Constant ContactConstant Contact
lists and data and consignor lists and data (including without limitation all customer and consignor data stored with third party software providers [e.g. Eventbrite, TicketSpice, Constant Contact, Si
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Just Between Friends
Retail non foodSoftware purchasing decisions at Just Between Friends are driven by a franchisor mandate for the proprietary JBF System Technology, with the registered agent for service of process, Tracy Panase, listed as the sole HQ contact in the 2026 FDD. The addressable market consists of 144 franchised locations, presenting a concentrated opportunity for vendors whose solutions can integrate with or enhance the mandated system.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
151
144 franchised
Unit growth YoY
—
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
3%
of gross sales
Ad fund
1%
national + local
Initial fee
$25K
per unit
Investment range
$67K–$100K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
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%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
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.
FacebookMeta
you are in default until you cure such default. You may not develop, maintain or authorize any other webpage, Internet site or social networking site (including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram,
InstagramMeta
default until you cure such default. You may not develop, maintain or authorize any other webpage, Internet site or social networking site (including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest,
PinterestPinterest
til you cure such default. You may not develop, maintain or authorize any other webpage, Internet site or social networking site (including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter,
TwitterX
e such default. You may not develop, maintain or authorize any other webpage, Internet site or social networking site (including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Tik Tok, an
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
26 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 5 explicit no's; 3 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?
YesItem 8
You must use the accounting software designated by JBF with a standard chart of accounts.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We will have independent, unlimited access to data on your Computer System and in the JBF System Technology, including sales figures.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisees currently must provide JBF with bi-annual profit and loss statements in the format required by JBF.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
Neither we nor any affiliate is currently a supplier of any other good or service that you must purchase.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesFranchise agreement
There currently exists a franchise advisory council (“FAC”), the members of which are franchisees selected by other franchisees.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
JBF reserves the Return to FDD TOC 25 right to implement and require franchisees to use and acquire new or additional computer hardware and/or software.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
344611Item 8
The total revenue from franchisees’ purchases of required products and services in 2025 was $344,611.00.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
JBF will receive a rebate of up to 10% of purchases by franchisees from a preferred (not exclusive) supplier of certain supplies and equipment.
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?
10Item 8
The estimated percentage of required purchases and leases by the franchisee to all purchases and leases by the franchisee of goods and services in ongoing operations of the franchised business is approximately ten to twenty percent (10% - 20%).
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
You must pay our expenses to evaluate goods, services or suppliers.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
Franchisees are required to obtain Bookkeeping Services, and must obtain those services from an approved supplier but may apply to JBF to have a supplier not previously approved become an approved supplier.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesItem 17
all telephone numbers and email addresses
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You agree to ensure that all payment processing systems used by you are PCI compliant.
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesFranchise agreement
You agree to present to your customers any evaluation forms we A-8 Return to Franchise Agreement TOC periodically prescribe and agree to participate and/or request your customers to participate in any surveys performed by or on JBF’s behalf.
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
We have the right, at our discretion, to conduct in-person, virtual, and/or third-party inspections of your franchised business.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
We may modify the Operations Manual at any time and from time to time to reflect changes in System Standards.
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 develop, maintain or authorize any other webpage, Internet site or social networking site (including but not limited to Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, Tik Tok, and Google Properties) that mentions or describes you or your JBF sale or displays any of the Marks without JBF’s prior written…
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
We estimate that you will spend between five thousand and eight thousand dollars ($5,000 - $8,000) in advertising your first JBF Sales Event, and you must spend at least five thousand ($5,000).
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 are required to spend no less than the greater of $3,000 or three percent (3%) of the gross receipts from the Return to FDD TOC 33 prior sale for advertising each JBF Sales Event you hold.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If a local or regional advertising cooperative is formed in a geographic area that encompasses your Franchise Territory, we require you to participate in the local or regional advertising cooperative, to place your local advertising in a collaborative effort with other Just Between Friends franchisees in the…
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
Accordingly, you must purchase all items bearing the Marks and all supplies, products, software, services, tools, computers, furniture, fixtures, and equipment (together “goods and services”) used in the development and operation of the franchised business from Us, from an approved supplier, or pursuant to our…
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
JBF currently requires this fee to be electronically submitted through its financial module, payable via ACH and reserves the right to change the method of payment by providing written notice to Franchisee.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase (or lease) the point-of-sale software and hardware, and related software and hardware, that we specify.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We will have independent, unlimited access to data on your Computer System and in the JBF System Technology, including sales figures.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 6
If you require additional training, you agree to pay JBF’s fee plus all costs and expenses of such training.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 11
Attendance at JBF’s Annual Conference is mandatory if a conference is held.
The filing answers no to 5 questions
- Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?Item 11
- Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?Franchise agreement
- Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?Item 8
- Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?Franchise agreement
- Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?Item 11
The vendor opportunity at Just Between Friends
Just Between Friends operates 151 total units in the retail non-food segment, with 144 of those being franchised locations. The franchisor, headquartered in Pennsylvania, maintains tight operational control through a mandated technology system. For software vendors, the addressable market is those 144 franchised outlets, as the 7 company-owned units likely follow the same technology mandates. The system pays a 3.0% royalty on gross sales, and the initial franchise term runs for 5 years. No average unit volume is disclosed in the most recent FDD, making revenue-based ROI calculations speculative without direct operator outreach.
Who controls software purchasing
The 2026 FDD identifies Tracy Panase as the registered agent for service of process, the only HQ executive on file. No CIO, CTO, or VP of Technology is named in the disclosure. This lean HQ structure suggests that technology decisions are made centrally, with Panase or a small leadership team controlling vendor selection and system mandates. Vendors should prepare for a direct HQ sale rather than a franchisee-driven adoption model. The absence of a named parent company indicates Just Between Friends is independently owned, meaning no external corporate IT department influences procurement.
Mandated and current tech stack
The FDD mandates "JBF System Technology" across all franchised locations. This proprietary system is the only named technology in the disclosure. No third-party POS, inventory management, CRM, or scheduling vendors are listed. This creates a classic vendor challenge: the system is closed and in-house, meaning any software pitch must either integrate with the JBF System Technology or demonstrate a compelling reason to replace or supplement it. The lack of named third-party vendors in Item 11 suggests the franchisor has built or commissioned a custom platform, which may limit immediate integration opportunities but signals a willingness to invest in technology.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 of the FDD contains no extract in our corpus, leaving the procurement model undefined. It is unknown whether franchisees must purchase from designated suppliers, an approved supplier list, or have open purchasing discretion for non-mandated technology. This gap requires direct discovery during the sales process. Renewal terms, however, are clearly defined: franchisees in good standing can renew for successive 5-year terms by signing the then-current franchise agreement, passing background and credit checks, ensuring social media compliance, and paying a $3,000 renewal fee plus actual check costs. These 5-year renewal cycles represent natural inflection points where the franchisor could introduce new technology requirements or renegotiate vendor relationships.
How to read the Just Between Friends FDD
The 2026 FDD is embedded below for full review. Focus on Item 11 to confirm the scope of the JBF System Technology mandate and whether any ancillary systems are referenced. Scrutinize Item 8 for any procurement restrictions that may have been omitted from our extract. Item 17 details the renewal conditions quoted above, which are critical for timing your outreach to align with contract cycles. The document was filed with state franchise regulators and represents the most current public disclosure of the franchisor's technology and operational requirements. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize outreach based on technology mandates, unit counts, and renewal timing.
Questions vendors ask
Just Between Friends, answered from the filing
The 2026 FDD lists Tracy Panase as the registered agent for service of process. While specific IT or procurement titles are not disclosed, this is the sole HQ contact on file, indicating a centralized decision-making structure for mandated technology.
The FDD mandates the proprietary 'JBF System Technology' for all franchisees. No third-party POS or operational software vendors are named in the disclosure, suggesting a closed, in-house technology environment.
The system comprises 151 total units, with 144 franchised and 7 company-owned locations. This places it in the mid-sized retail non-food segment for vendor targeting purposes.
The procurement model is not explicitly detailed in the available FDD extracts. Item 8 contains no extract, leaving the designated versus approved supplier structure unknown based on the current filing.
Renewal occurs for successive 5-year terms, contingent on good standing and passing background and credit checks. The $3,000 renewal fee and requirement to sign the then-current agreement create potential re-evaluation windows every five years.
The 2026 FDD was filed with state franchise regulators. You can review the full document using the embedded PDF viewer below to analyze Item 11 technology mandates and Item 8 procurement restrictions directly.
Source
Read the filing itself
Every number on this page traces back to this document. Read it in full, page by page. Buy the original PDF to download, search, and annotate it.
View only A one-time purchase: the original filing, yours to keep.
FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Just Between Friends files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
169 operators run 169 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit169
Top states by locations
| TX | 41 |
|---|---|
| PA | 17 |
| CO | 12 |
| MO | 11 |
| WA | 11 |
Related Retail non food brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.