QuickBooks OnlineIntuit
d software: Hardware 1 desktop or laptop computer with internet access, a printer/ copier/ scanner, POS required hardware Software Specified POS and Credit Card Processing System, Quickbooks Online Th
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Mercato Cucina
Quick service restaurantSoftware purchasing at Mercato Cucina is controlled at the HQ level by a small executive team led by CEO David Buico and CFO Debbie Stone. The brand currently mandates QuickBooks Online by Intuit and a specified POS and credit card processing system, with only 1 company-owned unit in operation. The addressable market is extremely limited today, but the 10-year initial term and renewal structure signal long-term vendor relationships if franchising expands.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
1
0 franchised
Unit growth YoY
—
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2024
Royalty
5.5%
of gross sales
Ad fund
1%
national + local
Initial fee
$40K
per unit
Investment range
$199K–$346K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Franchisor controlled
from the filing
Non-compete
1 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.
6.5%of gross sales (FY2024)
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.
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
26 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 5 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?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall utilize an accounting software such as Quickbooks.com (or other Franchisor approved accounting software) to manage its books.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor shall have full access to all of Franchisee’s computer, data and systems and all related information by means of direct access, either in person or by telephone, modem or Internet.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall, at its expense, submit to Franchisor within 30 days after the end of each calendar year, an income statement for the calendar year just ended and a balance sheet as of the last day of the calendar year.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We are currently an approved supplier, and the sole approved supplier of signature items (such as sauces, seasonings, branded cup sleeves, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar, Sun Dried Tomatoes, Pesto, Black Oil Spread, Mixed Olives, Artichokes Hearts, Bell Pepper Relish).
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may make such additions or modifications without prior notice to Franchisee.
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 December 31, 2023, we did not earn revenue or other material consideration from required purchases or leases by franchisees.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
Designated suppliers may make payments to us from franchisee purchases.
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?
30Item 8
We estimate that approximately 30% of your expenditures on an ongoing basis will be for goods and services that must be purchased either from us, an Affiliate, an approved supplier or another party according to our standards and specifications.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
We charge any costs incurred, up to $1,000, to test another supplier that you propose.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
We do permit you to contract with alternative suppliers if approved by us and they meet our criteria.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
assign all telephone listings and numbers for the Franchised Business to Franchisor and shall notify the telephone company and all listing agencies of the termination or expiration of Franchisee’s right to use any telephone numbers or facsimile numbers associated with the Marks in any regular, classified or other…
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor or its designee has the right, during normal business hours without notice, to examine, copy, and audit the books, records and tax returns of Franchisee.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 17
We may modify the Operations Manual without your consent if the modification does not materially alter your fundamental rights.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
You must secure a location for the Business within 45 days of the signing of the Franchise Agreement; this includes the requirement of obtaining our approval for your selected location.
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 are restricted from establishing a presence on, or marketing on the Internet without our written consent.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall spend a minimum of $2,000- $5,000 to promote the opening of the Franchised Business, pursuant to our guidelines.
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall spend a minimum of 1% of Gross Revenues each month on Local Advertising, based upon our guidelines.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
Inventory and Supplies You must purchase inventory and supplies from approved suppliers that we designate, or pursuant to our specifications.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase computer hardware and software designated by us.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must purchase and use any hardware and software programs we designate.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
Royalty and other fees shall be payable to us by direct deposit.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
Either the Franchisee or its on-site Designated Manager must devote sufficient efforts to the management of the day-to-day operations of the Franchised Business, but not less than forty (40) hours per week.
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall abide by all uniform and dress code requirements stated in the Operations Manual or otherwise.
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 any hardware and software programs we designate.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor shall have full access to all of Franchisee’s computer, data and systems and all related information by means of direct access, either in person or by telephone, modem or Internet.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 6
FA 8.3 whichever is greater Currently, we charge $250 per day per person plus expenses for We may charge you for training newly-hired training at our personnel; for refresher training courses; for location, and the conventions, seminars, conferences, and $250 per day per When training webinars; and for additional or…
The filing answers no to 3 questions
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 11
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
- Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?Franchise agreement
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.
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The vendor opportunity at Mercato Cucina
Mercato Cucina is a quick-service restaurant concept headquartered in New York. According to its 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document, the system consists of exactly 1 unit—all company-owned. No franchised locations are reported, and year-over-year unit growth is not disclosed. For software vendors, this is a single-account opportunity with no franchisee-level sales motion. The total addressable unit count is 1.
The brand charges a 5.5% royalty on gross sales and offers a 10-year initial franchise term. Average unit volume is not disclosed in the most recent FDD. If Mercato Cucina begins franchising, each new operator would represent a net-new software seat under whatever tech stack the franchisor mandates at that time.
Who controls software purchasing
All purchasing authority sits at the headquarters level. The 2024 FDD lists two executives in Item 1: David Buico, CEO, and Debbie Stone, CFO. With no franchisee base, there is no multi-unit operator influence or franchisee advisory council to navigate. A vendor pitch would need to engage Buico or Stone directly. The CFO is the natural entry point for financial and operational software, while the CEO likely owns strategic technology decisions given the small team size.
Mandated and current tech stack
Mercato Cucina’s FDD mandates two technology categories. First, QuickBooks Online by Intuit Inc. is required for accounting. Second, the franchisor mandates a specified POS and credit card processing system—though the vendor name is not extracted in our corpus. Vendors selling ERP, payroll, inventory, or HR tools should note the QuickBooks Online dependency and position integrations accordingly. Any POS-adjacent software must align with the unspecified but mandated POS system.
No other mandated or recommended technology systems appear in the available Item 11 data. The tech stack is lean, reflecting the single-unit, pre-franchise stage of the brand.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 procurement signals were not extracted for Mercato Cucina. Without that data, vendors cannot determine whether the franchisor uses a designated supplier model, an approved supplier list, or an open procurement process. This is a critical gap to investigate before committing sales resources.
On renewals, Item 17 outlines a 10-year renewal term. Franchisees must meet conditions including full compliance with the agreement, capital expenditures for system uniformity, satisfaction of all monetary obligations, and execution of a general release. The renewal fee amount is not specified in the extract. Because no franchised units exist, no renewal-driven software evaluation cycles are imminent. Any future franchising activity would create contract windows tied to new store openings rather than renewals.
How to read the Mercato Cucina FDD
The full 2024 Mercato Cucina Franchise Disclosure Document is available below. It contains the franchisor’s audited financials, Item 7 investment table, Item 11 technology obligations, and Item 17 renewal conditions. Reviewing the complete FDD is essential to confirm the unspecified POS vendor, understand procurement rules, and assess the franchisor’s growth plans before allocating sales capacity to this account.
For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help.
Questions vendors ask
Mercato Cucina, answered from the filing
CEO David Buico and CFO Debbie Stone are the named executives in the 2024 FDD. With no franchised operators, all purchasing decisions are centralized at HQ.
The FDD mandates a specified POS and credit card processing system, plus QuickBooks Online by Intuit Inc. The specific POS vendor is not named in our extract.
The 2024 FDD discloses 1 total unit, all company-owned. No franchised units are reported, making this a single-location quick-service restaurant based in New York.
Item 8 procurement signals were not extracted in our corpus. The franchisor’s procurement model—designated supplier, approved supplier, or open—is not disclosed in the available data.
With only 1 company-owned unit and no franchised locations, no renewal-driven contract windows exist. Any software evaluation would be triggered by HQ-led operational changes or expansion plans.
The 2024 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can review it using the embedded PDF viewer below this section.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Mercato Cucina 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 |
|---|
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.