QuickBooksIntuit
Mandatoryuter Systems We require you to buy (or lease) and use a point-of-sale system and computer system as follows: The base licenses for operating software $250 per month which includes QuickBooks, Home Bas
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Pikes Peak Lemonade Franchise
Quick service restaurantSoftware purchasing decisions at Pikes Peak Lemonade Franchise appear to funnel through a small, centralized leadership group at its Colorado Springs HQ, though no dedicated IT decision-maker is named in the 2026 FDD. The system currently mandates QuickBooks and operates just 3 total units (1 franchised, 2 company-owned), offering a very limited but potentially growing addressable market for SaaS vendors.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
3
1 franchised
Unit growth YoY
0%
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2026
Royalty
6%
of gross sales
Ad fund
1%
national + local
Initial fee
$30K
per unit
Investment range
$163K–$339K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
2 years
from the filing
Item 19
No 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.
7%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.
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
24 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 8 explicit no's; 2 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
bookkeeping, accounting, and inventory control procedures and systems as Pikes Peak Lemonade Franchise may specify in the Manual or otherwise in writing.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
You must give us independent access to the information that will be generated or stored in these systems.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall provide such periodic financial reports as Pikes Peak Lemonade Franchise may require in the Manual or otherwise in writing, including: (i) a monthly profit and loss statement and balance sheet for the Business within 30 days after the end of each calendar month;
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
Our Affiliate, Pikes Peak Lemonade Co. is currently a supplier of the lemonade products, jars and packaging that you must purchase along with the mobile tap trailer should you choose to purchase this.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
Pikes Peak Lemonade Franchise may change any such requirement or change the status of any vendor.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
Our revenue from all required purchases and leases of products and services by franchisees in the prior fiscal year was $0.
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?
50Item 8
We estimate that the required purchases and leases of goods and services to operate your business are 50% to 80% of your total purchases and leases of goods and services to operate your business.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you want to use a supplier that is not on our list of approved suppliers, you must request our approval in writing.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must at all times comply with payment card industry data security standards (PCI-DSS).
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall participate at its own expense in programs required from time to time by Pikes Peak Lemonade Franchise for obtaining customer evaluations, reviewing Franchisee’s compliance with the System, and/or managing customer complaints, which may include (but are not limited to) a customer feedback system…
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Pikes Peak Lemonade Franchise may enter the premises of the Business from time to time during normal business hours and conduct an inspection.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
Pikes Peak Lemonade Franchise may supplement, revise, or modify the Manual, and Pikes Peak Lemonade Franchise may change, add or delete System Standards at any time in its discretion.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
Your site is subject to our approval.
Marketing
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
For the Retail Model, Franchisee shall spend at least 1% of Gross Sales each month on marketing the Business.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
At its own expense, Franchisee shall sell or otherwise issue gift cards, certificates, or other pre-paid systems, and participate in any customer loyalty programs, membership/subscription programs, or customer incentive programs, designated by Pikes Peak Lemonade Franchise, in the manner specified by Pikes Peak…
Operations
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We have the right to require you to purchase or lease all goods, services, supplies, fixtures, equipment, inventory, computer hardware and software, real estate, or comparable items related to establishing or operating your business (1) either from us or our designee, or from suppliers approved by us, or (2)…
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall purchase or lease all equipment and enter into all business relationships necessary to accept payments as required by Pikes Peak Lemonade Franchise.
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesFranchise agreement
At its own expense, Franchisee shall sell or otherwise issue gift cards, certificates, or other pre-paid systems, and participate in any customer loyalty programs, membership/subscription programs, or customer incentive programs, designated by Pikes Peak Lemonade Franchise, in the manner specified by Pikes Peak…
People
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall cause its personnel to comply with any dress attire, uniform, personal appearance and hygiene standards set forth in the Manual.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase (or lease) the point-of-sale software and hardware, and related software and hardware, that we specify.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
You must give us independent access to the information that will be generated or stored in these systems.
Sales and CRM
Must the franchisee use a CRM system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
The system will include our currently required POS/CRM system, credit card processing system, and accounting platform, such as QuickBooks.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
Otherwise, we do not currently require additional training programs or refresher courses, but we have the right to do so.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
The Principal Executive shall use reasonable efforts to attend all in-person meetings and remote meetings (such as telephone conference calls) that Pikes Peak Lemonade Franchise requires, including any national or regional brand conventions.
The filing answers no to 8 questions
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 11
- Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?Item 8
- Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?Item 8
- Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?Franchise agreement
- Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?Franchise agreement
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
- Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?Item 6
- Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?Item 15
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 franchisee/operator personally, or a small franchisor still owner-run. Wears every hat.
OwnerCEOPresidentPrincipal
- 41.9% of quick service brands mandate no POS system, leaving a massive blind spot in your target list.By instantly identifying the 452 brands with no POS mandate, you replace weeks of manual FDD research and focus your pipeline on high-fit displacement targets, cutting customer acquisition cost by over 60%.
- Only 17 out of 1,079 quick service brands mandate a CRM, yet unit counts and AUVs prove these are high-value accounts.Instead of spending 40+ hours manually combing FDDs to find CRM-needy brands, FranCloud delivers the 17 mandate-holders and their financials in one query, letting your team close deals 10x faster.
- 97.5% of brands mandate no inventory system, but the 27 that do represent immediate displacement opportunities.By replacing weeks of manual FDD research with one FranCloud query, your operations team can build a target list of 27 inventory-mandate brands in minutes, accelerating time-to-pipeline by 90%.
The vendor opportunity at Pikes Peak Lemonade
Pikes Peak Lemonade Franchise presents a micro-cap opportunity within the quick-service restaurant segment. With only 1 franchised location and 2 company-owned units, the total addressable market for third-party software is currently a single franchisee. The system is headquartered in Colorado, and the 2026 FDD reveals a very lean operational footprint with no parent company on file, indicating independent ownership. For a software vendor, this is less a volume play and more a relationship-driven, early-stage account where landing the franchisor’s endorsement could lock in future growth if the concept scales.
The franchise collects a 6.0% royalty from its sole franchisee under a 10-year initial term. While no average unit volume is disclosed, the mandatory QuickBooks requirement signals a baseline need for financial software compliance. Any vendor selling into this system must recognize that the decision-making unit is likely the same person who handles operations, finance, and legal—there is no sprawling IT department to navigate.
Who controls software purchasing
The 2026 FDD lists exactly one executive: Lisa DiDonato, identified as the Agent for Service of Process. No chief technology officer, director of IT, or procurement lead is named. In systems of this size, software purchasing authority almost always rests with the owner-operator or their direct delegate at the home office. A vendor’s pitch should assume a founder-led, hands-on evaluation process rather than a formal RFP cycle.
There are no multi-unit operators mapped in our corpus, which means the single franchisee is also the sole external buyer. This franchisee must comply with the franchisor’s QuickBooks mandate, but all other technology decisions—POS, scheduling, loyalty, delivery integration—are likely open to individual evaluation, unless restricted by an undisclosed Item 8 requirement.
Mandated and current tech stack
Pikes Peak Lemonade’s technology mandate is minimal and explicit: QuickBooks. The FDD names no point-of-sale system, no delivery aggregator, and no back-of-house or labor management tool. This creates a greenfield scenario for adjacent categories. However, vendors should approach with caution—the franchisor’s silence on other tech may reflect a deliberate preference for simplicity rather than an active search for new solutions.
The absence of a recommended POS vendor is particularly notable for a quick-service concept, where transaction speed and reporting are critical. A vendor offering an integrated POS-plus-accounting solution that feeds into QuickBooks could position itself as a single-vendor upgrade to the current mandate.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
No Item 8 procurement signal is available in the FranCloud extract, so it remains unclear whether the franchisor operates as a designated supplier, maintains an approved vendor list, or allows open purchasing. For a vendor, this means the first conversation must clarify the franchisor’s degree of control over franchisee technology choices.
Renewal timing offers a predictable window for technology evaluation. The initial 10-year term can be renewed for up to two additional 5-year terms, provided the franchisee gives advance notice, is in compliance, renovates to then-current standards, signs the latest agreement (including a personal guaranty), and executes a general release. A franchisee approaching a renewal milestone in 2026 or later has a strong incentive to ensure their tech stack meets any updated franchisor standards, making it a natural moment to propose software upgrades.
How to read the Pikes Peak Lemonade FDD
The full 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below. Focus on Item 1 for identifying business entities and principals, Item 8 for any purchasing restrictions, Item 11 for the franchisor’s obligations around mandated systems, and Item 17 for renewal conditions and term lengths. For a concept with only three units, the FDD’s Item 20 tables—showing transfers, terminations, and outlet openings—can also reveal whether the system is stagnant or poised for growth, which directly impacts the long-term software opportunity.
FranCloud maps these data points across every US franchise system so you can build a ranked target list without reading hundreds of PDFs.
Questions vendors ask
Pikes Peak Lemonade Franchise, answered from the filing
The FDD lists Lisa DiDonato as Agent for Service of Process, suggesting a lean HQ structure. No CIO or technology-specific buyer is named, but purchase decisions likely sit with the founder or operations lead at the Colorado-based home office.
The 2026 FDD mandates QuickBooks for accounting. No point-of-sale or other operational technology vendors are disclosed as required or recommended in the current disclosure document.
The system consists of 3 total units: 1 franchised outlet and 2 company-owned locations. This places it among the smallest active quick-service restaurant concepts tracked by FranCloud.
The FDD does not contain an extracted Item 8 procurement signal, meaning specific designated-supplier or approved-supplier requirements for general operations technology are not disclosed in the filing.
The initial franchise term is 10 years. Franchisees may renew for up to two additional 5-year terms, contingent on signing the then-current agreement and release. These renewal points create natural technology review cycles for the single franchisee.
The 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document is accessible in the embedded viewer below. It was filed with state franchise regulators in 2026. Review Item 11 for the franchisor's obligations regarding mandated systems like QuickBooks.
Source
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Pikes Peak Lemonade Franchise files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Pikes Peak Lemonade Franchise’s FDD on file does not disclose a franchisee directory.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated August 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.