BrinkPAR Technology
Mandatoryecord customer transactions and collect and generate gross sales reports (including sales by categories) for the Franchised Restaurant. In addition, (i) you must purchase or lease Brink Kitchen Displa
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Hardee's - AA
Quick service restaurantHardee's controls software purchasing from headquarters: franchisees must run either the mandated PAR Brink (with CrunchTime) POS software or Xenial Xpient, and use Olo and Punchh as the designated online-ordering and loyalty platforms. The system spans 1,571 units, 1,369 of them franchised, under parent CKE Restaurants Holdings.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
1,571
1,369 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-1.793%
vs prior filing
AUV
$1.29M
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
4%
of gross sales
Ad fund
4.25%
national + local
Initial fee
$25K
per unit
Investment range
$1.38M–$2.64M
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.
8.25%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
11 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.
CrunchTimeCrunchTime
Mandatoryg (“Computer/POS System”), as further explained in Item 11. Current approved vendors HR-AA – FDD – 05/25 30 for technology components of the Computer/POS System are PAR Tech, Inc, CrunchTime, QSR Auto
GrubhubGrubhub
Mandatoryuire you to accept and process specific customer delivery orders and we require you to use all approved third-party delivery service providers, currently Uber Eats, Door Dash, and GrubHub, if those de
OloOlo
Mandatoryprograms, including our loyalty program. We have currently designated OLO as the sole software platform provider for our online ordering program, Punchh as the sole software platform for our lo
PARPAR Technology
Mandatoryrwise in writing (“Computer/POS System”), as further explained in Item 11. Current approved vendors HR-AA – FDD – 05/25 30 for technology components of the Computer/POS System are PAR Tech, Inc, Crunc
PAR BrinkPAR Technology
Mandatory5 30 for technology components of the Computer/POS System are PAR Tech, Inc, CrunchTime, QSR Automations, Xenial Xpient (5.0 higher) and Meraki. Currently, you must use either the PAR Brink (and Crunc
PunchhPAR Technology
Mandatorytion criteria applicable to these programs, including our loyalty program. We have currently designated OLO as the sole software platform provider for our online ordering program, Punchh as the sole s
QSR AutomationsQSR Automations
Mandatory/POS System”), as further explained in Item 11. Current approved vendors HR-AA – FDD – 05/25 30 for technology components of the Computer/POS System are PAR Tech, Inc, CrunchTime, QSR Automations, Xen
Uber EatsUber
Mandatoryt to install a new cash register/point of sale system. You must participate in any online ordering and delivery programs that we may establish with approved supplier(s) (currently Uber Eats, Door Dash
XenialGlobal Payments
Mandatoryfurther explained in Item 11. Current approved vendors HR-AA – FDD – 05/25 30 for technology components of the Computer/POS System are PAR Tech, Inc, CrunchTime, QSR Automations, Xenial Xpient (5.0 hi
XpientXpient
Mandatoryr explained in Item 11. Current approved vendors HR-AA – FDD – 05/25 30 for technology components of the Computer/POS System are PAR Tech, Inc, CrunchTime, QSR Automations, Xenial Xpient (5.0 higher)
FacebookMeta
our Proprietary Marks in any internet domain name or e-mail address, in the operation of any internet web site or on a social media platform including any social networking site, Facebook, Twitter, In
InstagramMeta
rks in any internet domain name or e-mail address, in the operation of any internet web site or on a social media platform including any social networking site, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest
PinterestPinterest
internet domain name or e-mail address, in the operation of any internet web site or on a social media platform including any social networking site, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube,
SnapchatSnapchat
or e-mail address, in the operation of any internet web site or on a social media platform including any social networking site, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Snapchat, Vine, blogs
TwitterX
ietary Marks in any internet domain name or e-mail address, in the operation of any internet web site or on a social media platform including any social networking site, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram,
YouTubeGoogle
main name or e-mail address, in the operation of any internet web site or on a social media platform including any social networking site, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, YouTube, Snapchat, V
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
29 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 1 explicit no; 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?
YesItem 11
You also must use an approved software program for the Computer/POS System.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
a monthly profit and loss statement and balance sheet for the Franchised Business (both of which may be unaudited) within 30 days after the end of each month, and (ii) a quarterly profit and loss statement and balance sheet for Franchisee (both of which may be unaudited) within 30 days after the end of each fiscal…
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We may establish commissaries and distribution facilities owned and operated by us or an affiliate that we will designate as an approved supplier.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 20
The Independent Hardee’s Franchisee Association (“IHFA”) is an independent organization currently comprised of approximately 50 Hardee’s franchisees, representing approximately 1,300 franchised Hardee’s Restaurants.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We reserve the right to change the master distributors.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
33000000Item 8
Additionally, during our fiscal year ended January 27, 2025, we and our affiliates’ revenue from all sales and leases to Hardee’s franchisees was approximately $33 million, which represented approximately 4.9% of the total revenue of the
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We and our affiliates may receive fees, payments, commissions, field-of-use license royalties or other consideration from approved suppliers based on sales to franchisees, from promotional allowances and volume discounts.
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
Approximately 90% of your purchases or leases of fixtures, furnishings, equipment, décor, signs, food items, ingredients, supplies and other products in connection with the establishment of the Franchised Restaurant must be purchased in accordance with our specifications or from approved suppliers.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
We may charge non-approved suppliers reasonable testing and/or inspection fees.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you propose to purchase any goods or materials from a supplier that we have not previously approved, you must notify us and submit to us or a designated independent testing laboratory, at your expense, the information, specifications and samples as we reasonably request.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall furnish HR, within 30 days after the effective date of termination or expiration, evidence (certified to be true, complete, accurate and correct by an authorized officer of Franchisee) satisfactory to HR of Franchisee’s compliance with Sections 22.A. through 22.F.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must comply with Point to Point Credit Encryption Standards (“P2PE”) and the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (“PCI DSS”) at all times and engage any vendor that we designate to ensure the security of your data and compliance with P2PE and PCI DSS.
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 (but not limited to) secret shoppers, customer survey, or other Quality Assurance (“QA”) or similar programs as HR may require.
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
Conduct inspections of the Franchised Restaurant
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 11
We may change or modify the Hardee’s System, including modifications to the OPM, required training program, the menu and menu formats, the required equipment, the signage, the building and premises of Franchised Restaurants (including the trade dress, décor and color schemes), the presentation of the Proprietary…
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
You select the site for your Franchised Restaurant, subject to our acceptance.
Marketing
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall spend for approved LSM, on a monthly basis, the difference between Franchisee’s APO and the amount Franchisee contributes to HNAF, a Regional Co-op or some other advertising fund as HR may direct Franchisee to pay.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
During the term of this Agreement and any renewal term(s), Franchisee agrees to participate in all customer loyalty program(s) implemented by HR.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If your Franchised Restaurant is in an area covered by a Regional Co-op, currently, you are required to contribute a minimum of 0.5% of Hardee’s Gross Sales to the Regional Co-op; however, the Regional Co-op can vote to increase each member’s contribution.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
Most food items and other goods that you are required to purchase will be purchased from a master distributor.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall purchase or lease approved brands, types or models of fixtures, furnishings, equipment and signs only from suppliers designated or approved by HR, which may include HR.
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 relationships with all issuers or service providers that HR designates as mandatory, and Franchisee must refrain from using any services or providers that HR has not approved in writing or that HR has revoked its approval.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
In connection with payment of the royalty fee, advertising fees, or other amounts payable under this Agreement by electronic funds transfer, Franchisee shall:
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must participate in the Hardee’s Gift Card Program or other gift card program that HR specifies.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must, at all times, employ for the Franchised Restaurant at least one General Manager and a sufficient number of employees who have successfully completed the FMTP or HR’s then-current training as designated by HR to ensure that the Franchised Restaurant operates
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
Currently, you must use either the PAR Brink (and CrunchTime) POS software or the Xenial Xpient (5.0 or higher) POS software in operating your Franchised Restaurant.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We can access the information stored in the system, and there is no contractual limitation on our right to do so.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We reserve the right to require you to pay a tuition fee for these additional training programs as periodically established by us.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 11
Your Operating Principal or your General Manager and other personnel we designate must attend each such meeting, program, or session that we require.
The filing answers no to 1 question
- Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?Item 13
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.
Formal HQ procurement; C-suite sponsor + cross-functional committee + IT/security/legal; often PE-backed.
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 Hardee's
Hardee's operates 1,571 units, 1,369 of them franchised, in the quick-service restaurant segment. Item 19 of the FDD includes a financial performance representation: average revenue of $1,288,025 for 1,208 franchised freestanding Hardee's restaurants open the full fiscal year ($1,343,292 for 190 company-operated ones). Franchised outlets fell 1.793% year over year. Hardee's is part of CKE Restaurants Holdings, and this filing's mapped operator footprint shows a single identified operator in Wisconsin.
Who controls software purchasing
Hardee's requires a Computer/POS System of 4 POS terminals and 6 kitchen display monitors, built on PAR ES600 or PAR ES8500 terminals, and franchisees must purchase or lease Brink Kitchen Display Systems. Currently, franchisees must run either the PAR Brink (and CrunchTime) POS software or the Xenial Xpient (5.0 or higher) POS software, connected through Cisco Meraki security, wireless, and switching hardware that must be kept current. Franchisees must also purchase proprietary software programs and materials from Hardee's whenever it decides to upgrade them systemwide. Chief Supply Chain Officer Mauricio Sirgo is a relevant HQ contact for vendors.
Tech named in the FDD, and what is actually required
PAR Brink is mandated as one of two approved POS options, paired with CrunchTime as the required back-office system; Xenial Xpient is the filing's other designated POS option. PAR and PAR Tech, Inc. supply Computer/POS technology components, alongside QSR Automations and Meraki networking gear. Franchisees must participate in Hardee's online-ordering and delivery programs, currently run through Olo, Punchh's loyalty platform, and the approved third-party delivery providers Uber Eats, DoorDash, and GrubHub. Star University, the learning management system, is a required training tool.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 runs an approved-supplier list: franchisees must buy from Hardee's-approved suppliers or master distributors that meet its standards and specifications, and Hardee's may operate its own commissaries and distribution facilities as designated suppliers. Equipment, smallwares, and supplies must come from third-party vendor Wasserstrom Holdings, Inc. for negotiated pricing and revenue-sharing eligibility. The initial franchise term runs 20 years; franchisees may renew for a 10-year or 5-year term at their option, subject to good standing, retraining, remodeling, and Hardee's then-current franchise agreement.
How to read the Hardee's FDD
The embedded viewer below carries Hardee's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, including the Item 8 and Item 11 language summarized above.
Talk to FranCloud for a ranked list of franchise systems like Hardee's where the technology mandate and procurement structure line up with your product.
Questions vendors ask
Hardee's - AA, answered from the filing
Hardee's headquarters designates the required POS, back-office, online-ordering, and loyalty platforms franchisees must run. Chief Supply Chain Officer Mauricio Sirgo is a relevant HQ contact.
Franchisees must run either the mandated PAR Brink (with CrunchTime as the back-office system) or Xenial Xpient POS software, plus Meraki networking hardware. Olo runs the online-ordering program, Punchh the loyalty program, and QSR Automations is an approved Computer/POS vendor; Uber Eats, DoorDash, and GrubHub are the current required delivery providers.
1,571 total units, 1,369 franchised and 202 company-owned, in the quick-service restaurant segment.
Item 8 runs an approved-supplier list: franchisees must buy from Hardee's-approved suppliers or master distributors that meet its standards, and must purchase proprietary software programs and related materials from Hardee's directly. Equipment and smallwares must come from Wasserstrom Holdings for negotiated pricing.
The initial term runs 20 years. Franchisees can renew for a 10-year or 5-year term at their option, subject to good standing, retraining, remodeling, and a new franchise agreement — each a point to raise a technology contract. Franchised outlets fell 1.793% year over year.
The embedded PDF viewer below carries Hardee's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, including the Item 8 and Item 11 language summarized above.
Source
Read the filing itself
Every number on this page traces back to this document. Read it in full, page by page. Buy the original PDF to download, search, and annotate it.
View only A one-time purchase: the original filing, yours to keep.
FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Hardee's - AA files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
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
| WI | 1 |
|---|
Ownership
The portfolio behind Hardee's - AA
unknown of cke restaurants holdings.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated September 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.