SpotOnSpotOn
Mandatory. Those fees may be in addition to any other fees described in this disclosure document. COMPUTER SYSTEM You are required to purchase a point-of-sale (P.O.S.) computer system from SpotOn (“Computer Sy
From the filings
+9.677% units YoYHQ-led decisions
Pickleman's
Quick service restaurantPickleman's mandates SpotOn across its 35 U.S. locations, a decision that runs through Chief Information Officer Michael Stritzel's office rather than through individual franchisees, 25 of 27 of whom run a single unit. Average unit volume runs at $1,447,902, with units up 9.677% year over year — the fastest growth in this group.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
35
34 franchised
Unit growth YoY
+9.677%
vs prior filing
AUV
$1.45M
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
6%
of gross sales
Ad fund
3%
national + local
Initial fee
$35K
per unit
Investment range
$646K–$1.11M
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
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.
9%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
1 of these are mandated in the franchise agreement. Each is named in Item 11 of the filing, the incumbents a challenger must displace or integrate with.
FacebookMeta
om which we control. Subject to our right to consent, you may be permitted to create a social media account from which to advertise your Cafe on the Internet (such as on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram,
InstagramMeta
e control. Subject to our right to consent, you may be permitted to create a social media account from which to advertise your Cafe on the Internet (such as on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, o
LinkedInLinkedIn
cklemans.com which we control. Subject to our right to consent, you may be permitted to create a social media account from which to advertise your Cafe on the Internet (such as on LinkedIn, Facebook,
TikTokTikTok
Subject to our right to consent, you may be permitted to create a social media account from which to advertise your Cafe on the Internet (such as on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or X). Any s
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
27 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 4 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We will have independent access to information or data in the Computer System.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You will send us annual income and expense statements within 60 days of the end of your fiscal year.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We are the sole supplier for salt blocks that you must purchase prior to opening.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
We do however currently have a small group of franchisees who make up part of our informal marketing board in an advisory capacity only.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 11
We reserve the right to require different or additional software programs and hardware at any time in the future and you will be responsible for the cost of any new, modified or updated programs and the hardware.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
39797.15Item 8
During the 2025 fiscal year, our revenue from franchisees purchases was approximately $39,797.15 or approximately 0.79% of our total revenues of $4,531,167.48.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We and our affiliates reserve the right to negotiate with various vendors for quantity discount contracts which may include rebates to us or our affiliates under these contracts.
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?
36Item 8
The purchase of products from approved sources will represent approximately 7% of your overall purchases in opening the franchise and 36% of your overall purchases in operating the franchise.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
We may also require you to pay a charge not to exceed the actual cost of the test made by us or by an independent testing laboratory designated by us.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesFranchise agreement
You may propose alternative products, services, supplies, equipment and materials for the operation of your Cafe, as well as alternative manufacturers, suppliers or distributors.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
If we request, you will assign your telephone numbers, white and yellow page telephone references and advertising to us or any of our designees, including any other Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe restaurant.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
You must permit our representatives or agents or the representatives or agents of our Affiliates to enter the business premises with or without notice during regular business hours to inspect the Cafe and audit the business operations, including all books and records.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
We may modify the Manual from time to time in our discretion, and you agree that from time to time we may reasonably change the System.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
Before you open the Cafe, we will: (1) Designate your Assigned Territory (Franchise Agreement - Section II.B and Exhibit I.) (2) Approve or disapprove a site for your Cafe.
Marketing
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
you must spend a minimum of $4,000 for grand opening advertising and sales promotions within 60 days of the Cafe opening.
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
In addition to your required contributions to the Advertising Fund, you must spend for advertising and promotion of your Cafe an amount equal to or greater than 2% of your Gross Sales.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
We require you, if permitted by applicable law, to participate in various programs and activities with other Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe restaurants, including programs in which customers place orders via the Internet or cellular telephone “text messaging” and any gift card or loyalty program we or our affiliates may…
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
Therefore, you are required to purchase all products, services, supplies, inventory, equipment, materials, computer systems and other items required for the operation of the Cafe from manufacturers, suppliers, or distributors we approve, or from other suppliers who meet our specifications and standards.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
Therefore, you are required to purchase all products, services, supplies, inventory, equipment, materials, computer systems and other items required for the operation of the Cafe from manufacturers, suppliers, or distributors we approve, or from other suppliers who meet our specifications and standards.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
Royalty Fees, Advertising Fees and Technology Fees will be paid on every Monday (unless a legal holiday falls on a Monday, in which case the payment will be made on the next day which is not a legal holiday), and all of these payments will be made via electronic funds transfer (“EFT”) or such other manner which we…
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesFranchise agreement
We require you, if permitted by applicable law, to participate in various programs and activities with other Pickleman's Gourmet Cafe restaurants, including programs in which customers place orders via the Internet or cellular telephone “text messaging” and any gift card or loyalty program we or our affiliates may…
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
At all times during the operation of your Cafe, there must be at least 2 people who have completed our initial training program or are otherwise certified by us to manage a Pickleman’s Gourmet Cafe restaurant.
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
The Cafe must conform with the mandatory standards relating to signage, color scheme, appearance, hours of operation, cleanliness, sanitation, size of food item portions, menus, methods of preparation, employee uniforms, type of equipment and decor as designated by us.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You are required to purchase a point-of-sale (P.O.S.) computer system from SpotOn (“Computer System”).
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We will have independent access to information or data in the Computer System.
Sales and CRM
Must the franchisee use a CRM system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
We also currently require you to use and pay us for our designated CRM software, which helps with social media management and engagement, and currently costs $53 per month
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We may also provide refresher programs to experienced managers.
The filing answers no to 3 questions
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?Item 11
- Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?Franchise agreement
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
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 franchisor's owner/CEO decides; an ops or franchise-development lead may evaluate.
VP SalesHead of SalesCROSales Director
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The vendor opportunity at Pickleman's
Pickleman's operates 35 U.S. locations — 34 franchised and 1 company-owned — with average unit volume of $1,447,902 in the quick-service restaurant segment. Units grew 9.677% year over year, the fastest pace in this batch, and the 2026 FDD carries a financial performance representation in Item 19. Royalty runs at 6.0% of sales over a 10-year initial term.
Who controls software purchasing
Item 2 names Michael Stritzel as Chief Information Officer, Douglas Stritzel as Chief Executive Officer, Larry Strain as Chief Development Officer, and Kenneth Rice as Chief Operating Officer. The presence of a named CIO, paired with a mapped operator footprint that is overwhelmingly single-unit — 25 of 27 operators hold one location, concentrated in Missouri (10), Nebraska (7), Oklahoma (5), Kansas (3) and Arkansas (3) — points to headquarters as the technology buying center.
Tech named in the FDD, and what is actually required
The FDD mandates SpotOn for franchisees. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok are also named in the filing, but none of them is required.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 sets an approved-supplier model: franchisees must purchase from manufacturers, suppliers or distributors the franchisor approves, or from others who meet its specifications and standards, as designated in the Confidential Operations Manual. Salt blocks, gift cards and gift card sleeves must be bought from the franchisor or an affiliate. Item 17 renewal grants a 5-year term to franchisees who give notice, sign the then-current agreement, sign a release, remodel, and pay a fee equal to 25% of the current initial franchise fee.
How to read the Pickleman's FDD
Pickleman's 2026 FDD makes a financial performance representation in Item 19 and was filed with state franchise regulators that year. The embedded PDF viewer below has the full document. Talk to FranCloud for a ranked list of franchise systems that match your product.
Questions vendors ask
Pickleman's, answered from the filing
Item 2 names Michael Stritzel as Chief Information Officer, alongside CEO Douglas Stritzel and Chief Development Officer Larry Strain. With 25 of 27 mapped operators running a single unit, the CIO's office is the clearest buying-center signal in the filing.
The FDD mandates SpotOn. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and TikTok are also named in the filing, though none of them is required.
Pickleman's operates 35 U.S. locations — 34 franchised and 1 company-owned — in the quick-service segment, per Item 20 of the 2026 FDD. Units grew 9.677% year over year.
Item 8 sets an approved-supplier list: franchisees must buy from manufacturers, suppliers or distributors the franchisor approves, or from others meeting its specifications and standards. Salt blocks, gift cards and gift card sleeves must come from the franchisor or an affiliate.
The initial term runs 10 years, with a 5-year renewal available to franchisees who give notice, sign the then-current agreement, sign a release, remodel, and pay a fee equal to 25% of the current initial franchise fee. Units grew 9.677% year over year.
The Pickleman's FDD was filed with state franchise regulators in 2026. Use the embedded PDF viewer below to read the full disclosure document.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
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Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
27 operators run 32 mapped locations. 2 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit25
2–9 units2
Top states by locations
| MO | 10 |
|---|---|
| NE | 7 |
| OK | 5 |
| KS | 3 |
| AR | 3 |
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Primary franchise filings · updated September 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.