Native Grill and Wings

The vendor opportunity at Native Grill and Wings

Native Grill and Wings is a quick-service restaurant chain headquartered in California and owned by FAT Brands, Inc. The system reported 21 franchised units in its 2023 Franchise Disclosure Document, with no company-owned locations disclosed. Year-over-year unit growth was -4.545%, indicating a slight contraction. Average unit volume stands at $2,664,518, which gives software vendors a clear revenue-per-site benchmark when modeling deal size. The royalty rate is 6.0% of gross sales.

For a software vendor, the total addressable market is 21 locations. While small in absolute terms, the chain operates under a single parent company, FAT Brands, which owns multiple restaurant concepts. A successful deployment here could open doors across the broader FAT Brands portfolio, though any such expansion would require separate evaluation of each brand's tech mandates and decision-making structure.

Who controls software purchasing

Software purchasing authority sits at the headquarters level. The 2023 FDD lists several executives who are relevant to a vendor sales process. Gregg Nettleton serves as President and Chief Operating Officer of Native Grill and Wings. Taylor Wiederhorn holds the title of Chief Executive Officer of Native Grill and Wings and Chief Development Officer of FAT Brands. Kenneth J. Kuick and Robert Rosen are Co-Chief Executive Officers of FAT Brands, with Kuick also serving as Chief Financial Officer and Rosen as Head of Debt Capital Markets. Jackie Feldman is the Manager of Purchasing, a role directly relevant to procurement conversations.

Because the chain is wholly franchised and centrally managed by FAT Brands, vendors should expect a top-down purchasing process. The presence of a named Purchasing Manager suggests a formal procurement function, though the specific approval thresholds and buying committee structure are not detailed in the FDD.

Mandated and current tech stack

The 2023 FDD mandates three technology systems. For point-of-sale, the chain requires Aloha by NCR Voyix. For back-of-house and restaurant management, it mandates Ctuit. Additionally, franchisees must use a proprietary Native Intranet system. These mandates are significant for vendors selling adjacent or replacement software: any new solution must either integrate with Aloha and Ctuit or displace them entirely, which would require a compelling ROI case presented to HQ.

No other mandated or recommended technology vendors are named in the available FDD extracts. Vendors selling workforce management, inventory, loyalty, delivery integration, or accounting software should investigate whether these functions are handled within Ctuit, the Native Intranet, or left to franchisee discretion.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

The FDD does not include an Item 8 extract, so the formal procurement model—whether designated supplier, approved supplier, or open—is not publicly known from this filing. Vendors should clarify this early in discovery conversations with the Purchasing Manager.

Franchise agreements have an initial term of 10 years. Renewal terms are 5 years, subject to conditions including not being in default, providing timely notice, signing the then-current form of franchise agreement, executing a general release, paying a renewal fee, remodeling the restaurant, upgrading furniture, fixtures, and equipment to current standards, and extending the lease for the renewal duration. The remodel and equipment upgrade requirement is a natural trigger point for technology evaluation. Vendors can time outreach around known renewal cohorts or system-wide refresh initiatives.

How to read the Native Grill and Wings FDD

The full 2023 Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below. It contains the legally mandated disclosures that govern the franchise relationship, including Item 11 (franchisor's obligations) where technology mandates appear, Item 1 (the franchisor and its parents, predecessors, and affiliates) where executive names are listed, and Item 17 (renewal, termination, transfer, and dispute resolution) where renewal conditions are spelled out. Reading these sections directly will give software vendors the factual foundation needed to build a credible pitch. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help.