Focus POSFocus POS
Mandatorye that you purchase or lease and use a POS System that has been approved in writing by us and meets our specifications and requirements. Currently, the only approved POS system is Focus POS. The POS s
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Lee's Famous Recipe
Quick service restaurantSoftware purchasing decisions at Lee's Famous Recipe are controlled at the corporate level, with President and CEO Ryan Weaver and SVP of Operations William M. Sparks identified as key executives in the 2025 FDD. The chain mandates Focus POS across its system and operates 126 total units, 93 of which are franchised, presenting a concentrated but high-AUV target for vendors.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
126
93 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-12.264%
vs prior filing
AUV
$2.17M
Item 19, 2024
Royalty
5%
of gross sales
Ad fund
3%
national + local
Initial fee
$35K
per unit
Investment range
$1.34M–$2.35M
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)
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.
Shift4Shift4
fees, including processing fees, merchant account fees, and any other bank service-related charges. We have made adjustments to reflect franchisee enrollment and participation in Shift4 Advantage prog
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
17 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 5 explicit no's; 12 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?
YesItem 11
We also may independently access and retrieve financial information and customer data produced by or otherwise located on your Computer System (collectively the “Customer Data”).
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee is required to provide Franchisor with certain financial reports and other information throughout the term of the Franchise Agreement, including without limitation, profit and loss statements, cash flow statements, balance sheets, and any other reports or information requested by Franchisor (“Financial…
How the franchisor buys
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 11
We reserve the right to assign our rights, title and interest in any Computer System and/or Proprietary Software to a third party we designate or to replace the Computer System and/or Proprietary Software.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 6
We may charge a reasonable fee up to $1,000, plus our out-of-pocket costs and expenses, for each approval request to evaluate any proposed material, fixture, equipment, furniture, sign, or supplier you submit to us for our evaluation.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesItem 17
disconnect or transfer business telephone numbers to us (also see item “r” below)
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
At our discretion, conduct periodic inspections and audits of your Restaurant and periodic evaluations of the products you use and sell in your Restaurant (Franchise Agreement – Section 11).
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
The parties agree and acknowledge that we may change, improve, further develop, or otherwise modify the System from time to time as we deem appropriate in our discretion.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
If we reject the proposed site, you may not proceed at the rejected site but must try to locate an acceptable site within the designated territory of your Franchise Agreement.
Marketing
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 7
Within the first 90 days following the opening of your Restaurant, you must spend a minimum of $10,000 on a Restaurant opening campaign that we have approved in advance.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If you operate a Lee’s Famous Recipe restaurant in the OH Cooperative’s area then you will be required to participate, and you may be required to sign governing documents for the OH Cooperative.
Operations
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 5
You will use in constructing and operating the Restaurant only those types of construction and decorating materials, fixtures, equipment (including computer hardware and software), furniture, and signs that we have approved for Lee’s Famous Recipe Restaurants as meeting our specifications and standards for…
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
All fees are payable through our current electronic funds transfer program authorizing us to use a pre-authorized bank draft authorization (“ACH”) where noted.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 11
You must at all times employ at least one general manager and two assistant managers at your Restaurant who have satisfactorily completed our training program.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
We require that you purchase or lease and use a POS System that has been approved in writing by us and meets our specifications and requirements.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We also may independently access and retrieve financial information and customer data produced by or otherwise located on your Computer System (collectively the “Customer Data”).
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We may charge you our then-current training fee for these supplemental and refresher training programs, and require that you pay or reimburse us for the expenses incurred by your representatives, including the costs of travel, lodging, meals, and wages.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 6
We reserve the right to require you, your Operating Principal and up to two additional key management personnel to attend any Annual Conference.
The filing answers no to 5 questions
- Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 20
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?Item 11
- Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?Item 11
- Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?Item 6
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.
HQ leadership: CEO/President + VP Ops/Franchise + a first dedicated IT/systems owner.
VP SalesHead of SalesCROSales Director
- 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%.
- 82.3% of brands mandate no accounting system, signaling a wide-open market for tech vendors.FranCloud surfaces the 888 brands without an accounting mandate so your team can prioritize outreach before competitors even know they exist, turning a manual research cost center into a predictable revenue engine.
- 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.
The vendor opportunity at Lee's Famous Recipe
Lee's Famous Recipe operates 126 quick-service restaurants, 93 of which are franchised. The system generated an average unit volume (AUV) of $2,172,042, according to the 2025 FDD. For software vendors, the addressable market is primarily those 93 franchised locations, though the 33 company-owned units may also fall under corporate purchasing decisions. The chain experienced a year-over-year unit decline of 12.26%, a contraction that may signal operational consolidation or heightened scrutiny on cost-saving technology investments.
Who controls software purchasing
Purchasing authority sits at the headquarters level. The 2025 FDD names Ryan Weaver as President and Chief Executive Officer and William M. Sparks as Senior Vice President of Operations. These executives represent the likely buying center for any technology that touches store operations or enterprise systems. No separate Chief Information Officer or technology-specific role is listed in the FDD, suggesting that operational leadership directly oversees tech decisions. Vendors should prepare to engage this lean HQ team rather than a decentralized network of franchisees.
Mandated and current tech stack
The only technology system explicitly mandated in the FDD is Focus POS. This point-of-sale requirement applies across the system, making it the anchor of the in-store tech stack. No other mandated or recommended software vendors—such as back-office, labor scheduling, inventory management, or loyalty platforms—are disclosed in the provided data. This creates a landscape where adjacent solutions may be adopted at the franchisee's discretion, subject to any undisclosed corporate approval processes.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement signal, meaning the chain's policies on designated versus approved suppliers for technology are not publicly disclosed. Franchise agreements run for an initial 15-year term. Renewal is possible for an additional 15 years, contingent on good standing, no default within the prior 24 months, completion of refresher training, execution of a new agreement (which may contain materially different terms), and a required remodel. These renewal triggers—particularly the remodel requirement and potential new agreement terms—create natural inflection points where franchisees may evaluate new technology alongside physical updates.
How to read the Lee's Famous Recipe FDD
The full 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document provides the legal and operational framework governing the system. Key items for vendor due diligence include Item 11 for the complete list of franchisor obligations and mandated systems, Item 8 for procurement restrictions (though none were surfaced here), and Item 17 for renewal and termination conditions that shape long-term technology adoption cycles. The embedded PDF viewer below contains the complete filing. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize your outreach.
Questions vendors ask
Lee's Famous Recipe, answered from the filing
The 2025 FDD lists Ryan Weaver (President/CEO) and William M. Sparks (SVP of Operations) as key executives, indicating a centralized, HQ-driven buying process for mandated technology like the POS.
The FDD mandates Focus POS. No other operational technology systems or vendors are disclosed as mandated or recommended in the provided data.
The system has 126 total units, comprising 93 franchised and 33 company-owned locations, positioning it as a mid-sized quick-service restaurant chain.
The procurement model is not disclosed in the most recent FDD. The provided Item 8 extract contains no signal regarding designated or approved supplier requirements.
With a 15-year initial term and a 12.26% YoY unit decline, renewal-driven tech evaluations may occur as franchisees approach their renewal window, provided they meet good-standing and remodeling conditions.
The 2025 FDD was filed with state franchise regulators. You can review the full document using the embedded PDF viewer below.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Lee's Famous Recipe 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 |
|---|
Ownership
The portfolio behind Lee's Famous Recipe
unknown of lfr chicken.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.