I Heart Mac and Cheese and More - RI2022I Heart Mac and Cheese and More

The vendor opportunity at I Heart Mac and Cheese

I Heart Mac and Cheese and More is a quick-service restaurant concept headquartered in Florida and part of the Mac and Cheese Franchise Group, LLC. For software vendors, the immediate addressable market is 20 total units, split between 18 franchised locations and 2 company-owned stores. While the unit count is small, the brand posted 100% year-over-year unit growth in its 2022 FDD, signaling a system in active expansion mode. The top states by operator footprint are Texas (15), Florida (11), Indiana (11), California (6), and North Carolina (6). The operator base is entirely single-unit operators: 81 mapped operators run approximately 81 located units, with zero multi-unit operators in the 2–9, 10–24, or 25+ unit bands. This fragmented ownership structure means any technology rollout must be driven and enforced from the top.

Who controls software purchasing

Technology purchasing authority sits squarely at the franchisor level. The 2022 FDD lists Stephen Giordanella as Chief Executive Officer and Kevin D. Ayers as Vice President and General Counsel. In a system of this size, the CEO and legal leadership are the likely decision-makers for any enterprise software agreement. Joseph Amodio, Vice President of Franchise Development, and Delia Valles, Director of Finance, may also influence operational and financial technology evaluations. Carlos “Max” Gonzalez, Director of Operations, is the probable stakeholder for in-store systems. Vendors should prepare to engage directly with this small HQ team rather than relying on franchisee-led adoption.

Mandated and current tech stack

The brand mandates a Proprietary Software Program, as disclosed in the 2022 FDD. No third-party point-of-sale, back-office, or operational software vendors are named in the filing. For a vendor pitching a replacement or complementary tool, the absence of named incumbents could represent an open landscape, but the proprietary mandate means any new system must either integrate with or replace the existing program. The royalty rate is 5.0% of gross sales. Average unit volume (AUV) and the initial franchise term length are not disclosed in the most recent FDD.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

Procurement signals are thin in the available data. Item 8 of the FDD, which typically outlines designated versus approved supplier requirements, did not yield an extract, so the formal procurement model remains unknown. Similarly, Item 17 renewal terms and conditions are not disclosed, making it difficult to map contract expiration cycles. The 100% unit growth rate in 2022 suggests new locations are opening frequently, which creates natural onboarding windows for technology that is baked into the opening process. Vendors should monitor new unit openings in the top states—Texas, Florida, and Indiana—as the most likely entry points.

How to read the I Heart Mac and Cheese FDD

The 2022 Franchise Disclosure Document is the authoritative source for the facts cited here. It details the executive team, unit counts, royalty structure, and the mandated Proprietary Software Program. The FDD was filed with state franchise regulators and is available in the embedded viewer on this page. For software vendors, the key items to scrutinize are Item 11 (franchisor’s assistance, including technology mandates) and Item 19 (financial performance representations), though AUV remains undisclosed in this filing. Talk to FranCloud to turn this profile into a ranked target list alongside comparable franchise systems.