QuickBooksIntuit
Mandatory(a) our designated point-of-sale system (“POS System”), two computers (minimum one desktop; the second may be a desktop or a laptop) and an additional monitor, a printer; and (b) QuickBooks accounting
From the filings
+26.316% units YoYHQ-led decisions
Hounds Town USA
Youth servicesSoftware purchasing at Hounds Town USA is controlled at the headquarters level, where the executive team—led by CEO Robert Flanagan and Chief Franchise Officer Courtney Allison—evaluates vendor solutions. The franchise currently mandates QuickBooks and QuickBooks Online by Intuit Inc. for its financial operations. With 97 total units (96 franchised) and 26.3% year-over-year unit growth, the addressable market for complementary software is expanding rapidly.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
97
96 franchised
Unit growth YoY
+26.316%
vs prior filing
AUV
$723K
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
6%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$49K
per unit
Investment range
$668K–$1.12M
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%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
2 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.
QuickBooks OnlineIntuit
MandatoryFranchises. This may include posting financial information of each franchisee on an intranet website. You must provide us oversight access to your accounting software (currently, QuickBooks online), w
FacebookMeta
nts. You may be requested to provide content for our Internet marketing, and you must follow our intranet and Internet usage rules, policies, and requirements. We will establish a Facebook page, Googl
Google Business ProfileGoogle
requested to provide content for our Internet marketing, and you must follow our intranet and Internet usage rules, policies, and requirements. We will establish a Facebook page, Google My Business Pa
InstagramMeta
tent for our Internet marketing, and you must follow our intranet and Internet usage rules, policies, and requirements. We will establish a Facebook page, Google My Business Page, Instagram account an
YelpYelp
marketing, and you must follow our intranet and Internet usage rules, policies, and requirements. We will establish a Facebook page, Google My Business Page, Instagram account and Yelp Business page f
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
32 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 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
Franchisee must use any required accounting system or pre-formatted templates prescribed by Franchisor.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We (or our designee(s)) have the right to independently access the electronic information and data relating to your Hounds Town USA Franchise, and to collect and use your electronic information and data in any manner, including to promote the System and the sale of Hounds Town USA Franchises.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall also submit to Franchisor current financial statements and any other reports Franchisor may reasonably request to evaluate or compile research and performance data on any operational or other aspect of the Hounds Town USA Business in the form and manner (including electronic communications) and at…
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We are currently the only approved supplier of Hounds Town USA branded items (including brochures, business cards, grand opening materials, etc.) and the Shadow Stoppers.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
We currently have an advisory council.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee acknowledges and agrees that Franchisor reserves the right to change its approved suppliers, including any software suppliers, at any time in its sole discretion.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
14473Item 8
We received $14,473 in revenue from the sale of products or services to franchisees during our fiscal year ended December 31, 2025.
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 rebates or other consideration from suppliers in consideration for goods or services that we require or advise you to obtain from approved suppliers, and we reserve the right to do so in the future.
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?
25Item 8
We estimate that approximately 60% to 80% of purchases required to open your Hounds Town USA Business and 25% to 35% of purchases required to operate your Hounds Town USA Business will be from us or from other approved suppliers, and under our specifications.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
We reserve the right to charge a fee to evaluate the proposed product, service, or supplier.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee may request that Franchisor approve or designate a new supplier, product or service by following the procedures and paying all required fees and expenses associated with Franchisor’s inspection of the proposed supplier, product or service for approval, as set forth in the Franchise Brand Standards Manual…
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee acknowledges that all telephone numbers, facsimile numbers, social media websites, Internet addresses and email addresses (collectively “Identifiers”) used in the operation of Franchisee’s Facility constitute Franchisor’s assets, and upon termination or expiration of this Franchise Agreement, Franchisee…
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 the then-current Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards as those standards may be revised and modified by the PCI Security Standards Council, LLC, or any successor organization or standards that Franchisor may reasonably specify.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor or Franchisor’s authorized agent shall have the right to request, receive, inspect and audit any of the records referred to above wherever they may be located.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor shall have the right to add to, delete, and otherwise modify, the Franchise Brand Standards Manual to reflect changes in authorized Products and Services, business image or the operation of the Hounds Town USA Business;
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesFranchise agreement
The Facility site and the Lease are subject to Franchisor’s written authorization, which may be granted or denied in Franchisor’s sole discretion.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 11
You may not establish or maintain any other website without our prior written approval.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must spend between $15,000 and $25,000 on post-grand opening marketing and advertising within the first three months Franchisee’s Hounds Town USA Business is open.
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 spend the following amounts on local advertising (“Local Advertising Requirement”): $5,000 per month during months 4-12; $4,000 per month during months 13-36; and 2% of Gross Sales during months 37 and after.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesItem 11
In addition to offering and accepting Hounds Town USA gift cards and loyalty cards, you must use any payment vendors and accept all payment methods that we determine.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesFranchise agreement
If Franchisor elects to form the Cooperative, or if such Cooperative already exists in the DMA, Franchisee must participate in compliance with the Franchise Brand Standards Manual, which Franchisor may periodically modify in its discretion.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesFranchise agreement
Except as otherwise provided by Franchisor, Franchisee must purchase all products, services, equipment, inventory, supplies and software from Franchisor’s designated or approved suppliers, manufacturers and distributors.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesFranchise agreement
Except as otherwise provided by Franchisor, Franchisee must purchase all products, services, equipment, inventory, supplies and software from Franchisor’s designated or approved suppliers, manufacturers and distributors.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
cards, you must use any payment vendors and accept all payment methods that we determine.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
We currently require you to pay fees and other amounts due to us and our affiliates via electronic funds transfer (“EFT”) or other similar means.
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesItem 11
You will not create or issue any gift cards/certificates, and will only sell gift cards/certificates that have been issued or sponsored by us and which are accepted at all Hounds Town USA Businesses
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
ITEM 15 OBLIGATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ACTUAL OPERATION OF THE FRANCHISE BUSINESS The Hounds Town USA Franchise shall be managed by you, or if you are an entity, by one of your owners who is a natural person with at least a twenty-five percent (25%) ownership interest and voting power in the entity (“Managing…
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Only advertising and promotional materials, services, equipment, tools, inventory, products, signage, supplies, and uniforms that meet Franchisor’s standards and specifications shall be used at the Hounds Town USA Business.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You are required to purchase a computer system that consists of the following hardware and software: (a) our designated point-of-sale system (“POS System”), two computers (minimum one desktop; the second may be a desktop or a laptop) and an additional monitor, a printer; and (b) QuickBooks accounting software and our…
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor or its designees shall have the right to independently access the electronic information and data relating to Franchisee’s Hounds Town USA Business from the Computer System and any point-of-sale systems, and to collect and use Franchisee’s electronic information and data in any manner, including to promote…
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may require Franchisee (or Managing Owner if Franchisee is an Entity) and its Designated Manager to attend system-wide refresher or additional training courses and remedial training course to correct any operational deficiencies.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee (or Franchisee’s Managing Owner, if Franchisee is an Entity) or its Designated Manager must attend mandatory annual conferences at locations Franchisor reasonably designates.
The vendor opportunity at Hounds Town USA
Hounds Town USA operates 97 total units—96 franchised and 1 company-owned—generating an average unit volume of $722,816. The system grew unit count by 26.3% year-over-year, signaling an active development pipeline that creates recurring demand for onboarding, training, and operational software. For software vendors, the addressable market is the entire franchise system: 97 locations today, with a trajectory that suggests continued expansion. The franchisor is independently owned, with no parent company on file, meaning procurement decisions are made internally without corporate overlays from a larger holding entity.
The youth-services segment, which includes pet care and dog daycare brands like Hounds Town USA, has historically under-adopted specialized vertical SaaS compared to QSR or fitness franchises. This gap represents a tangible opportunity for vendors offering scheduling, CRM, or workforce management tools that integrate with the mandated financial stack.
Who controls software purchasing
Software purchasing authority sits at headquarters. The executive team listed in the 2026 FDD Item 1 includes Robert Flanagan (Chief Executive Officer), Courtney Allison (Chief Franchise Officer), and JD Prager (Vice President of Real Estate and Construction). Founders Michael Gould and Jackie Bondanza remain on file, suggesting founder influence over strategic technology decisions. For a vendor pitching operational or financial software, CEO Robert Flanagan and CFO Courtney Allison are the likely economic buyers. JD Prager’s real estate and construction remit may also touch location-level technology that ties into site development and opening processes.
Because the franchisor mandates specific financial systems, the decision-making pattern is centralized. Franchisees are unlikely to have autonomy over core software categories that HQ has already standardized. Vendors should approach HQ with a system-wide value proposition, not a location-by-location sales motion.
Mandated and current tech stack
The 2026 FDD mandates QuickBooks and QuickBooks Online by Intuit Inc. for financial management. No other technology mandates—point-of-sale, customer relationship management, scheduling, payroll, or inventory—are disclosed in the FDD. This does not mean those categories are absent; it means the franchisor has not formalized a system-wide requirement in the disclosure document. For vendors, this is a critical signal: the financial backbone is locked in with Intuit, but adjacent categories may be open to evaluation.
The absence of a mandated POS or operational platform is notable for a franchise system approaching 100 units. As Hounds Town USA scales, the leadership team may seek to standardize additional technology layers to maintain consistency across locations. Vendors who engage now can position themselves as preferred or recommended solutions before a formal mandate is codified in a future FDD.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Procurement specifics are not detailed in the most recent FDD. Item 8, which typically outlines designated suppliers, approved supplier programs, and purchasing cooperatives, did not yield an extract in our corpus. This means the franchisor has not publicly formalized a procurement framework that would constrain or channel vendor selection. In practice, this often translates to a more open evaluation process, where vendors can engage HQ directly without navigating a pre-established preferred-vendor list.
Franchise agreements run for an initial term of 10 years, with two successor terms of 10 years each available to operators in good standing. This long-term contractual structure means that once a franchisee is onboarded with a technology stack, switching costs are high—but the renewal cycle also creates natural evaluation windows. With 26.3% year-over-year unit growth, new location openings represent the most immediate software sales opportunity, as each new unit requires a full technology setup.
How to read the Hounds Town USA FDD
The full Hounds Town USA Franchise Disclosure Document is available in the embedded viewer below. Key sections for software vendors include Item 1 (executive team and ownership structure), Item 11 (mandated technology and supplier relationships), Item 17 (renewal and term provisions), and Item 19 (financial performance representations, including the $722,816 AUV cited above). The document was filed with state franchise regulators in 2026 and reflects the most current disclosure available. For a ranked target list of franchise systems that match your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize outreach based on tech gaps, growth rates, and decision-maker profiles.
Questions vendors ask
Hounds Town USA, answered from the filing
The buying center includes CEO Robert Flanagan and Chief Franchise Officer Courtney Allison. As a franchisor with mandated financial systems, HQ controls core software decisions, making the C-suite the primary target for vendor pitches.
The 2026 FDD mandates QuickBooks and QuickBooks Online by Intuit Inc. for financial management. No point-of-sale or other operational technology mandates are disclosed, suggesting potential greenfield opportunities for vendors in those categories.
The system has 97 total units, comprising 96 franchised locations and 1 company-owned unit. This places it in the mid-sized youth-services segment with a 26.3% year-over-year growth rate.
The procurement model is not explicitly detailed in the most recent FDD. Item 8 did not yield a designated-supplier or approved-supplier signal in our corpus, so vendors should clarify purchasing requirements directly during discovery.
Franchise agreements run for an initial 10-year term, with two additional 10-year successor terms available for operators in good standing. Renewal cycles and rapid unit growth (26.3% YoY) create recurring onboarding and evaluation windows for new software.
The FDD was filed with state franchise regulators in 2026. You can review the full document using the embedded PDF viewer below, which contains the complete Item 19 financials, Item 11 tech mandates, and Item 1 executive roster.
Source
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Hounds Town USA files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
123 operators run 130 mapped locations. 7 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit116
2–9 units7
Top states by locations
| FL | 18 |
|---|---|
| TX | 17 |
| NC | 10 |
| NY | 9 |
| NJ | 9 |
Related Youth services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.