I Heart Mac and Cheese and More

The vendor opportunity at I Heart Mac and Cheese and More

I Heart Mac and Cheese and More is a quick-service restaurant concept headquartered in Florida and part of Mac and Cheese Franchise Group, LLC. As of the 2023 FDD, the system counts 34 total units—33 franchised and 1 company-owned—with a year-over-year unit growth rate of 83.3%. The franchise footprint is small but geographically dispersed, with operators mapped in Florida (2), Oklahoma (1), North Carolina (1), Nevada (1), and Arizona (1). All seven mapped operators are single-unit franchisees; no multi-unit operators appear in the data. For software vendors, the immediate addressable market is 34 locations, but the rapid growth trajectory signals a system in active expansion mode, where technology decisions made now could scale quickly.

Average unit volume (AUV) is not disclosed in the FDD. The royalty rate is 5.0% of gross sales. The initial franchise term length is not stated in the available extracts.

Who controls software purchasing

Purchasing authority for technology sits at the franchisor level. The FDD’s Item 1 lists the following executives: Stephen Giordanella, Chief Executive Officer; Kevin D. Ayers, Vice President and General Counsel; Joseph Amodio, Vice President of Franchise Development; Delia Valles, Director of Finance; and Carlos “Max” Gonzalez, Director of Operations. With a mandated tech stack covering POS, proprietary software, and scheduling, the CEO and Director of Operations are the most likely decision-makers or influencers for software selection. The VP of Franchise Development may also play a role if technology is bundled into the franchise onboarding process. There is no CIO or CTO listed, which is common for a system of this size.

Mandated and current tech stack

The 2023 FDD mandates three categories of technology: a Point of Sale system, a Proprietary Software Program, and scheduling software. The specific vendors behind these mandates are not named in the FDD extracts. This lack of vendor transparency is not unusual for smaller franchise systems, but it means vendors must engage directly with HQ to understand the incumbent landscape. The existence of a “Proprietary Software Program” suggests the franchisor may have developed or commissioned custom software, which could limit third-party replacement opportunities in that category. The scheduling software mandate, however, may represent an opening if the current solution is a commercial off-the-shelf product.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

Item 8 of the FDD provides no extract regarding procurement—whether the system uses designated suppliers, approved suppliers, or an open purchasing model. Given the mandated technology requirements, a franchisor-controlled or designated-supplier model is the most reasonable assumption. Vendors should be prepared to sell at the HQ level rather than to individual franchisees.

Item 17, which covers renewal, transfer, and termination, also yields no extract. The initial term length is not disclosed. Without visibility into contract cycles, vendors should focus on the system’s growth cadence as a proxy for opportunity timing. With 83.3% year-over-year unit growth, new franchisees are entering the system regularly, each representing a potential technology implementation point. The single-unit operator profile means no multi-unit rollouts are on the immediate horizon, but the parent company—Mac and Cheese Franchise Group, LLC—could influence purchasing across the brand.

How to read the I Heart Mac and Cheese and More FDD

The 2023 Franchise Disclosure Document is the primary source for understanding the legal and operational framework of the franchise system. Key items for software vendors include Item 1 (the franchisor and its executives), Item 8 (procurement restrictions), Item 11 (franchisor assistance and mandated technology), and Item 17 (renewal and termination terms). The embedded PDF viewer below provides the full document. Use it to verify the executive roster, confirm technology mandates, and assess any contractual windows that may affect software sales cycles. For a ranked target list of franchise systems aligned with your software category, reach out to FranCloud.