install, and maintain the hardware and software systems. Currently, we estimate costs for EMV Credit Card Chip readers will be $350 per device. Currently, you are required to use Chowly for third-part
From the filings
Pizza Ranch
Quick service restaurantPizza Ranch, the Iowa-based pizza-and-chicken buffet chain, directs its own vendor stack from HQ: the FDD mandates Revel (by Revel Systems) for POS, plus Chowly, Embed, Kuusoft and DoorDash. At 219 restaurants and franchised-outlet growth of 0.472% year over year, this is a stable account with a clear, centrally-set technology mandate.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
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.
5.75%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
6 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.
aranch.com, at no additional cost to you. You must participate in any third-party delivery services we designate, which as of the issuance date of this Disclosure Document include DoorDash. You also m
ta. For FunZone POS operations, we designate the vendor Embed to be used. The estimated cost of the point-of-sale computerized system is $30,000 to $40,000 per FunZone. Presently, Embed, Inc. (“Embed”
. You are required to use designated customer facing Online Ordering Web Service providers. The current provider is Pizza Ranch Production Fund. Currently, you are required to use Kuusoft (NEXSIGNS) f
PCI Security compliance vendor(s) as directed by us). See Item 11. You must purchase a video display system and pay the monthly software fee to the recommended supplier, Kuusoft (NEXSIGNS), or another
ized system. The estimated cost of the point-of-sale computerized system is $ 8,500 to $20,000 per Restaurant. We designate the vendor to be used. Presently, Revel Systems, Inc. (“Revel”) is the desig
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
24 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 7 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?
YesItem 8
You must purchase accounting services for your Restaurant (including your FunZone, if applicable) from PR Financial Services, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of ours.
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 the information and data collected by the point of sale (POS) system; there is no contractual limitation on our right to access this information, restaurant computer systems, restaurant computer network, and data.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We and our affiliates may be an approved supplier or designated sole supplier for any purchases of products or services and may obtain revenue from you and make a profit without any limits on the amount of profit we or our affiliate may make.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 20
The Pizza Ranch Franchisee Advisory Council or the “FAC” was established on January 15, 2013.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
1331368Item 8
For the year ending December 31, 2025, our and our wholly owned subsidiaries’ revenue from the sale of goods and services to franchisees was $1,331,368 or 4.3% of our total revenues of $30,892,365 according to our consolidated financial statements (Exhibit I).
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
Some vendors pay us an allowance on products purchased by Pizza Ranch restaurants.
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?
80Item 8
We estimate that source-restricted purchases will equal approximately 70% - 90% of your total purchases in connection with the establishment of your Restaurant and approximately 80% - 90% of your total purchases in connection with the ongoing operation of your Restaurant.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
We may charge you or the supplier the reasonable costs of inspecting and testing.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you want to purchase any supplies, equipment or other products or services from a supplier other than a designated supplier you must submit to us a written request for approval of the supplier.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesItem 17
cease using telephone number and all business listings for Restaurant
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must reach and maintain a state of PCI (Payment Card Industry) Compliance as required and mandated by the credit card industry as directed by the major credit card vendors MasterCard, Visa, Discover, and American Express at your own expense.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
Inspect the kind and quality of proposed food to be served and food actually being served in your Restaurant and tell you of new developments, changes or improvements in our standard specifications.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 11
We may modify the Manuals, but the modification will not alter your status and rights under the Franchise Agreement.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
You must obtain our written approval of the sites for the Restaurants to be developed under your Area Development Agreement and commence and complete development of each additional Restaurant in time to meet the development quota mutually agreed upon.
Marketing
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If we establish a cooperative in your market, you will be required to join.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
You must use only the menu items, proprietary branded food products, ingredients, products, materials, equipment, computer hardware and software, signs, supplies, uniforms, advertising materials, wall finishes, furniture, furnishings, small wares, paper goods, arcade games and amusement devices, service providers…
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must use only the menu items, proprietary branded food products, ingredients, products, materials, equipment, computer hardware and software, signs, supplies, uniforms, advertising materials, wall finishes, furniture, furnishings, small wares, paper goods, arcade games and amusement devices, service providers…
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase a computerized point-of-sale system from Revel Systems (or current authorized POS system as directed by us) and secure an approved package for PCI (Payment Card Industry) Compliance from SageNet (or current or additional authorized PCI Security compliance vendor(s) as directed by us).
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
Before opening your Restaurant, you must sign all documents necessary to allow us to debit your bank account for royalty, service fees and Marketing and Production Fund contribution as they become due each month.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
In addition to your Principal, at all times after the Restaurant opens, you must designate at least 1 “General Manager,” who (i) personally invests his or her full time and attention and devotes his or her best efforts to the on-premises general management of the day-to-day operations of the Restaurant
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
All Restaurant personnel must wear uniforms of such design and color prescribed by us.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase a computerized point-of-sale system from Revel Systems (or current authorized POS system as directed by us)
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 the information and data collected by the point of sale (POS) system; there is no contractual limitation on our right to access this information, restaurant computer systems, restaurant computer network, and data.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We may offer further training programs and/or refresher courses at your expense, some of which may be mandatory.
The filing answers no to 3 questions
- Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?Item 11
- Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?Item 11
- Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?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.
HQ leadership: CEO/President + VP Ops/Franchise + a first dedicated IT/systems owner.
- 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%.
- 82.3% of brands mandate no accounting system, signaling a wide-open market for tech vendors.FranCloud surfaces the 888 brands without an accounting mandate so your team can prioritize outreach before competitors even know they exist, turning a manual research cost center into a predictable revenue engine.
- 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.
The vendor opportunity at Pizza Ranch
Pizza Ranch operates 219 restaurants, 213 franchised and 6 company-owned. Franchised-outlet count grew 0.472% year over year. The FDD makes a financial performance representation.
Who controls software purchasing
Adrie Groeneweg is President and Co-Founder; Scott Groeneweg is Executive Vice President; Jon Moss is Senior Vice President and Chief Brand Officer; Jeff Van Schepen is Chief Restaurant Officer; Dean Kooima is Vice President of Finance. Pizza Ranch itself directs the POS, online-ordering and video-display vendors franchisees must use, which keeps the technology decision at HQ.
Tech named in the FDD, and what is actually required
Revel (by Revel Systems), Chowly, Embed and Kuusoft are mandated, along with Nexsigns (by Kuusoft) and DoorDash; Revel requires Apple iPads, and Embed is the designated vendor for FunZone POS. The filing requires franchisees to "purchase a computerized point-of-sale system from Revel Systems (or current authorized POS system as directed by us)" and to secure PCI compliance through SageNet or another authorized vendor. Franchisees must participate in Pizza Ranch's online ordering program on pizzaranch.com at no additional cost, and in any third-party delivery service Pizza Ranch designates, currently DoorDash. They must also use designated third-party vendors for direct interaction with the Revel POS network, designated online-ordering web-service providers, and approved remote-access products for POS administration, plus purchase a video display system and pay a monthly software fee to the recommended supplier, Kuusoft (NEXSIGNS), or another approved vendor.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Pizza Ranch runs an approved-supplier list: items and services must conform to Pizza Ranch's standards, and Pizza Ranch may designate one or more approved suppliers, including itself as sole supplier. Franchisees must separately buy accounting services from PR Financial Services, LLC and marketing start-up materials from PR Production Fund, Inc., both Pizza Ranch subsidiaries. The initial term is 10 years, with renewal available to franchisees without excessive defaults who complete refresher training, remodel as needed, sign a release and pay a $2,500 renewal fee.
How to read the Pizza Ranch FDD
The embedded PDF viewer below is Pizza Ranch's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. Talk to FranCloud for a ranked list of franchise systems that fit your product.
Questions vendors ask
Pizza Ranch, answered from the filing
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Pizza Ranch files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Pizza Ranch’s FDD on file does not disclose a franchisee directory.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated September 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.