From the filings

HQ-led decisions

Johnny Rockets

Full service restaurant

Software purchasing at Johnny Rockets is controlled at the corporate level by FAT Brands executives, notably Chief Information Officer Drew Martin. The most recent 2025 FDD does not disclose mandated POS or operational tech systems by name. With 100 total units—98 franchised and 2 company-owned—the addressable market is concentrated but high-value, given an average unit volume of $1,643,107.

For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.

Live signals

Total units
100
98 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-2%
vs prior filing
AUV
$1.64M
Item 19, 2024
Royalty
6%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$50K
per unit
Investment range
$517K–$2.67M
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 (FY2025)

Ongoing fees: 8% of gross sales (FY2025)Royalty 6%, Ad fund 2%. Total 8% of gross sales. Drawn against a 15% reference scale.

15% reference

Royalty 6%Ad fund 2%

Mandated & recommended tech

The systems vendors compete with

Systems named in Item 11 of this filing. None is recorded as mandated here, which is not the same as the filing mandating nothing. Read Item 11 before treating the category as open.

DoorDashDoorDash
DeliveryItem 12

d at your Restaurant and you may not provide delivery services or catering services (directly or through a first party or any third party, including Uber Eats, Postmates, GrubHub, DoorDash and other p

GrubhubGrubhub
DeliveryItem 12

be filled at your Restaurant and you may not provide delivery services or catering services (directly or through a first party or any third party, including Uber Eats, Postmates, GrubHub, DoorDash and

PostmatesUber
DeliveryItem 12

erritory to be filled at your Restaurant and you may not provide delivery services or catering services (directly or through a first party or any third party, including Uber Eats, Postmates, GrubHub,

Uber EatsUber
DeliveryItem 12

Protected Territory to be filled at your Restaurant and you may not provide delivery services or catering services (directly or through a first party or any third party, including Uber Eats, Postmates

Franchisor behaviours

What the franchisor requires

20 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 11 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.

Accounting

Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?

Yes

Item 11

We and our affiliates do have independent access to the information generated and stored in your Information System.

How the franchisor buys

Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?

Yes

Item 20

Except for the Johnny Rockets Franchisee Advisory Council (Johnny Rockets Franchisee Advisory Council, 1855 Boston Road, Suite 300, Wilbraham, Massachusetts 01095, (888) 856-4669, www.johnnyrockets.com) we have not created, sponsored or endorsed any trademark-specific franchisee associations, nor has any franchisee…

Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?

Yes

Item 11

We may periodically modify specifications for and components of the Information System.

How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?

0

Item 8

During our fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, our total revenue was $12,675,000, none of which was derived from required purchases or leases from franchisees.

Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?

Yes

Item 8

We and/or our affiliates will derive revenue (to include rebates and other material consideration) on account of these purchases and leases and may impose mark-ups on products and equipment sold to and/or leased by franchisees.

Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?

Yes

Item 8

If you wish to procure any items from a supplier other than ones we have previously approved or designated, you must deliver written notice seeking approval of the supplier.

Communications

Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?

Yes

Item 17

assign to us all of your business telephone numbers.

Franchise management

Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?

Yes

Item 11

Conduct, as we deem advisable, inspections of the Restaurant and evaluations of the products sold and services rendered in and from the Restaurant.

Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?

Yes

Item 14

We may change the contents of the Manuals, but such changes will not alter your fundamental rights under the Franchise Agreement.

Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?

Yes

Item 11

You must also obtain a Site Analysis from a vendor designated or approved by us covering the proposed location, which must be in a form and must contain the information we specify.

Marketing

Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?

Yes

Item 11

In addition to contributing to the Fund, you must also spend 2% of net sales during each calendar quarter on local advertising and promotion of your Restaurant.

Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?

Yes

Item 8

You must accept MasterCard, Visa and American Express as well as such other credit and debit cards and other non-cash systems, Johnny Rockets loyalty and gift cards as we specify, and you must obtain, replace and modify all equipment required to implement the same in accordance with our policies and procedures.

Operations

Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?

Yes

Item 8

You will also purchase products from a designated vendor that GAC Supply sells to that vendor for distribution to you.

Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?

Yes

Item 8

You must purchase all furnishings (including indoor and outdoor furniture), fixtures, decor, signage, equipment, computer hardware, software, uniforms, merchandise, flat screen television monitors, menu board system, in-store music system and sound system, inventory and other supplies, food products, ingredients…

Payments

Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?

Yes

Item 8

You must accept MasterCard, Visa and American Express as well as such other credit and debit cards and other non-cash systems, Johnny Rockets loyalty and gift cards as we specify, and you must obtain, replace and modify all equipment required to implement the same in accordance with our policies and procedures.

People

Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?

Yes

Item 15

Your manager must assume responsibility for the day-to-day operation of the Restaurant, oversight of the preparation of food products, and supervision of personnel and accounting and must spend at least 40 hours per week overseeing the operation of the Restaurant.

Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?

Yes

Item 16

You must use certain uniforms approved by us.

Point of sale

Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?

Yes

Item 8

You must purchase or lease and maintain, at your own expense, only those brands, types, makes and/or models of Information Systems (defined in Item 11) that we specify.

Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?

Yes

Item 11

We and our affiliates do have independent access to the information generated and stored in your Information System.

Training

Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?

Yes

Item 11

Provide, as we deem appropriate, additional training for you or your manager, operating partner, assistant managers, shift leaders or other employees and quarterly training and status meetings.

The filing answers no to 3 questions
  • Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?Item 11
  • Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
  • Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?Item 6

The vendor opportunity at Johnny Rockets

Johnny Rockets operates 100 locations, 98 of which are franchised and 2 company-owned. The brand posted an average unit volume of $1,643,107 in its 2025 FDD, with a 6% royalty rate and a standard 15-year initial term. Unit count contracted by 2% year-over-year, signaling a mature footprint rather than rapid expansion. For software vendors, this means the addressable market is a fixed set of roughly 100 units, but with above-average per-unit revenue potential. The operator base is entirely single-unit: all 100 mapped operators fall into the 1-unit band, with zero multi-unit franchisees. Top states by unit count are California (13), Nevada (11), Florida (11), Texas (9), and Arizona (7).

Who controls software purchasing

Technology decisions for Johnny Rockets are made at the parent level. The FDD lists Drew Martin as Chief Information Officer of FAT Brands, the entity that controls the brand. Other named executives include Taylor Wiederhorn (President and CEO of JRL, Co-CEO and Chief Development Officer of FAT), Thayer Wiederhorn (COO of FAT), Kenneth J. Kuick (CFO of JRL and Co-CEO of FAT), and Mason Wiederhorn (Chief Brand Officer of FAT). With no multi-unit operators and a fully centralized management structure, software vendors should target the FAT Brands CIO and C-suite rather than individual franchisees. There is no separate technology buyer named for the Johnny Rockets brand alone.

Mandated and current tech stack

The 2025 FDD does not identify any mandated or recommended technology systems by vendor name. No POS provider, back-office platform, online ordering system, or loyalty vendor is disclosed. This absence of a public mandate means the brand may operate with a mix of legacy or franchisee-selected tools, or that technology standards are communicated outside the FDD. Vendors should approach discovery conversations prepared to map the current stack from scratch, as no competitive displacement intelligence is available from the filing.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

Item 8 of the FDD, which typically outlines procurement restrictions and designated suppliers, was not extracted in the available data. Without that signal, the procurement model remains undisclosed. Renewal terms are clearer: franchisees in good standing can renew for two additional 10-year periods, provided they sign the then-current franchise agreement and pay a renewal fee equal to 40% of the then-current initial franchise fee. This renewal trigger—requiring adoption of the current agreement—creates a natural window for technology mandates to be introduced or updated. With 15-year initial terms and 10-year renewals, contract cycles are long, but any upcoming renewal wave could open a narrow window for new software adoption.

How to read the Johnny Rockets FDD

The full 2025 Johnny Rockets Franchise Disclosure Document is available below. It contains the legal and operational disclosures that govern the franchise system, including Item 1 (executives), Item 8 (procurement), Item 11 (mandated technology), and Item 17 (renewal conditions). Reviewing the FDD directly is the most reliable way to validate the decision-maker structure and spot any technology requirements not summarized here. For vendors building a ranked target list of franchise systems, FranCloud can map this data across hundreds of brands to prioritize the best-fit opportunities.

Questions vendors ask

Johnny Rockets, answered from the filing

Drew Martin, Chief Information Officer of FAT Brands, is the named technology executive. The FDD lists no separate IT buyer for Johnny Rockets specifically, indicating FAT Brands controls purchasing.
The 2025 FDD does not specify any mandated or recommended POS, back-office, or operational technology systems by vendor name.
There are 100 total units: 98 franchised and 2 company-owned. The brand contracted by 2% year-over-year.
The FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract, so whether they use designated suppliers, approved suppliers, or an open model is not publicly disclosed.
Initial franchise terms are 15 years, with two 10-year renewals. Renewal requires signing the then-current franchise agreement, which may trigger technology re-evaluation cycles.
The 2025 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can review it directly using the embedded PDF viewer below.
Source

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The brands you can actually sell into, from the filings.

Operator footprint

Who runs the locations

98 operators run 100 mapped locations. 2 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.

Operators by units owned

Single-unit96
2–9 units2

Top states by locations

CA13
NV11
FL11
TX9
AZ7

Ownership

The portfolio behind Johnny Rockets

strategic_multibrand of FAT Brands.

Sibling brands

Related Full service restaurant brands

Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.