise system's legal and operational requirements. For software vendors, the most relevant sections are Item 1 (executive team), Item 8 (procurement obligations), and Item 11 (franchisor assistance, including any mandated technology). The embedded PDF viewer below provides full access to the document. Review it to verify executive contacts, procurement rules, and any technology obligations that may not be captured in this summary. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help.
Questions vendors ask
Great Harvest Bread Co. Great Harvest Bakery Cafe, answered from the filing
Key contacts include CEO John Dikos and Director of Development Dawn S. Penecale. The FDD lists no dedicated IT or procurement officer, so initial outreach to these executives is the likely path for software vendors.
The 2026 FDD does not mandate or recommend any specific POS, operational, or other technology systems. This indicates a potentially open environment for vendor pitches.
There are 155 total units, all franchised. No company-owned units are reported. The system is entirely single-unit operators, with no multi-unit franchisees on file.
The 2026 FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract. The model—whether designated supplier, approved supplier, or open—is not disclosed in the available filing.
Franchise agreements run for an initial 10-year term. Renewals are for an additional 10 years if in good standing. With 155 units and slight negative unit growth, renewal-driven tech evaluation cycles may be limited.
The 2026 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can read the full document using the embedded PDF viewer below to analyze tech mandates, procurement rules, and executive contacts directly.
Source
Read the filing itself
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Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
38 operators run 38 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit38
Top states by locations
| UT | 7 |
|---|---|
| IL | 3 |
| ID | 3 |
| CA | 3 |
| VA | 3 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind Great Harvest Bread Co. Great Harvest Bakery Cafe
unknown of gh legacy holdings.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.