QuickBooksIntuit
Mandatorye required POS and KDS system), and there is no limit to the costs you will incur in any calendar year for these expenses. You must employ a qualified bookkeeper we approve or use QuickBooks or any ot
From the filings
+13.793% units YoYHQ-led decisions
Handel's Homemade Ice Cream
Quick service restaurantSoftware purchasing at Handel's Homemade Ice Cream is controlled at the franchisor level, where the executive team listed in the 2026 FDD includes a Chief Financial Officer and Chief Marketing Officer. The system currently mandates QuickBooks by Intuit Inc. and consists of 173 total units, 165 of which are franchised, creating a concentrated addressable market for vendors.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
173
165 franchised
Unit growth YoY
+13.793%
vs prior filing
AUV
$1.11M
Item 19, 2024
Royalty
6%
of gross sales
Ad fund
1%
national + local
Initial fee
$50K
per unit
Investment range
$405K–$1.04M
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%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
1 of these are mandated in the franchise agreement. Each is named in Item 11 of the filing, the incumbents a challenger must displace or integrate with.
DoorDashDoorDash
other direct marketing, to make any sales of Approved Products or Services outside of your Designated Territory. As of the Issue Date of this Disclosure Document, we have approved DoorDash, Uber Eats
FacebookMeta
age, profile or other presence on the Internet, or otherwise advertise on the Internet or any other public computer network in connection with the Parlor, including any profile on Facebook, TikTok, Li
InstagramMeta
ce on the Internet, or otherwise advertise on the Internet or any other public computer network in connection with the Parlor, including any profile on Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest
LinkedInLinkedIn
her presence on the Internet, or otherwise advertise on the Internet or any other public computer network in connection with the Parlor, including any profile on Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram,
PinterestPinterest
nternet, or otherwise advertise on the Internet or any other public computer network in connection with the Parlor, including any profile on Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter,
PostmatesUber
to make any sales of Approved Products or Services outside of your Designated Territory. As of the Issue Date of this Disclosure Document, we have approved DoorDash, Uber Eats and Postmates as third-p
TikTokTikTok
le or other presence on the Internet, or otherwise advertise on the Internet or any other public computer network in connection with the Parlor, including any profile on Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, In
TwitterX
otherwise advertise on the Internet or any other public computer network in connection with the Parlor, including any profile on Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube or a
Uber EatsUber
ct marketing, to make any sales of Approved Products or Services outside of your Designated Territory. As of the Issue Date of this Disclosure Document, we have approved DoorDash, Uber Eats and Postma
YouTubeGoogle
e advertise on the Internet or any other public computer network in connection with the Parlor, including any profile on Facebook, TikTok, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, YouTube or any other
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
28 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 2 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?
YesFranchise agreement
You must use the bookkeeping or other accounting software we designate.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We will have independent access to information and data that is electronically collected.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You must send us in the form we require: (a) By the fifth (5th) of each month for the term of this Agreement, a report of Gross Revenue for the previous month, as well as month-end flavor charts, on approved forms, and together with the supporting documentation we require, all verified as to accuracy and…
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We are an approved supplier of liquid flavorings for flavors of ice cream.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 11
We have the right, under the Franchise Agreement, to change the standards and specifications applicable to operation of the franchise, including standards and specifications for Approved Services and Products, equipment, signs, furnishings, supplies, fixtures, inventory, computer systems (hardware, software…
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
8747668Item 8
As of our fiscal year ending December 31, 2025, Handel's Enterprises, LLC derived $8,747,668, or 43%, of its total revenue of $20,565,082 as a result of required franchisee purchases and leases.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
In addition, some suppliers will pay us a commission based on sales of products or other items to 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?
95Item 8
We estimate that your Required Purchases will account for approximately 75% of all purchases you will make in establishing the Business and 95% of all purchases in operating the Business.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
You must pay our then-current supplier or non-approved product evaluation fee when submitting your request.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you desire to purchase products from other than Approved Suppliers, you must submit to us a written request to approve the proposed supplier.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
You acknowledge that Handel's has the sole right to, and interest in, all telephone numbers, directory listings, websites, social media and internet accounts associated with the Business.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You must take all steps, including but not limited to those related to visibility and management of your Business network, that are necessary to ensure that your Business is compliant with all data privacy and security laws and Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (PCI DSS) requirements, as such standards…
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
We will conduct, as we deem advisable, inspections of your Parlor.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 11
We have the right, under the Franchise Agreement, to change the standards and specifications applicable to operation of the franchise, including standards and specifications for Approved Services and Products, equipment, signs, furnishings, supplies, fixtures, inventory, computer systems (hardware, software…
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 12
You may only operate your Parlor from the Premises we approve.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesFranchise agreement
You may not establish any separate website or other Internet presence in connection with the Parlor, System or Marks without our prior written consent.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
You must spend up to $10,000 on advertising of the opening of your Parlor during the 30 days immediately before and 60 days immediately following the opening of your Parlor.
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 expend no less than one percent (1%) of the Gross Revenue of your Parlor each calendar month (based on the Gross Revenue of the Parlor during the preceding calendar month) on local advertising and marketing (the “Local Advertising Requirement”).
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If a Cooperative has been established applicable to your Parlor at the time you commence operations under the Franchise Agreement, you must immediately become a member of the Cooperative.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase from Approved Suppliers certain ice cream and topping ingredients, small wares, other required equipment, paper goods, cleaning supplies and other products.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesFranchise agreement
You must buy all inventory, furnishings, equipment and supplies only from suppliers we approve in writing.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
Such payment, and all other payments you are required to make under this Agreement, will be made by automatic withdrawal of such sums from your bank account into Handel’s account on the fifth (5th) day of the following month (or another interval we may designate from time to time).
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesItem 16
You must offer our gift cards and participate in our designated gift card program in your Parlor, and you must purchase your cards from us or an approved supplier.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
your Parlor must, at all times, be managed and staffed with at least one (1) individual who either (a) has successfully completed our Initial Training Program, or (b) has completed a shift manager training program provided by you or your Designated Manager (a “Shift Manager”).
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase and install, at your expense, our trade dress, all service mark decals, and equipment (including food service equipment, an 8 X 14 walk in cooler, Handel’s batch freezers, Handel’s dipping and holding cabinets, ice cream scoops, buckets, containers, Point of Sale system with kitchen display system…
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You will be required to purchase the point of sale (“POS”) system that we designate from time to time, as described in the Manuals.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We will have independent access to information and data that is electronically collected.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
You will be required to pay our then-current Training Fee for all additional training courses, as well as all costs and expenses for our instructors and/or your attendees to attend additional training.
The filing answers no to 2 questions
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 20
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?Franchise agreement
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 Handel's
Handel's Homemade Ice Cream operates 173 total units, with 165 franchised parlors and 8 company-owned locations. The brand posted 13.8% year-over-year unit growth, signaling an expanding footprint. Average unit volume sits at $1,105,844, and the royalty rate is 6% on a 10-year initial term. For software vendors, the addressable market is those 165 franchised locations, all governed by a franchisor that mandates specific technology. The system is independently owned, with no parent company on file.
Who controls software purchasing
The 2026 FDD lists the franchisor's executive team: Leonard Jerome Fisher (Chairman), Jennifer A. Schuler (Chief Executive Officer), Naveen Dasa (Chief Financial Officer), Hillary Frei (Chief Marketing Officer), and Erin Snyder (Vice President of Franchise Development). Because the franchisor mandates technology, the buying center sits at HQ. The CFO and CMO are the most likely champions or blockers for financial and customer-facing platforms, respectively. No multi-unit operator data is mapped in our corpus, so influence from large franchisees is not documented.
Mandated and current tech stack
The only system mandated in the FDD is QuickBooks by Intuit Inc. No other operational, POS, payroll, or inventory platforms are named as mandated or recommended. This creates a greenfield for vendors whose tools integrate with QuickBooks or fill gaps in the tech stack. The absence of a mandated POS, for example, means franchisees may be using a patchwork of legacy or locally chosen systems, which a vendor could consolidate if they win HQ approval.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 procurement signals are not disclosed in the available extract, so the designated supplier versus approved supplier model remains unknown. Renewal terms, however, are clear: franchisees can renew for a successive 5-year term if they comply with the Franchise Agreement, execute the then-current form of agreement, pay a $15,000 renewal fee, sign a general release, and complete required renovations. These renewal windows, tied to the 10-year initial term, create periodic moments when franchisees must modernize their operations, potentially opening the door for new software adoption.
How to read the Handel's FDD
The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document is filed with state franchise regulators and contains the legal and operational blueprint for the system. Key items for software vendors include Item 11 (mandated systems), Item 8 (procurement restrictions), and Item 17 (renewal and transfer conditions). The embedded PDF viewer below provides the full text. Use it to verify the executive team, confirm the absence of other mandated tech, and identify any supplier rebate or negotiation clauses that could affect your deal structure. For a ranked target list of franchises that match your ideal customer profile, talk to FranCloud.
Questions vendors ask
Handel's Homemade Ice Cream, answered from the filing
The buying center includes Naveen Dasa (CFO) and Hillary Frei (CMO), based on the 2026 FDD. The franchisor mandates systems, so HQ-level executives control core technology decisions.
The 2026 FDD mandates QuickBooks by Intuit Inc. No other operational or POS systems are named as mandated or recommended in the disclosure.
There are 173 total units, comprising 165 franchised locations and 8 company-owned parlors, with 13.8% year-over-year unit growth.
The procurement model is not detailed in the available FDD extract. Item 8 signals regarding designated or approved suppliers are not disclosed.
Initial terms are 10 years. Renewals are for 5 years, contingent on executing the then-current agreement and paying a $15,000 fee, creating natural re-evaluation points.
The 2026 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can read the embedded PDF viewer below for the full disclosure details.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Handel's Homemade Ice Cream files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
299 operators run 337 mapped locations. 27 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit272
2–9 units27
Top states by locations
| CA | 76 |
|---|---|
| OH | 50 |
| TX | 29 |
| UT | 15 |
| NV | 14 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind Handel's Homemade Ice Cream
parent_company of Handel’s Holdco, LLC.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.