FacebookMeta
anet that you must acknowledge and/or sign. You are strictly prohibited from promoting your Shop or using the Marks in any manner on any social and/or networking Websites, such as Facebook, Instagram,
From the filings
HQ + multi-unit
Popbar
Quick service restaurantPopbar runs 16 US shops, 15 of them franchised, with no technology mandated in the filing and purchasing decisions likely made shop by shop rather than through a single corporate buying center.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
16
15 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-25%
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2023
Royalty
6%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$35K
per unit
Investment range
$217K–$461K
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.
8%of gross sales (FY2023)
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.
GrubhubGrubhub
t have any standards or exercise control over any motor vehicle that you use. You may choose to, but are not required to, offer delivery through third-party delivery services like Grubhub and Uber Eat
InstagramMeta
you must acknowledge and/or sign. You are strictly prohibited from promoting your Shop or using the Marks in any manner on any social and/or networking Websites, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn,
LinkedInLinkedIn
knowledge and/or sign. You are strictly prohibited from promoting your Shop or using the Marks in any manner on any social and/or networking Websites, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pi
PinterestPinterest
ign. You are strictly prohibited from promoting your Shop or using the Marks in any manner on any social and/or networking Websites, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, and Twitt
TikTokTikTok
and/or sign. You are strictly prohibited from promoting your Shop or using the Marks in any manner on any social and/or networking Websites, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, a
TwitterX
rictly prohibited from promoting your Shop or using the Marks in any manner on any social and/or networking Websites, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, and Twitter, without our
Uber EatsUber
tandards or exercise control over any motor vehicle that you use. You may choose to, but are not required to, offer delivery through third-party delivery services like Grubhub and Uber Eats. You must
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
25 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 4 explicit no's; 5 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
(a) computer software programs and accounting system software that you must use in connection with the Computer System (“Required Software”), which you shall install;
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
The computer system is designed to enable us to have immediate access to the information monitored by the system, and there is no contractual limitation on our access or use of the information we obtain.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You shall, at your expense, submit to us, in the form prescribed by us, a profit and loss statement for each month (which may be unaudited) for you within fifteen (15) days after the end of each month during the term hereof.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We are the approved supplier for the production machinery, storage drawers, display showcases, Proprietary Product mixes and other ingredients you must purchase for your Shop.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 11
We reserve the right to change the designated point-of-sale system in the future.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
During the fiscal year ended December 31, 2022, we did not earn any revenue from the sale of these items to our franchisees.
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?
85Item 8
approximately 85% to 95% of your total purchases in the continuing operation of the Shop.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 6
Successor Agreement $20,000 Upon signing a successor Fee Franchise Agreement Public Offering Reimbursement of When billed You must reimburse our our costs costs for reviewing your proposed offering materials Inspection and $1500 With request for approval Payable if you request that Testing we evaluate a product or…
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you wish to purchase, lease or use any products or other items from an unapproved supplier, you must submit a written request for approval, or must request the supplier to do so, together with our then- current fee (currently $1,500).
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
2.3 Transfer. On Termination of the Franchise Agreement, or on periodic request of Franchisor, Franchisee will immediately:
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesFranchise agreement
You shall participate in all customer surveys and satisfaction audits, which may require that you provide discounted or complimentary products, provided that such discounted or complimentary sales shall not be included in the Gross Sales of the Shop.
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
As we reasonably determine necessary, visits to and evaluations of the Shop and the products and services provided to make sure that our high standards of quality, appearance and service of the System are maintained.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
We may from time to time revise the contents of the Manuals and the contents of any other manuals and materials created or approved for use in the operation of the Franchised Business.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesFranchise agreement
No site may be used for the location of the Shop unless it is first accepted in writing by us.
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 strictly prohibited from promoting your Shop or using the Marks in any manner on any social and/or networking Websites, such as Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, and Twitter, without our prior written consent.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesFranchise agreement
In addition to the ongoing advertising contributions set forth herein, you shall be required to spend between Two Thousand Five Hundred Dollars ($2,500) and Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000) on a grand opening advertising campaign to advertise the opening of the Shop.
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
You must conduct Local Advertising in your territory, and you must spend not less than 1% of your Shop’s Gross Sales each month for Local Advertising.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If a Cooperative has been established for a geographic area where your Shop is located when the Franchise Agreement is signed, or if any Cooperative is established during the term of the Franchise Agreement, you must become a member of the Cooperative.
Operations
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We are the approved supplier for the production machinery, storage drawers, display showcases, Proprietary Product mixes and other ingredients you must purchase for your Shop.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
By executing this Agreement, you agree that we shall have the right to withdraw funds from your designated bank account by electronic funds transfer (“EFT”) in the amount of the royalty fee, advertising fee and any other payments due to us and/or our affiliates.
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesFranchise agreement
You shall sell, issue, and redeem (without any offset against any Royalty Fees) Gift Cards in accordance with procedures and policies specified by us in the Manuals or otherwise in writing
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
You must also retain other personnel as are needed to operate and manage the Shop.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must purchase the point-of-sale system we specify, including the peripheral equipment we require.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We must have access to your computer and point-of-sale system at all times and in the manner that we specify.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesFranchise agreement
We reserve the right to charge a fee for additional or refresher training, even if such training is mandatory, and in addition you must pay for your trainees’ expenses, including travel, lodging, meals and applicable wages.
The filing answers no to 4 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
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?Item 11
- Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?Franchise agreement
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 Popbar
Popbar runs 16 US locations — 15 franchised and 1 company-owned — in the quick-service segment, though unit count fell 25% year over year. The 2023 FDD makes no financial performance representation.
Who controls software purchasing
With the large majority of shops franchised and none of the FDD's named systems mandated, purchasing decisions are more likely made shop by shop than dictated from a single buying center.
Tech named in the FDD, and what is actually required
Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok and Twitter by X appear in Item 11 of the filing, and Grubhub and Uber Eats by Uber appear in Item 8, though none of them is required.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 requires an approved-supplier list: production machinery, storage drawers, display showcases, proprietary product mixes and other ingredients must come from the franchisor or an affiliate, though franchisees may propose alternative suppliers for approval. Item 17 lets a franchisee in good standing sign a 10-year successor agreement, requiring 12 to 18 months' notice, current payments, and equipment upgrades if the franchisor requires them.
How to read the Popbar FDD
The filing embedded below was filed with state franchise regulators in 2023. Talk to FranCloud for a ranked target list of franchise systems like this one.
Questions vendors ask
Popbar, answered from the filing
With 15 of Popbar's 16 US shops franchised and none of the FDD's named systems mandated, purchasing decisions are most likely made shop by shop rather than dictated from a single buying center.
None of the systems named in the FDD — Facebook, Grubhub, Instagram, LinkedIn, Pinterest, TikTok, Twitter by X and Uber Eats by Uber, across Items 8 and 11 — is required; they appear in the filing without being mandated.
16 locations — 15 franchised and 1 company-owned — though unit count fell 25% year over year.
Item 8 requires an approved-supplier list, with production machinery, storage drawers, display showcases, proprietary product mixes and other ingredients bought from the franchisor or an affiliate.
Item 17 lets franchisees in good standing sign a 10-year successor agreement, requiring 12 to 18 months' notice, current payments, and equipment upgrades if the franchisor requires them.
The filing is embedded below. It was filed with state franchise regulators in 2023; the FDD makes no financial performance representation.
Source
Read the filing itself
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
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Popbar files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
29 operators run 34 mapped locations. 4 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit25
2–9 units4
Top states by locations
| CA | 11 |
|---|---|
| GA | 7 |
| FL | 5 |
| TX | 5 |
| NC | 2 |
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated September 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.