QuickBooks OnlineIntuit
, Thrivemetrics inventory software, RetailNext business metrics and surveillance software, UKG scheduling software, Cloudcover music software, OPTISign digital marketing software; Quickbooks Online Th
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Pepper Palace
Retail foodSoftware purchasing at Pepper Palace is controlled at the corporate level, with key decision-makers including Vice President of Finance and Human Relations Carla Branson and Vice President of Operations Caleb Stone. The franchise operates 81 company-owned locations and mandates a specific suite of technology including Shopify for e-commerce, UKG for HR and scheduling, and RetailNext for analytics. The total addressable market for a vendor is currently 81 units, all corporate-owned.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
81
0 franchised
Unit growth YoY
—
vs prior filing
AUV
$349K
Item 19, 2024
Royalty
6%
of gross sales
Ad fund
0%
national + local
Initial fee
$50K
per unit
Investment range
$211K–$288K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
1 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.
6%of gross sales (FY2025)
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.
RetailNextRetailNext
e 1 desktop or laptop computer with internet access; iPad; printer/ copier/ scanner; Hardware for Shopify POS System Software Shopify POS System, Thrivemetrics inventory software, RetailNext business
UKGUKG
n Subject Training Training Welcome 0.5 hours 0 hours Note 1 Who We Are 1 hour 0 hours What We Do 1.5 hours 0 hours How We Do It 2 hours 0 hours Manager Training 2.5 hours 0 hours UKG Walk-Through 0 h
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
24 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 4 explicit no's; 6 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 your merchandise for retail sale, including but not limited to, hot sauce, barbecue sauce, salsa, dry spice, drink mixes, snacks, wing sauces, sauces, and marinades.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may revoke its approval of any item, service or supplier at any time by notifying Franchisee and/or the supplier.
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, 2024, 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?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor has the right to retain volume rebates, markups, and other benefits from suppliers or in connection with the furnishing of supplies.
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?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor has the right to add to or otherwise modify the Operations Manual from time to time to reflect changes in the specifications, standards, operating procedures, and rules prescribed by Franchisor; provided, however, that no such addition or modification shall materially alter Franchisee’s fundamental status…
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 2% of Gross Revenues 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 inventory and supplies from approved suppliers that we designate or pursuant to our specifications.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor shall require all Royalty Fees, amounts due for purchases by Franchisee from Franchisor and other amounts due to Franchisor to be paid through an Electronic Depository Transfer Account (“EDTA”).
People
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
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?
YesItem 11
We have, and you are required to provide, independent access to the information that will be generated or stored in your computer systems, which includes, but not limited to, customer, transaction, and operational information.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 6
FA 8.3 We charge $500 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 $500 per day per When training webinars; and for additional or special Additional Training…
The filing answers no to 4 questions
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 20
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
- Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?Item 11
- Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?Franchise agreement
The vendor opportunity at Pepper Palace
Pepper Palace presents a concentrated, corporate-controlled sales target for software vendors. The chain operates 81 locations, all of which are company-owned, with no franchised units disclosed in the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. This structure eliminates the need to sell through a fragmented franchisee base; a single deal with the headquarters in Sevierville, Tennessee can cover the entire footprint. The average unit volume sits at $349,435.92, with a 6.0% royalty rate on a 10-year initial term. While year-over-year unit growth is not disclosed, the fully corporate model means any technology displacement or new implementation is a top-down decision.
Who controls software purchasing
The executive team listed in Item 1 of the FDD provides a clear map of the buying center. Morten Steen-Jorgensen serves as CEO, with operational leadership split between Caleb Stone, Vice President of Operations, and Tavis Scholz, Vice President of Store Operations and Development. The most direct entry point for a software vendor is likely Carla Branson, Vice President of Finance and Human Relations, whose purview spans both the financial approval chain and the HR systems that include the mandated UKG platform. No parent company is on file, indicating Pepper Palace is independently owned and decisions are made internally without a larger corporate parent's procurement overlays.
Mandated and current tech stack
The 2025 FDD Item 11 disclosures reveal a tightly mandated technology environment. For e-commerce and point-of-sale, Pepper Palace requires Shopify by Shopify Inc., with a specific note for a "Re-Visit" implementation also by Shopify Inc. Human capital management and scheduling are locked into UKG. Business intelligence and loss prevention run on RetailNext. Financials are standardized on QuickBooks Online by Intuit Inc. Marketing operations use OPTISign digital marketing software, and inventory management is handled by Thrivemetrics. This stack represents both a barrier and an opportunity: any new vendor must either integrate with these mandated systems or demonstrate a compelling reason to replace one of them at the corporate level.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The FDD does not provide an Item 8 procurement extract, so the formal supplier designation process—whether designated, approved, or open—is not publicly detailed. However, the presence of seven specifically named and mandated vendors strongly suggests a centralized, designated-supplier model. Renewal mechanics offer a potential window for displacement. The franchise agreement provides for additional 10-year renewal terms, but requires franchisees to sign the then-current agreement, which "may contain materially different terms and conditions." This clause allows the franchisor to update technology requirements at renewal. Since all units are currently company-owned, the more relevant timing trigger is internal budget cycles and any strategic technology refresh initiatives driven by the operations or finance leadership.
How to read the Pepper Palace FDD
The full 2025 FDD is embedded below for direct review. Key sections for a software vendor include Item 1 for executive decision-makers, Item 11 for the complete list of mandated technology systems and their vendors, and Item 17 for renewal conditions that could force technology adoption across the system. The document is filed with state franchise regulators and represents the most current public disclosure of Pepper Palace's operational and contractual requirements. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize based on tech stack fit, decision-maker accessibility, and unit economics.
Questions vendors ask
Pepper Palace, answered from the filing
The buying center includes Carla Branson (VP of Finance and HR), Caleb Stone (VP of Operations), and Tavis Scholz (VP of Store Operations and Development). As a fully corporate-owned chain, all technology decisions are centralized at the Sevierville, TN headquarters.
The 2025 FDD mandates Shopify for e-commerce, UKG for HR and scheduling, RetailNext for business metrics and surveillance, QuickBooks Online for accounting, OPTISign for digital marketing, and Thrivemetrics for inventory management.
Pepper Palace has 81 total units, all of which are company-owned. The FDD does not disclose any franchised locations, meaning the entire footprint is under direct corporate control.
The specific procurement model is not detailed in the available FDD extract. Vendors should expect a centralized, HQ-controlled purchasing process given the fully corporate-owned structure and the list of mandated technology systems.
Franchise agreements have a 10-year initial term with a 10-year renewal option, contingent on signing the then-current agreement. This creates potential review cycles tied to these renewal events, though all current units are corporate-owned and not subject to franchisee renewal schedules.
The FDD was filed with state franchise regulators in 2025. You can review the full document using the embedded PDF viewer below to analyze Item 11 technology mandates and Item 1 executive profiles directly.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Pepper Palace 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 Retail food brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.