Global PaymentsGlobal Payments
Mandatoryd Program You must, at your expense, participate in, and honor all provisions of our gift card program and use our designated provider for gift card processing, which currently is Global Payments. 202
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
JL Beers
Quick service restaurantSoftware purchasing decisions at JL Beers are controlled at the headquarters level in North Dakota. The brand mandates SpotOn for its POS and workstation terminals, alongside Global Payments for processing and gift cards. With only 10 total units, the addressable market is small, but the mandated tech stack creates a clear replacement or integration opportunity for vendors who can demonstrate value to the executive team.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
10
3 franchised
Unit growth YoY
0%
vs prior filing
AUV
$1.44M
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
4%
of gross sales
Ad fund
0.5%
national + local
Initial fee
$50K
per unit
Investment range
$2.12M–$3.91M
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.
4.5%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.
SpotOnSpotOn
Mandatoryr our affiliate, JLBA, may be an approved supplier of one or more of these items. Computer Hardware and Software We currently require you to purchase the POS System (including the SpotOn software) fro
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
24 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 4 explicit no's; 6 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
During the term of this Agreement, you will, at your expense, maintain at the Restaurant premises and retain for a minimum of five (5) years from the date of their preparation, complete and accurate books, records and accounts (using such methods and systems of bookkeeping and accounting as we may require) relating…
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 certain operational and financial information and data produced by your POS System.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
Our affiliate, JLBA received approximately $93,808 in gross revenue in fiscal year 2025 (based on JLBA’s unaudited income statement for fiscal year 2025) from franchisee purchases or leases of goods, products and services from JLBA
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 11
We have the right in the future to designate suppliers of the POS System in place of or in addition to Partners Matter.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
In the year ending December 31, 2025, we did not receive any revenue as a result of franchisee purchases.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We (directly or through an affiliate) may derive revenue directly or in the form of rebates or other payments from suppliers, based directly or indirectly on sales of Products, advertising materials and other items to franchisees, and from other service providers.
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?
70Item 8
We estimate that the purchase or lease of Products, equipment, software, signs, fixtures, furnishings, supplies, advertising and sales promotions materials and other items which meet our specifications will represent approximately 80% to 95% of the cost to develop the Restaurant and 70% to 90% of the cost to operate…
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
You must pay the reasonable cost of the inspection and evaluation and the actual cost of the test.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you propose to use any products, material, fixture, equipment, sign or other item which we have not approved, or purchase any items from any supplier that we have not approved, you must first notify us in writing and must provide us with sufficient information, specifications, samples photographs, drawings or…
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
You acknowledge that we have the sole right to and interest in all telephone numbers and directory listings associated with the Marks, and you authorize us, and appoint us as your attorney-in-fact, to direct the telephone company and all listing agencies to transfer such numbers and listings to us;
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
To determine whether you are complying with this Agreement, we may, at any time during business hours and without prior notice to you, inspect the Restaurant and test, sample, inspect and evaluate your supplies, ingredients and Products as well as the storage and preparation of those items.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
We may add to, and otherwise modify, the Operations Manual to reflect changes in authorized Products and services, and specifications, standards and operating procedures of a JL Beers® restaurant.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesFranchise agreement
The proposed location is subject to our prior written consent, which will not be unreasonably withheld.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesFranchise agreement
Except as we may authorize in writing, however, you will not: (1) link or frame our website; (2) conduct any business or offer to sell or advertise any Products or similar products or services on the Internet (or any other existing or future form of electronic communication) including e-mail marketing or other…
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesItem 11
You are required to participate in our gift card program through Global Payments.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase for use or sale at your Restaurant those food products used in or sold at your Restaurant (“Products”) and other services or products we designate from us, our designees or from other suppliers we approve.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We currently require you to purchase the POS System (including the SpotOn software) from our designated supplier, currently Partners Matter.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You are required to participate in our gift card program through Global Payments.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
We will require you to sign electronic transfer of funds authorizations and other documents as we periodically designate to authorize your bank to transfer, either electronically or through some other method of payment we designate, directly to our account and to charge your account for all Royalty Fees, Production…
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesItem 8
You must, at your expense, participate in, and honor all provisions of our gift card program and use our designated provider for gift card processing, which currently is Global Payments.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
at all times, the Restaurant must be under the direct, on-site supervision of the Operating Principal or a general manager.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must purchase the SpotOn point-of-sale system (“POS System”) we designate from our designated third-party supplier, currently Partners Matter, or from another source or sources we designate.
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 certain operational and financial information and data produced by your POS System.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesFranchise agreement
We may require that the Operating Principal, any general manager, any bar supervisor, or any kitchen supervisor attend all supplemental and refresher training programs that we designate for up to seven (7) days each calendar year.
The filing answers no to 4 questions
- Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?Franchise agreement
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 20
- Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?Item 7
- Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?Item 11
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.
The franchisee/operator personally, or a small franchisor still owner-run. Wears every hat.
OwnerCEOPresidentPrincipal
- 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%.
- 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.
- 97.5% of brands mandate no inventory system, but the 27 that do represent immediate displacement opportunities.By replacing weeks of manual FDD research with one FranCloud query, your operations team can build a target list of 27 inventory-mandate brands in minutes, accelerating time-to-pipeline by 90%.
The vendor opportunity at JL Beers
JL Beers operates a compact system of 10 locations, with 7 company-owned restaurants and 3 franchised units. The brand is headquartered in North Dakota and has a footprint concentrated in that state and Minnesota. For software vendors, the total addressable market is limited to these 10 units. However, the franchisor exerts strong control over technology choices, mandating specific systems across the network. This centralization means a single successful sale to the HQ team can unlock the entire system.
The average unit volume sits at $1,435,768.77, with a 4.0% royalty rate and a 15-year initial franchise term. The brand shows no year-over-year unit growth disclosed in the latest data, and all known franchisees are single-unit operators. This is a small, stable target where a vendor's pitch must focus on operational efficiency and ROI for the existing base rather than rapid scaling.
Who controls software purchasing
Purchasing authority at JL Beers rests with the headquarters leadership. The 2026 FDD identifies Lance Thorson as President, Warren Ackley as Vice President, and Randy Thorson as Secretary/Treasurer. Shawn Thorson serves as a Director, and Vonnie Birmingham is the Director of Franchising. Given the system's size and the mandated nature of its tech stack, any software evaluation or procurement decision will almost certainly involve this tight executive group. Vendors should direct their outreach to the President or Vice President, as they are the most likely decision-makers for operational and financial technology.
Mandated and current tech stack
JL Beers mandates a specific technology stack for its locations. The FDD requires franchisees to use SpotOn software and SpotOn Workstation terminals. For payment processing, the system mandates Global Payments, which also provides the gift card program. This is a fully locked-in environment from a POS and payments perspective. A vendor selling complementary software—such as inventory management, scheduling, or accounting tools—must ensure seamless integration with SpotOn and Global Payments. A vendor selling a competing POS or payment solution faces the high hurdle of displacing a mandated, system-wide standard.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The FDD does not include an Item 8 extract detailing procurement restrictions, so the specific supplier qualification process is not publicly known. Vendors should be prepared for a designated or approved supplier model, which is common when a franchisor mandates specific systems. The franchise agreement's renewal structure offers a potential trigger for technology reviews. Franchisees in good standing can renew for two additional 5-year terms, but they must sign a new agreement that may contain materially different terms, including updated technology requirements. This contractual reset point is the most likely window for a vendor to influence a change or addition to the mandated stack.
How to read the JL Beers FDD
The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document provides the definitive source for understanding JL Beers's technology mandates, purchasing rules, and executive leadership. The embedded viewer below contains the full filing. Key sections for software vendors include Item 11 for the franchisor's obligations regarding mandated systems, Item 1 for the executive team, and Item 17 for renewal conditions that may signal future tech evaluation periods. For a ranked list of franchise brands that match your ideal customer profile, including detailed technology and procurement insights, FranCloud can help.
Questions vendors ask
JL Beers, answered from the filing
The FDD lists President Lance Thorson and Vice President Warren Ackley as key officers. Given the small size and HQ mandates, purchasing authority likely sits with this executive group.
JL Beers mandates SpotOn software and SpotOn Workstation terminals, along with Global Payments for payment processing and its gift card program, per the 2026 FDD.
The system has 10 total units: 7 company-owned and 3 franchised. All known locations are in North Dakota (2) and Minnesota (1).
The FDD does not disclose a specific procurement model in the provided extract. Vendors should assume designated or approved supplier requirements may exist and verify directly.
With a 15-year initial term and renewal options for two additional 5-year terms, contract windows are infrequent. The renewal process requires a new agreement, which could trigger a tech review.
The 2026 JL Beers FDD was filed with state franchise regulators. You can review the full document using the embedded PDF viewer below to analyze the tech and procurement details yourself.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment JL Beers files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
3 operators run 3 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit3
Top states by locations
| ND | 2 |
|---|---|
| MN | 1 |
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Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.