Manhattan Bagel

The vendor opportunity at Manhattan Bagel

Manhattan Bagel operates 68 franchised quick-service restaurants, with no company-owned units disclosed in the 2026 FDD. The brand reports an average unit volume of $751,812, and franchisees pay a 5.0% royalty. For a software vendor, the total addressable unit count is modest at 68 locations, but the centralized HQ structure means a single sales motion can cover the entire system. The absence of company-owned stores simplifies the landscape: every location is a franchisee, and technology adoption likely flows through franchisor recommendations or mandates—though none are publicly documented.

Who controls software purchasing

The 2026 FDD identifies a full C-suite at the franchisor level. Markus Lonnquist serves as Chief Information Officer, making him the most direct entry point for technology vendors. Other executives include Jessica DePetro (President, CEO, and Director), Will Evans (Chief Financial Officer), Adam Modzel (Chief Operations Officer), and Jessica Serrano (Chief Marketing Officer). In a system this size, the CIO typically owns vendor evaluation, while the CFO and COO influence budget and operational fit. No multi-unit operator names or purchasing groups appear in the FDD, reinforcing that software decisions are made at headquarters.

Mandated and current tech stack

The 2026 FDD does not list any mandated or recommended technology systems. There are no named POS providers, no required back-office platforms, and no specified digital ordering or loyalty vendors. This absence can mean one of two things for a vendor: either the franchisor leaves technology choices entirely to franchisees, or the brand has not formalized its tech stack in the disclosure document. In either case, a vendor’s first conversation with the CIO should clarify whether a de facto standard exists in the system and whether the franchisor is open to endorsing new tools.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

Item 8 of the FDD, which typically outlines procurement restrictions, was not extracted in the available data. Without that signal, the procurement model—whether designated supplier, approved supplier, or open—remains undisclosed. On the renewal side, Item 17 provides more clarity. Franchise agreements carry a 10-year initial term. Renewal is conditioned on notice, satisfaction of monetary obligations, compliance with the Franchise Agreement, execution of a release, and signing a new Franchise Agreement, among other requirements detailed in the agreement. These renewal events create natural windows when franchisees may be required or encouraged to adopt new systems, making them useful triggers for a vendor’s sales cycle.

How to read the Manhattan Bagel FDD

The full 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below. Key sections for a software vendor include Item 1 (the franchisor and its executives), Item 8 (procurement restrictions, though not captured here), Item 11 (mandated systems, also not captured), and Item 17 (renewal and transfer conditions). Because the FDD does not name specific technology vendors, a careful read of Items 8 and 11 in the original PDF may reveal indirect obligations—such as approved POS standards or data-reporting requirements—that are not summarized in the extracts above. For a ranked target list of franchise brands aligned to your software category, FranCloud can help.