DoorDashDoorDash
ng Essentials $92.50 $1,110 $35 $420 $35 $420 Kitchen Display Subscription (2 units) (2 units) (1 unit) (1 unit) 3rd Party Delivery Platform Integration $540 $45 N/A N/A (GrubHub, DoorDash and UberEat
From the filings
+50% units YoYHQ-led decisions
MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO
Quick service restaurantMr. Charlie’s Told Me So's most recent FDD, from 2026, discloses 4 locations, all 4 company-owned, at an average unit volume of $1,394,737, with unit count up 50% year over year — a small system growing fast, where software purchasing is still a single HQ decision. Item 1 names David Shneer as Chief Executive Officer and David Subotic as Executive Chairman, with Adam Wilks as President and Phil Guida as Vice President of Development; no CIO or CTO is disclosed. The filing mandates no technology at all: DoorDash, Grubhub, Raydiant, Uber Eats and Toast are named in it, and none of them is required.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
4
0 franchised
Unit growth YoY
+50%
vs prior filing
AUV
$1.39M
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
5%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$35K
per unit
Investment range
$281K–$697K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Franchisor controlled
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.
7%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.
GrubhubGrubhub
0 Marketing Essentials $92.50 $1,110 $35 $420 $35 $420 Kitchen Display Subscription (2 units) (2 units) (1 unit) (1 unit) 3rd Party Delivery Platform Integration $540 $45 N/A N/A (GrubHub, DoorDash an
RaydiantRaydiant
hly Annual To Whom Paid? Menu Screen Programming $150 $1,800 $150 $1,800 Us (included in technology fee) POS System (from table above) $330 $3,960 $360 $4,320 Third-Party Licensor Raydiant Software $1
ToastToast
nents Cost Components Cost 1 22” Toast Flex Kiosk w/ 14” Toast Flex For Guest with Counter Stand & Toast Tap Toast Tap (on counter), MSR (OC) Credit Card Reader, Toast 1 14” Toast Flex 3 For Gue
Uber EatsUber
$92.50 $1,110 $35 $420 $35 $420 Kitchen Display Subscription (2 units) (2 units) (1 unit) (1 unit) 3rd Party Delivery Platform Integration $540 $45 N/A N/A (GrubHub, DoorDash and UberEats) TOTAL $330
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
28 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 4 explicit no's; 2 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
You must provide us with independent access to your QuickBooks Online account (or other approved accounting software) with permission to read all reports.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesFranchise agreement
We may independently access your Technology Systems to retrieve and compile Business Data and generate any reports we deem appropriate, including Gross Sales reports.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
No later than the 15th day of each month, you must prepare and send us a monthly balance sheet and profit and loss statement for your Business for the prior month.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We are currently the exclusive supplier for: (a) programming services for digital menus screens; (b) employee uniforms; and (c) branded packaging and apparel (other than merchandise).
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025, neither we nor any affiliate of ours generated any revenue as a result of franchisee purchases or leases.
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?
95Item 8
We estimate 95% to 100% of the total purchases and leases to develop and operate your Restaurant and 95% to 100% of the total purchases and leases to develop and operate your Food Truck (if applicable) will consist of source-restricted goods or services, as further described below.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
You must reimburse us for the actual cost of inspection and testing (estimated to range from $100 to $1,000 per test) we incur to evaluate products and suppliers you propose, with $1,000 paid as a deposit.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you wish to purchase or lease a source-restricted item from a non-approved supplier, you must send us: (a) a written request for approval; (b) product samples for testing purposes; and (c) all additional information we request.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesItem 17
FA: 22.1 return Manual and branded materials; assign telephone numbers, listings i.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You agree to: (i) adhere to all applicable compliance standards established by PCI- DSS;
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Inspections. For quality control purposes and to ensure compliance with this Agreement, we (or our representative) may enter your Restaurant, evaluate your operations, inspect your books, records, accounts and tax returns, and take pictures and/or video of your Restaurant, staff and Business Page 22 Franchise…
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
We can modify the Manual at any time.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
You must identify and obtain our approval of the site for your Restaurant within 90 days after signing the Franchise Agreement.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 11
Except for the webpage we provide, you may not: (a) develop, host, or otherwise maintain a website (or other digital presence) bearing our Marks; (b) conduct digital or online advertising; or (c) engage in ecommerce.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
You must spend the minimum amount we specify (ranging from $5,000 to $12,000) on grand opening marketing activities to promote the opening of your Restaurant.
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
After opening, you must spend the greater of 1% of monthly Gross Sales or $500 per month (i.e., the Local Marketing Commitment) on local advertising to promote your Restaurant and Food Truck (if applicable).
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
You must fully participate and implement all required customer loyalty, rewards and other affinity programs designed to increase customer loyalty, generate new customers or improve overall demand for our Restaurants.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If your Restaurant is located in a region subject to an advertising cooperative you must: (a) participate in the cooperative according to its rules and procedures and abide by its decisions; and (b) pay a cooperative advertising fee.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase these items only from approved or designated suppliers.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
All of your operating equipment must meet our standards and specifications and be purchased from suppliers we designate or approve.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must contract with Toast (the licensor of your POS system) or a merchant processor designated by Toast to serve as your merchant processor for credit card transactions.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
You must sign the ACH Authorization Form attached to the Franchise Agreement, which permits us to electronically debit your designated bank account for all amounts owed to us and our affiliates (other than fees due less than 15 days after signing the Franchise Agreement).
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesFranchise agreement
You must participate in any gift card program we establish and honor all gift cards, even if purchased from us or another Restaurant.
People
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
Your employees must wear the uniforms we require.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You use the point-of-sale system we designate.
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 the data collected on Page 26 Franchise Disclosure Document (2026 Maryland) your computer system and there are no contractual limits imposed on our access.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We may charge you a training fee of up to $500 per person per day for each person who attends:
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
Attendance is mandatory unless we designate attendance as optional or we waive your obligation to attend based on showing of good cause.
The filing answers no to 4 questions
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Franchise agreement
- Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?Item 8
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?Franchise agreement
- Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?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.
- 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 Mr. Charlie’s Told Me So
Mr. Charlie’s Told Me So is a quick-service restaurant brand headquartered in California, and the most recent FDD on file is from 2026. That filing reports 4 total locations, all 4 company-owned; the franchised count is not disclosed in the most recent FDD. Average unit volume is $1,394,737, the royalty is 5.0%, and the initial term runs 10 years. Unit count is up 50.0% year over year, which off a base of four means growth, not scale. The interesting fact for a vendor is that the standard is being set right now, in a system small enough that one conversation covers it.
Who controls software purchasing
Item 1 names four people. David Shneer is Chief Executive Officer and David Subotic is Executive Chairman; Adam Wilks is President and Phil Guida is Vice President of Development. No CIO, CTO, or other technology officer is disclosed in the most recent FDD, so the chief executive is the signer, the president is the closest thing to an operational evaluator, and the development office is the route in for anything tied to new builds.
The brand sits under sona terra; the nature of that parent relationship is not disclosed in the most recent FDD, so treat it as an entity above the franchisor, not a known group standard. With all 4 disclosed units company-owned, this is unambiguously an HQ decision: there is no franchisee association or multi-unit operator to route around. Our own operator mapping finds 5 operators, none of them multi-unit, across roughly 5 located units — one each in Oregon, California, Texas, Georgia and Arizona. That is more units than the filing discloses, and the spread matters: a four-unit system already operates coast to coast, which favours anything that works remotely over anything needing local hands.
Tech named in the FDD, and what is actually required
The 2026 FDD mandates no technology at all. Five systems appear in the document, in two kinds of clause. DoorDash, Grubhub, Raydiant and Uber Eats each appear in a fee or usage clause — the drafter had them in mind when writing the money terms. Toast is named only. Neither category is a requirement: nothing in the filing obliges anyone to adopt any of the five, so none is a contracted incumbent to displace.
That makes this the open case. Point of sale, delivery and marketplace integration, in-store digital signage, back-office and labour all sit uncommitted on the face of this filing. For a system this small and this early, an open category is not a gap in the research — it is the finding.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 is where designated-supplier and approved-supplier obligations normally sit, and this filing produced no Item 8 extract, so whether the brand runs a designated, approved, or open procurement model is not established by the data we hold. Item 17 gives the renewal shape and little more: a franchisee meeting the conditions can enter two consecutive successor agreements of 5 years each, on top of the 10-year initial term. The specific conditions are not detailed in the extract. Practically, with four units and 50% growth, the buying events that matter are openings, not renewals.
How to read the Mr. Charlie’s Told Me So FDD
The 2026 document was filed with state franchise regulators, and the full PDF is embedded in the viewer below. Item 1 gives the executives named above and the chain up to sona terra; Item 8 covers supplier obligations; Item 11 covers computer systems and required technology, which is where a mandate would appear if one existed; Item 17 covers renewal; Item 20 carries the unit tables behind the four-unit count. If you want Mr. Charlie’s Told Me So scored against the rest of the US franchise corpus and returned as a ranked target list, talk to FranCloud.
Questions vendors ask
MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO, answered from the filing
Item 1 names four people: David Shneer (Chief Executive Officer), David Subotic (Executive Chairman), Adam Wilks (President) and Phil Guida (Vice President of Development). No CIO or CTO is disclosed in the most recent FDD, so the chief executive is the signer and the president is the likeliest operational evaluator.
None. The 2026 FDD mandates no technology system. DoorDash, Grubhub, Raydiant and Uber Eats appear in fee or usage clauses, and Toast is named only — the filing requires none of the five, so point of sale, delivery and in-store digital signage read as open categories rather than incumbent-held.
The 2026 FDD reports 4 total locations, all 4 company-owned; the franchised count is not disclosed in the most recent FDD. Unit count grew 50% year over year. Our mapping locates 5 units — more than the filing discloses — one each in Oregon, California, Texas, Georgia and Arizona.
Not established. Item 8 — where designated-supplier and approved-supplier requirements live — produced no extract from this filing, so we cannot say whether the brand runs a designated, approved, or open model. The closest signal we hold is that the filing mandates no technology.
The initial term is 10 years, and a franchisee meeting the renewal conditions may enter two consecutive successor agreements of 5 years each. The FDD does not detail those conditions further. With four units and 50% growth, new-build decisions will come round far sooner than the first renewal does.
It was filed with state franchise regulators in 2026. The full PDF is embedded in the viewer below — read Item 1 for executives and the entity chain, Item 8 for supplier obligations, Item 11 for computer systems and required technology, Item 17 for renewal, and Item 20 for the unit tables.
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.
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
5 operators run 5 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit5
Top states by locations
| OR | 1 |
|---|---|
| CA | 1 |
| TX | 1 |
| GA | 1 |
| AZ | 1 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind MR. CHARLIE’S TOLD ME SO
unknown of sona terra.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated August 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.