modules available on Chicken Salad Chick University
From the filings
Simply Southern Restaurant Group
Quick service restaurantSimply Southern Restaurant Group's franchise agreement requires franchisees to purchase the point-of-sale hardware and software the franchisor specifies for its Chicken Salad Chick restaurants, along with an on-site maintenance agreement. The system spans 326 units — 252 franchised and 74 company-owned — with an Item 19 average of $1,496,540 among the reporting cohort. Franchised outlets grew 22.33% year over year.
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.
7%of gross sales (FY2026)
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.
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
22 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 1 explicit no; 11 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We will have independent, unlimited access to all transaction details for sales, financial marketing, management, and other business information maintained on your computer system.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
The only products/services for which we or our affiliates currently are designated or approved suppliers are the grand opening marketing services provided by CSC Affiliate for which you pay a lump sum amount when you sign the Franchise Agreement.
Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?
YesItem 11
We currently have a marketing advisory committee made up of 5 franchisees that advises us on advertising and marketing matters for our system.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
In 2022, CSC Affiliate received a total of $1,060,048 from our approved suppliers on account of purchases made by both franchised and affiliate-owned Restaurants.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 6
Fees to evaluate Currently, out of Upon receipt We have the right to impose alternative pocket expenses of our invoice reasonable inspection and testing suppliers only fees to cover any costs in evaluating alternative approved products or suppliers you suggest.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
Except as noted above, you have the right to purchase required products and services from outside suppliers and distributors if such products and services conform in quality to our standards and specifications and we determine that the supplier’s or distributor’s business reputation, quality standards, delivery…
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesItem 17
and assign telephone numbers.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
independently determining what is required for you to comply (and then complying) at all times with the most current version of the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 9
Inspections and Articles VI.D, VII.O, VIII, and XIII of the Item 6 audits Franchise Agreement t.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 8
We have the right to modify our written standards and specifications and you must comply with any modifications.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
You may not construct, develop, and operate the Restaurant at a site that we have not formally accepted.
Marketing
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 8
CSC Affiliate has the sole right to determine how this grand opening money is spent for your Restaurant.
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 the form, content, and media we approve and spend a minimum of 1% of your monthly Gross Sales.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesItem 8
You must participate in, and comply with the requirements of, our gift/loyalty/stored-value card and other customer loyalty programs.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
You must participate in such advertising cooperative and its programs (other than price advertising in which you may choose not to participate if we have not unilaterally chosen to regulate your prices to the extent permitted by law) and abide by its bylaws.
Operations
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We currently require you to purchase the following products and services only from designated (i.e., specific) suppliers: kitchen and restaurant equipment along with small wares;
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
You must authorize us to debit your bank account automatically for the amounts due under the Franchise Agreement or otherwise.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
The Restaurant must have a dedicated General Manager and/or Manager at the Restaurant every day (if the Operating Partner will not operate the Restaurant on-site each day).
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase from suppliers and distributors we approve in writing those foods, food items, beverages, recipe ingredients, goods, products, supplies, sundries, uniforms, machinery, signs, furniture, fixtures, equipment, and services that we determine must meet minimum standards of quality and uniformity in order…
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must purchase or lease the computer/technology hardware and peripherals we require that will serve as your point-of-sale transaction and technology systems
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We will have independent, unlimited access to all transaction details for sales, financial marketing, management, and other business information maintained on your computer system.
Training
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 11
You, your Operating Partner, your manager or 1 of your key employees must also attend our conferences, whether conducted annually or otherwise, at no charge to you.
The filing answers no to 1 question
- Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?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.
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The vendor opportunity at Simply Southern Restaurant Group
Simply Southern Restaurant Group's system spans 326 units in the fast-casual restaurant segment — 252 franchised and 74 company-owned — under its Chicken Salad Chick brand. Item 19 of the FDD includes a financial performance representation, with a reporting cohort averaging $1,496,540. Franchised outlets grew 22.33% year over year.
Who controls software purchasing
The franchisor establishes standards for the telecommunications equipment, computer and technology hardware, peripherals, and software each restaurant must use, and requires franchisees to purchase or lease the point-of-sale transaction and technology hardware it specifies, along with an on-site maintenance agreement and certain required computer software and operating systems.
Tech named in the FDD, and what is actually required
The FDD names Chicken Salad Chick University in Item 11. The core technology mandate — point-of-sale hardware, an on-site maintenance agreement, and required software and operating systems — runs through the franchisor's own specification rather than a single named third-party platform. Franchisees must also participate in the brand's gift/loyalty/stored-value card and other customer loyalty programs.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 runs a designated-suppliers-only model: franchisees must buy kitchen and restaurant equipment and small wares only from designated suppliers, and other required products from franchisor-approved suppliers, with almost 100% of total purchases running through designated or approved sources. Cake and dessert products route through affiliate SSRG Cake via a third-party distributor, and grand-opening marketing services route through affiliate CSC Affiliate, which received $1,409,553 from approved suppliers in 2025. The initial term is 10 years, with three 10-year renewals available; renewal requires a complete remodel, updated IT equipment and software, and a renewal fee.
How to read the Simply Southern Restaurant Group FDD
The embedded viewer below carries the brand's 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, including the Item 8 and Item 11 language summarized above.
Talk to FranCloud for a ranked list of franchise systems like Simply Southern Restaurant Group where the technology mandate and procurement structure line up with your product.
Questions vendors ask
Simply Southern Restaurant Group, answered from the filing
Read the filing itself
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
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Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
18 operators run 18 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Top states by locations
| TX | 4 |
|---|---|
| MO | 3 |
| GA | 3 |
| LA | 2 |
| SC | 2 |
Ownership
The portfolio behind Simply Southern Restaurant Group
strategic_multibrand of Simply Southern Restaurant Group.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated September 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.