From the filings
Software purchasing at Pieology is controlled at the parent level by The Little Brown Box Pizza, LLC, with key executives including the CEO and CFO/COO identified in the 2024 FDD. No mandated or recommended technology systems are disclosed in the filing. The addressable market consists of 109 total units, 101 of which are franchised, concentrated primarily in California.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Ongoing fee load
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
9%of gross sales (FY2024)
15% reference
Franchisor behaviours
22 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 4 explicit no's; 8 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, unlimited access to all information and data that your Computer System generates and stores.
How the franchisor buys
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 11
We may implement and periodically modify System Standards relating to the System Website and, at our option, may discontinue the System Website, or any services offered through the System Website, at any time.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
114596Item 8
During our fiscal year 2023, our total revenue was $5,447,413 and our revenue (including that of our affiliates) from all required purchases and leases of products and services by our franchisees was $114,596 of supplier rebates in addition to $220,500 of vendor and supplier sponsorship of franchisee conferences and…
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We and/or our affiliates may derive revenue based on your purchases and leases, including from license fees and other amounts that we charge to manufacturers of proprietary food products and other items, and from promotional allowances, volume discounts and other payments made to us by suppliers and/or distributors…
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?
60Item 8
approximately 60-70% of your total purchases operating your Restaurant.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
Either you or the proposed supplier or distributor must pay us a fee (not to exceed the reasonable cost of the inspection and the actual cost of the test) to make the evaluation.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you want to use any proprietary food products, Operating Assets or other products or services for or at the Restaurant that we have not yet evaluated, or purchase or lease any proprietary food products, Operating Assets or other products or services from a supplier or distributor that we have not yet approved (for…
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
complying with all applicable laws, regulations, industry standards (including Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards) and other procedures to safeguard the confidentiality and security of information concerning the Restaurant’s customers and employees
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
During your operation of the Restaurant, we will do the following: (1) At our option, advise you periodically regarding the Restaurant’s operation based on your reports or our inspections.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 11
We may modify the Operations Manual and System Standards periodically to reflect changes in System Standards.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 12
You will operate the Restaurant at a specific site that we first must accept.
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 System Website, you may not develop, maintain, or authorize any social media, other website, other online presence, or other electronic medium (such as mobile applications, kiosks and other interactive properties or technology-based programs) that mentions or describes you or the Restaurant or displays…
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
You must at your expense implement a Restaurant opening marketing program in compliance with the requirements in the Operations Manual and other System Standards.
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
Unless we provide written notice to you to the contrary, the quarterly Marketing Spending Requirement is set at four percent (4%) of the Restaurant’s Gross Sales throughout the term of the Franchise Agreement.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If we establish a Cooperative for the geographic area in which the Restaurant is located, you must sign the documents that we require to become a member of the Cooperative and participate in the Cooperative as those documents require.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
Currently, you must purchase or lease fixtures, furnishings, equipment, a point-of-sale system, signage, proprietary food products and other food products (including produce and soft drinks), paper products, smallwares, chemicals, carbon dioxide, various services (including pest, fire suppression and water…
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
Currently, you must purchase or lease fixtures, furnishings, equipment, a point-of-sale system, signage, proprietary food products and other food products (including produce and soft drinks), paper products, smallwares, chemicals, carbon dioxide, various services (including pest, fire suppression and water…
Payments
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 and deliver to us the documents we periodically require (currently the Electronic Funds Transfer Agreement (Exhibit C)) to authorize us to debit your bank account automatically for the Royalty, Marketing Fund (defined in Item 11) contribution and other amounts due under the Franchise Agreement or any…
People
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
Currently, you must purchase or lease fixtures, furnishings, equipment, a point-of-sale system, signage, proprietary food products and other food products (including produce and soft drinks), paper products, smallwares, chemicals, carbon dioxide, various services (including pest, fire suppression and water…
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must obtain, maintain, and use in operating the Restaurant the Computer System that we periodically specify.
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 all information and data that your Computer System generates and stores.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We may charge reasonable fees for these brand standards training courses and programs.
Who buys here
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.
HQ leadership: CEO/President + VP Ops/Franchise + a first dedicated IT/systems owner.
Pieology is a quick-service restaurant brand headquartered in California and owned by The Little Brown Box Pizza, LLC. According to the 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document, the system comprises 109 total units—101 franchised and 8 company-owned. The brand contracted by -8.18% year-over-year, which software vendors should weigh when sizing the near-term pipeline. The franchisee base is small and concentrated: five mapped operators control approximately five located units, all single-unit operators. No multi-unit franchisees appear in the filing. The top states by unit count are California (3), Connecticut (1), and Florida (1).
For a software vendor, the immediate addressable market is 109 locations. The absence of multi-unit operators means any sale into the franchisee base will likely be a one-location deal, unless you can sell into the parent company’s eight corporate stores or influence system-wide adoption from the top. The royalty rate is 5.0%, and the initial franchise term is 10 years.
The 2024 FDD names two executives in Item 1: Shawn Thompson, Chief Executive Officer, and Stephen Ostaszewicz, Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer. No Chief Information Officer, Chief Technology Officer, or VP of Technology is listed. In a system of this size and ownership structure, software purchasing authority almost certainly sits with these two individuals at the parent-company level. If you are selling a platform that touches operations, finance, or store-level technology, your path runs through the CEO and CFO/COO. There is no indication of a decentralized or franchisee-led technology procurement model in the filing, but the lack of mandated systems suggests individual franchisees may have latitude to choose their own tools unless the franchisor exercises approval rights.
The 2024 FDD does not disclose any mandated or recommended technology systems. Item 11, which typically lists required POS, back-office, or digital ordering platforms, contains no named vendors. This is a critical signal for software sellers: Pieology either does not mandate a tech stack, or it chooses not to publish those requirements in its FDD. In practice, this often means franchisees select their own point-of-sale, payroll, scheduling, and inventory systems, subject to franchisor approval. Vendors should approach this as an open landscape but verify during discovery whether the franchisor maintains an unlisted preferred-vendor list or exercises approval rights over technology choices.
Item 8 of the FDD, which typically outlines procurement obligations and designated suppliers, was not extracted in the available data. Without that signal, the procurement model remains unclear. It could range from a closed designated-supplier program to a fully open market. Vendors should request the full Item 8 directly or ask the franchisor about any purchasing cooperative, GPO affiliation, or approved-supplier program.
Item 17 provides renewal terms. A franchisee in good standing may acquire a successor franchise for 10 years on the then-current terms. Conditions include timely notice, compliance during the term, possession of the site (or an acceptable substitute), a remodel to current standards, execution of new documents, and payment of a renewal fee. With a 10-year term and recent unit contraction, the volume of renewal-driven technology evaluations may be low in the near term. However, any franchisee approaching the end of their initial term represents a potential window for a tech stack review, especially if a remodel triggers operational changes.
The embedded PDF viewer below contains the full 2024 Pieology Franchise Disclosure Document as filed with state franchise regulators. For software vendors, the most actionable sections are Item 1 (executives and ownership), Item 8 (procurement obligations, if present), Item 11 (mandated systems), and Item 17 (renewal and transfer conditions). Cross-reference the unit count and operator footprint in Item 20 with the growth trajectory to build a realistic total addressable market model. If you need a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize based on unit counts, tech mandates, and decision-maker access.
Questions vendors ask
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.
View only A one-time purchase: the original filing, yours to keep.
FDD alert
We’ll email you the moment Pieology files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
5 operators run 5 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Top states by locations
| CA | 3 |
|---|---|
| CT | 1 |
| FL | 1 |
Ownership
unknown of the little brown box pizza llc d b a pieology.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.