HarbortouchShift4
Mandatoryvices and electronic cash register/point-of-sale system (i.e., the “POS System”) we require, which we have the right to change at any time. Currently, our designated POS System is Harbortouch POS; how
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Lazy Lobster
Quick service restaurantSoftware purchasing at Lazy Lobster is controlled at the headquarters level, given its small, fully company-owned footprint. The brand currently mandates Harbortouch as its point-of-sale system, representing a locked incumbent for POS but potential adjacency plays. With only 2 total units, the addressable market is extremely limited, making this a highly targeted, account-based opportunity rather than a volume play.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
2
0 franchised
Unit growth YoY
—
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2024
Royalty
5%
of gross sales
Ad fund
1%
national + local
Initial fee
$25K
per unit
Investment range
$299K–$709K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
2 years
from the filing
Item 19
No 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.
6%of gross sales (FY2024)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
1 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.
FacebookMeta
c media, including the Internet, or any social media, for viewing by the public that contains our registered trademarks without our prior written approval. You may not establish a Facebook®, MySpace®,
InstagramMeta
ing by the public that contains our registered trademarks without our prior written approval. You may not establish a Facebook®, MySpace®, SnapChat®, or similar page, post through Instagram® or on You
SnapchatSnapchat
e Internet, or any social media, for viewing by the public that contains our registered trademarks without our prior written approval. You may not establish a Facebook®, MySpace®, SnapChat®, or simila
TwitterX
, MySpace®, SnapChat®, or similar page, post through Instagram® or on YouTube®, or utilize other, similar social media, without our prior written approval. You may not establish a Twitter® feed or oth
YouTubeGoogle
that contains our registered trademarks without our prior written approval. You may not establish a Facebook®, MySpace®, SnapChat®, or similar page, post through Instagram® or on YouTube®, or utilize
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
25 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 1 explicit no; 8 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?
YesFranchise agreement
Lazy Lobster has the right to independently access any and all information on your POS System, at any time, without first notifying you.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You shall submit to Lazy Lobster, on or before the fifteenth (15th) day following the end of each month, financial reports on the income and expenses of the Lazy Lobster Business in the format specified in the Manual.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesFranchise agreement
We may become an approved supplier, and/or the only supplier, for any item, product, good and/or service at any time.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 11
24 Lazy Lobster FDD – March 19, 2024 Computer System and Internet Access You must purchase and use the complete computer software services and electronic cash register/point-of-sale system (i.e., the “POS System”) we require, which we have the right to change at any time.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
In our last fiscal year, ending on December 31, 2023, we and our affiliates received $0 in revenue from all required purchases and leases of products and services by franchisees, including purchases of items to be resold in the Business, and rebates we receive from third-parties.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We and/or our affiliate(s) may receive payments or other compensation from Approved Suppliers or any other suppliers on account of these suppliers’ dealings with us, you, or other Franchised Businesses in the System, such as rebates, commissions or other forms of compensation.
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?
55Item 8
about 55-65% of your purchases to continue the operation of the Business.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
You must pay our then- current supplier or non-approved product evaluation fee when submitting your request, as well as cover our costs incurred in evaluating your request.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
We may, but are not obligated to, grant your request to: (i) offer any products or services in connection with your Franchised Business that are not Approved Products and Services; or (ii) purchase any item or service we require you to purchase from an Approved Supplier from an alternative supplier.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesItem 11
You acknowledge and agree that we will own all rights and interest in each telephone number (regardless of whether such telephone number pre-existed any Franchise Agreement) and telephone directory listing, email address, domain name, social media platform, and comparable electronic identify that is associated in any…
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You shall at all times be compliant with all Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards, any and all requirements imposed by all applicable payment processors and payment networks, including credit card and debit card processors, and any and all state and federal laws, rules and regulations relating to data…
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesFranchise agreement
You must present customers with such evaluation cards or forms as the Franchisor may periodically prescribe, for return by the customers to Lazy Lobster
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Lazy Lobster and/or its designated agents or representatives may conduct periodic quality control and records inspections of the Lazy Lobster Business at any time during the Term.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
Lazy Lobster will revise the Manual periodically, at its discretion to conform to the changing needs of the Franchise Network and will distribute updated pages containing these revisions to You from time-to-time.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 14
We must approve your site before you open your Lazy Lobster
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 establish your own website or social media platforms without approval.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesFranchise agreement
You shall spend at least $2,500 for a Lazy Lobster Brick-and-Mortar and $1,000 for a Lazy Lobster Mobile Business on a grand opening advertising program conducted in accordance with the guidelines for such a program in the Manual, in addition to Your regular monthly Local Advertising pursuant to Section 7.5.2 of this…
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 at least 1% of Gross Revenue per month on local advertising each month, as outlined in Item 7 of this Franchise Disclosure Document.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesFranchise agreement
If a Cooperative has been established in Your area prior to opening the Business, You shall become a member of the Cooperative no later than thirty (30) days after opening the Business.
Operations
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesFranchise agreement
Unless we specify otherwise in writing, you may be required to purchase all goods, items, products, equipment and services required for the development and operation of the Business from our approved or designated suppliers.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
Payment of royalties and fees shall be made by electronic funds transfer or direct deposit.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesFranchise agreement
However, another employee who has successfully completed Lazy Lobster’s initial training program shall be present at the Business whenever the Lazy Lobster Business is open for business.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must purchase and use the complete computer software services and electronic cash register/point-of-sale system (i.e., the “POS System”) we require, which we have the right to change at any time.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesFranchise agreement
Lazy Lobster has the right to independently access any and all information on your POS System, at any time, without first notifying you.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 6
6 Lazy Lobster FDD – March 19, 2024 We may charge you for training newly-hired personnel; for refresher Our then-current training courses; for the training tuition fee (the annual convention; and “Tuition Fee”), which for additional or special is currently between assistance or training you Additional Training $500…
The filing answers no to 1 question
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?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 Lazy Lobster
Lazy Lobster is a quick-service restaurant concept headquartered in New Jersey. The 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document reveals a very small operation: just 2 total units, both company-owned. For software vendors, this represents a micro-opportunity. The total addressable market is 2 locations. There is no disclosed year-over-year unit growth, and no franchised locations are currently operating. This is not a volume play; it is a precise, account-based selling motion targeting a single decision-making entity.
Who controls software purchasing
The FDD lists Paul Pandolfi as the Agent for Service of Process. No other C-suite or technology-specific executives are named. In a 2-unit, company-owned structure, the buying center is almost certainly the owner or a general manager acting on their behalf. Vendors should not expect a formal IT procurement department. Outreach should be direct and focused on solving operational pain points for a lean team. The royalty rate is set at 5.0%, and the initial franchise term is 10 years, though these metrics are less relevant given the current absence of franchisees.
Mandated and current tech stack
Item 11 of the FDD mandates Harbortouch as the point-of-sale system. This is the only technology vendor explicitly named in the available data. For POS-adjacent software providers—such as loyalty, online ordering, or labor scheduling—this creates a clear integration target or a potential displacement opportunity. For vendors in non-POS categories, the tech stack is otherwise a blank slate, but any sale must account for the Harbortouch mandate at the core of operations.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The procurement model is not disclosed in the FDD extract. Item 8, which typically outlines whether the franchisor designates suppliers or maintains an approved vendor list, provided no signal. This opacity means vendors must engage directly to understand purchasing rules. Regarding timing, the franchise agreement allows for one 10-year renewal term if the operator is in good standing. However, with no franchisees and no growth trajectory on file, there are no predictable contract renewal windows. Any software sale will be a greenfield deployment driven by an immediate HQ need.
How to read the Lazy Lobster FDD
The full 2024 FDD is available below. Key items for software vendors include Item 11, which confirms the Harbortouch mandate, and Item 1, which identifies the corporate entity and Paul Pandolfi as the contact. Item 17 outlines the 10-year renewal conditions, though its practical impact is minimal given the current unit composition. Use the embedded viewer to search for these sections and validate the data points summarized here. For a ranked target list of franchise brands that match your ideal customer profile, FranCloud can help you prioritize your outreach.
Questions vendors ask
Lazy Lobster, answered from the filing
The FDD lists Paul Pandolfi as the Agent for Service of Process, indicating a lean HQ structure. With only 2 company-owned units, purchasing decisions likely rest with top-level ownership or a general manager, not a specialized IT department.
The 2024 FDD mandates Harbortouch as the point-of-sale system. No other operational technology systems are disclosed as required or recommended in the franchise disclosure document.
According to the 2024 FDD, Lazy Lobster operates 2 total units, both of which are company-owned. No franchised locations are reported, placing it in the very early stages of the quick-service restaurant segment.
The procurement model is not detailed in the available FDD extract. Item 8, which typically outlines designated or approved supplier requirements, provided no specific signal, leaving the purchasing process undefined for vendors.
The FDD allows for one 10-year renewal term if conditions are met. With no year-over-year unit growth data and a small base, contract windows are unpredictable and likely tied to ad-hoc HQ decisions rather than a regular cycle.
The complete 2024 Lazy Lobster FDD is embedded below for your review. It was filed with state franchise regulators in 2024. Use the viewer to search for specific items like Item 11 for tech mandates or Item 19 for financial performance.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Lazy Lobster files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
1 operators run 1 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit1
Top states by locations
| WI | 1 |
|---|
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Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.