Rise Franchising

The vendor opportunity at Rise Franchising

Rise Franchising is a quick-service restaurant brand headquartered in North Carolina with 25 total units—19 franchised and 6 company-owned—as disclosed in its 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. The system generated an average unit volume of $859,058.67 and grew unit count by 26.7% year-over-year. All 21 mapped franchise operators are single-unit owners, with no multi-unit operators on file. The geographic footprint spans at least six states, led by North Carolina (6 units), Texas (4), Maryland (3), Tennessee (2), and Kansas (2).

For software vendors, the addressable market is small but concentrated. A centralized franchisor with company-owned locations and a mandated proprietary software program means purchasing decisions flow through headquarters, not a fragmented base of franchisees. The growth trajectory and recent FDD filing suggest a brand actively expanding its operational infrastructure.

Who controls software purchasing

The 2025 FDD names two HQ executives in Item 1: Brian Wiles, Chief Operations Officer, and Kenneth Priest, Chief Financial Officer. No chief information officer, chief technology officer, or VP of technology is listed. In systems of this size, operations and finance leadership typically own vendor evaluation and procurement. Wiles likely controls operational tools—POS, training, compliance—while Priest oversees financial systems and budget approvals. Vendors should prepare to engage both functions.

No parent company is disclosed; Rise Franchising appears independently owned. This simplifies the buying center: there is no private equity overlord or corporate parent dictating technology standards from above. The franchisor itself sets the tech roadmap.

Mandated and current tech stack

The FDD mandates a Proprietary Software Program, though the document does not name a third-party POS or back-office vendor. This suggests Rise Franchising may use an in-house or white-labeled system rather than a commercial off-the-shelf platform. Three recommended technologies are disclosed: COMO rewards program, Mailchimp by Intuit Inc., and PlayerLync. COMO handles customer loyalty; Mailchimp covers email marketing; PlayerLync is typically used for operational learning, content management, and frontline training.

For vendors selling adjacent or replacement tools, the mandated proprietary program is both a barrier and a signal. It indicates the franchisor is willing to build or control core technology directly. However, the recommended stack leaves gaps in areas like HR, scheduling, inventory, analytics, and delivery integration—spaces where third-party vendors can still compete.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

Item 8 of the FDD—which typically outlines designated suppliers, approved supplier processes, and procurement obligations—contains no extract in the available data. The procurement model is therefore not publicly known. Vendors should assume a closed or semi-closed environment until they can confirm otherwise through direct outreach.

Item 17 provides clearer signals on timing. The initial franchise term is 10 years. Renewal requires franchisees to execute the then-current form of franchise agreement, which may contain materially different terms, and to bring their operations into full compliance with current system standards. This creates a natural re-evaluation point: as franchisees approach renewal, they must upgrade equipment and systems to meet updated specifications. The renewal fee is $5,000, and franchisees must also satisfy current training requirements and sign a general release.

For software vendors, renewal cycles represent windows when the franchisor can mandate new technology or when franchisees must adopt updated systems. With 19 franchised units and a 10-year term, the first wave of renewals will begin roughly a decade after the initial franchise sales. The 26.7% unit growth rate suggests many locations are relatively new, so near-term renewal-driven opportunities may be limited.

How to read the Rise Franchising FDD

The 2025 FDD is the primary source for understanding Rise Franchising's technology mandates, executive structure, and unit economics. The embedded PDF viewer below contains the full filing. Key sections for software vendors include Item 1 (executives), Item 8 (procurement, though absent here), Item 11 (mandated and recommended systems), and Item 17 (renewal conditions). The unit count, AUV, royalty rate, and operator footprint all come directly from this filing. No third-party estimates or scraped data are used.

For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize brands by tech stack gaps, growth rate, and decision-maker accessibility.