From the filings
Software purchasing at Grimaldi's is controlled by the C-suite at its Scottsdale, AZ headquarters, with the CEO, COO, and Chief Legal Officer playing key roles. The 44-unit full-service pizza chain does not mandate any operational technology in its 2026 FDD. With only 4 franchised locations, the addressable market for multi-unit tech is limited to the 40 company-owned stores.
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.
8%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Franchisor behaviours
30 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 2 explicit no's; 2 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
(a) computer software programs and accounting system software that Franchisee must use in connection with the Computer System (“Required Software”), which Franchisee will install;
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Within ten (10) days after the end of each month, a statement of operating performance of the Franchised Restaurant, including total revenue, total sales per day part, sales tax receipts, and other revenue, expenses, and information as specified in the Manual;
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
You may only buy Proprietary Items from a designated supplier (that may include us and our affiliates)
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may from time to time modify the list of approved brands and Franchisee shall not reorder any brand that is no longer approved.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
In our last fiscal year, we did not receive any Allowances from suppliers; however, our affiliate, Coal Brick Oven Pizzeria, Inc. received Allowances totaling $14,837.67 from suppliers on account of franchisee purchases or leases of required and approved items from those suppliers.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
In our last fiscal year, we did not receive any Allowances from suppliers; however, our affiliate, Coal Brick Oven Pizzeria, Inc. received Allowances totaling $14,837.67 from suppliers on account of franchisee purchases or leases of required and approved items from those 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?
65Item 8
We estimate that the purchase of goods and services that are subject to our standards and specifications represents approximately 85% to 95% of your overall purchases in establishing and approximately 65% to 75% of your overall purchases in operating the Franchised Restaurant.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
You must pay the reasonable costs of the inspection and the actual cost of the evaluation.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If we have designated a specific supplier for a particular product or service, you may submit a written request for approval of an alternate supplier for such product or service, or you may have the supplier submit the request.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must immediately take whatever action Franchisor may require to transfer and assign to Franchisor or its designee all telephone numbers, directory listings and related advertisements associated with the Franchised Restaurant and the Marks.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee agrees to comply with Franchisor’s standards for processing electronic payments and any costs to do so are at Franchisee’s expense.
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee agrees to participate in programs initiated to verify customer satisfaction and/or Franchisee’s compliance with all operational and other aspects of the System, including a toll free number, mystery shoppers, guest surveys, or other quality assurance and evaluation programs as Franchisor may require.
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor shall have the right to conduct periodic inspections of the Franchised Restaurant to evaluate Franchisee’s compliance with the System and this Agreement.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor, in its sole discretion, shall be entitled from time to time to change or modify the System, including modifications to the Manual, the menu, including menu items and menu formats, product packaging, the System standards, approved suppliers, the required equipment, the signage, the building and premises of…
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
You must select and obtain our approval of the site for your Franchised Restaurant within 90 days after the effective date of your Franchise Agreement
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 Franchisor has agreed to it in writing, Franchisee may not use, register, maintain, or sponsor any URL, social networking platform, blog, messaging system, email account, user name, text address, mobile application, or other electronic, mobile or internet presence that uses or displays any of the Marks (or any…
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must spend at least the amount identified in Exhibit A during the Market Introduction Period.
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
You must contribute 2% of the Franchised Restaurant’s weekly Gross Sales to the Brand Fund and you must spend at least 3% of the Franchised Restaurant’s weekly Gross Sales on local advertising.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee also must participate in any “frequent guest” or customer loyalty programs that Franchisor prescribes from time to time in compliance with the policies and procedures set forth in the Manual.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If an Advertising Cooperative for the Designated Market Area (“DMA”) in which your Franchised Restaurant is located has been established when you open the Franchised Restaurant, you must immediately become a member of such Advertising Cooperative, unless otherwise agreed to by us.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You may only buy Proprietary Items from a designated supplier (that may include us and our affiliates) and you may not offer or sell any items that are similar to (but not the same as) Proprietary Items at or from your Franchised Restaurant.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesFranchise agreement
(2) Franchisee must purchase or lease approved brands, types or models of fixtures, furnishings, equipment (including coal-fired brick ovens), supplies and signs only from suppliers designated Grimaldi’s Franchise Agreement 7 04/26 or approved by Franchisor, which may include Franchisor or Franchisor’s affiliates.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
At all times, Franchisee must maintain credit-card relationships with the credit- and debit-card issuers or sponsors, check or credit verification services, financial-center services, and electronic-fund-transfer systems that Franchisor designates as mandatory, and Franchisee must not use any such services or…
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must sign and deliver to Franchisor the documents Franchisor requires to authorize Franchisor to electronically debit Franchisee’s business checking account (“Electronic Depository Transfer Account” or “EDTA”) automatically for the Royalty Fees, Brand Fund contributions, purchases from Franchisor and/or…
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must participate in programs relating to gift cards, gift certificates, stored value cards, online or mobile coupons or credits, online or mobile ordering systems, and other electronic money programs as Franchisor may prescribe from time to time.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
You must employ at the Franchised Restaurant the number of managers required by us.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
Currently, we require you to purchase the Toast point of sale system.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We have the independent right under the Franchise Agreement to retrieve data and information from your point of sale system.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 6
We may charge reasonable tuition fees in the future for these programs.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee’s Operating Principal and General Manager must attend periodic business meetings and Franchisor’s annual convention and pay any registration fees for the convention and the costs of travel and accommodations for its personnel.
Grimaldi's is a full-service pizza chain with 44 total locations, 40 of which are company-owned and 4 franchised. The system generated an average unit volume (AUV) of $2,056,543 in the most recent reporting period, with a 6% royalty on gross sales. The chain is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, and units are scattered across four states—Arizona (4), Alabama (2), Wisconsin (1), and Iowa (1). The franchise does not disclose any year-over-year unit growth in its 2026 FDD, and the operator base is entirely single-unit: 9 mapped operators manage roughly 9 located units, with no multi-unit operators.
For software vendors, the addressable market is extremely small. The 40 company-owned units represent a single-buyer opportunity controlled by the corporate headquarters. The 4 franchised units are independently owned and may make their own technology decisions, but the lack of a multi-unit franchisee base means there is no scaled operator to pitch. The total addressable unit count of 44 is among the smallest in the full-service restaurant segment.
Software purchasing at Grimaldi's is centralized at the corporate level. The 2026 FDD lists the following executives: Joseph Ciolli (Chief Executive Officer and President), Christian J. Mayled (Chief Legal Officer), Michael A. Flaum (Chief Operating Officer), Danny Breitegan (Chief People Officer), and Robert Carlson (Director of Facilities and Development). There is no Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer, or VP of IT disclosed. The C-suite trio—CEO, COO, and CLO—are the most likely decision-makers for any operational or enterprise software. The Chief People Officer may influence HR-related tools, and the Director of Facilities and Development could have a role in facilities management software. Vendors should target the CEO and COO as the primary buyers, with the CLO involved in contractual review.
The 2026 FDD does not mandate any specific technology systems. The Item 11 (Franchisor's Obligations) section, which typically lists required or recommended POS, back-office, or other operational software, does not capture any named vendors. This means the chain either does not mandate technology for its franchisees or has chosen not to disclose it. The 40 company-owned units likely use a common POS and operational stack, but the specific systems are not publicly known. Vendors selling POS, labor scheduling, inventory, or guest engagement tools should assume they will need to displace an incumbent, but no details are available to aid in a competitive analysis.
The FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement disclosure, so the chain's supplier model—whether designated, approved, or open—is not publicly documented. Without this signal, software vendors should assume a typical centralized procurement process for the 40 company-owned locations, with the corporate office making all purchasing decisions. Franchise agreements have an initial term of 10 years and a 5-year renewal term. The four franchised units are subject to these cycles. The 2026 FDD states that renewal requires compliance with the franchise agreement, a satisfactory right to remain in possession, a renovation and update of the restaurant, and signing the then-current franchise agreement (which may have higher royalty fees and advertising obligations). While no specific timing of contract expirations is available, software vendors could target the 4 franchised units around the 10-year mark or the 5-year renewal windows as potential evaluation points. However, with no year-over-year growth data and a static unit count, the overall opportunity for new software sales is limited.
The full 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document is available below. It was filed with state franchise regulators and contains the legally required disclosure items, including the franchise agreement, financial performance representations (if any), and the list of current and former franchisees. This document is the best source of truth for understanding the chain's obligations, restrictions, and the exact terms under which franchisees operate. Use the embedded viewer to search for specific terms, executive names, and technology references.
Vendors seeking a broader view of franchise opportunities can use FranCloud to generate a ranked target list of chains that match their ideal customer profile, including those with known technology mandates and multi-unit operator footprints.
Questions vendors ask
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FDD alert
We’ll email you the moment Grimaldi's files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
5 operators run 5 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Top states by locations
| AL | 2 |
|---|---|
| WI | 1 |
| IA | 1 |
Related Full service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated August 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.