Pretzelmaker

The vendor opportunity at Pretzelmaker

Pretzelmaker operates 129 quick-service restaurants, all franchised, with no company-owned locations. The brand posted an average unit volume of $559,357 in its 2025 FDD. Unit count contracted by 5.1% year-over-year, which means the total addressable market for software vendors is modest and may be shrinking. However, the franchisee base is highly fragmented: 124 distinct operators control the 129 units, and none of them are multi-unit owners. Every location is independently run by a single-unit operator. This structure means any technology adoption must be driven either by a strong HQ mandate or by proving value directly to individual owner-operators.

The top states by unit count are Texas (25), Utah (10), California (9), Iowa (7), and New York (6). Vendors targeting Pretzelmaker should focus their efforts on these geographies, where the majority of franchisees are clustered.

Who controls software purchasing

Software purchasing authority sits at the parent level. The brand is managed by executives at FAT Brands, and the 2025 FDD lists Drew Martin as Chief Information Officer of FAT. Martin is the most direct buyer for any technology vendor pitching an enterprise-level solution. Other relevant decision-makers include Taylor Wiederhorn, who serves as President and CEO of Pretzelmaker and Co-CEO of FAT, and Kenneth J. Kuick, CFO of Pretzelmaker and CFO of FAT. Thayer Wiederhorn (COO of FAT) and Mason Wiederhorn (Chief Brand Officer of FAT) round out the leadership team.

Because every Pretzelmaker unit is franchised and operated by a single-unit owner, any software that requires franchisee adoption will need HQ endorsement. The CIO’s office is the gatekeeper for evaluating and recommending technology to the system.

Mandated and current tech stack

The 2025 FDD is unusually light on technology mandates. Item 11 requires franchisees to use a Social Media Management Software, but no specific vendor is named. No point-of-sale system, back-office platform, inventory management tool, or delivery aggregator is listed as mandated or recommended. This represents a greenfield opportunity for vendors in most software categories. The absence of a mandated POS, in particular, suggests franchisees may be using a patchwork of legacy or self-selected systems, creating an opening for a vendor that can offer a unified solution with HQ backing.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

Pretzelmaker’s procurement rules are not detailed in the 2025 FDD. Item 8, which typically outlines designated or approved supplier requirements, contains no extract in the filing. This means vendors cannot assume a formal supplier approval process exists or does not exist. Direct outreach to the CIO or CFO is the most reliable path to understand how software purchasing decisions are made.

Franchise agreements run for an initial term of 15 years. Renewals are for 10 years and come with specific conditions: the franchisee must be in good standing, sign the then-current franchise agreement, pay a renewal fee equal to 40% of the then-current initial franchise fee, sign a general release, and renovate the restaurant premises. These renewal events, along with any new unit openings, represent natural windows when franchisees may be required or incentivized to adopt new technology. However, with negative unit growth, renewal-driven opportunities will be more common than new-store openings.

How to read the Pretzelmaker FDD

The full 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document is available below. For software vendors, the most relevant sections are Item 11 (franchisor’s assistance, advertising, computer systems, and training), which lists mandated technology, and Item 8 (restrictions on sources of products and services), which defines procurement rules. Item 1 identifies the executives who control purchasing. Item 17 covers renewal terms and can help you time your outreach. Review these sections to build a complete picture of the technology landscape before contacting HQ. For a ranked target list of franchise systems that match your ideal customer profile, reach out to FranCloud.