PAPA MURPHY'S INTERNATIONAL

The vendor opportunity at Papa Murphy's

Papa Murphy's International operates 1,014 total units, of which 965 are franchised and 49 are company-owned. The system is composed entirely of single-unit operators—219 mapped operators across roughly 219 located units, with no multi-unit franchisees on file. This structure means software vendors face a landscape where every location is independently owned but tightly controlled by corporate technology mandates. The average unit volume sits at $687,539, and the royalty rate is 5% of gross sales. Initial franchise terms run 10 years, with 5-year renewal periods available under a new franchise agreement that may include higher fees.

Geographically, the footprint concentrates in Wisconsin (63 units), Washington (46), Utah (33), California (12), and Wyoming (10). No year-over-year unit growth percentage is disclosed in the 2026 FDD. For a software vendor, the addressable market is those 965 franchised locations—each bound by HQ's technology requirements and each representing a potential seat for compliant tools that integrate with or augment the mandated stack.

Who controls software purchasing

Software purchasing authority rests at the corporate level. The 2026 FDD lists Eric Lefebvre as Chief Executive Officer and Board of Managers, Renée St-Onge as Chief Financial Officer and Board of Managers, Al Hank as Chief Operating Officer, Shauna Spencer as Senior Vice President of Operations, and Dan Rudolph as Vice President of Operations. No chief information officer or chief technology officer is named, but the operations leadership—particularly the COO and SVP of Operations—are the likely buyers or influencers for operational and store-level technology decisions. Vendors should direct outreach toward the operations team rather than individual franchisees, since mandates flow from HQ to the field.

Mandated and current tech stack

The 2026 FDD mandates six named systems. MenuLink serves as the point-of-sale backbone. Olo Dashboard by Olo Inc. handles online ordering and digital storefront management. ProfitKeeper provides financial reporting and benchmarking. Pulse Realtime supports operational analytics. Service Management Group (SMG) runs customer experience measurement. Store Solutions rounds out the mandated set. Additionally, CRM services are listed as mandated or recommended, though no specific vendor is named for CRM in the available extract.

This stack creates both integration opportunities and competitive constraints. Any tool that touches POS, online ordering, financials, or customer feedback must either replace a mandated system—requiring a corporate-level decision—or integrate cleanly with the incumbent. The presence of Olo and SMG, in particular, signals a franchise that values digital ordering and guest feedback as core operational functions.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

Item 8 of the 2026 FDD does not include an extract describing the procurement model. Without that language, it is not possible to confirm whether Papa Murphy's uses a designated supplier program, an approved supplier list, or an open procurement approach. Vendors should treat this as an unknown and investigate directly during the sales process.

Renewal timing offers a potential entry point. The initial franchise agreement lasts 10 years. To renew, a franchisee must sign the then-current franchise agreement and a successive addendum, which may impose different terms—including higher royalty or marketing fees. Franchisees must give written notice at least six months before the initial term expires, faithfully perform under the original agreement, refurbish or remodel the premises, replace obsolete equipment, sign a general release, pay a renewal fee, and attend any required training. The renewal term is 5 years. These contractual milestones create natural windows where operators—and by extension, the franchisor—may reassess technology vendors.

How to read the Papa Murphy's FDD

The 2026 Papa Murphy's International Franchise Disclosure Document is filed with state franchise regulators and available in full through the embedded viewer on this page. Key sections for software vendors include Item 11 (franchisor's obligations), which lists mandated technology systems, and Item 17 (renewal, termination, transfer), which outlines the contractual triggers that can open software evaluation periods. Item 8 may clarify procurement restrictions, though the current extract provides no detail. Review the executive roster in Item 1 to map the buying center, and cross-reference unit counts in Item 20 to size the opportunity by state.

For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize outreach based on technology mandates, unit economics, and decision-maker access.