From the filings
Starbird is a quick-service restaurant brand headquartered in California. The most recent Franchise Disclosure Document (2025) does not disclose total unit counts, franchised vs. company-owned splits, or mandated technology systems. Software vendors evaluating this account should note the small, geographically dispersed operator base and the absence of a named parent company or centralized procurement mandates in the available data.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Franchisor behaviours
25 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 2 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?
YesFranchise agreement
12.1.3 We have the right to specify the accounting software and a common chart of accounts, and, if we do so, you agree to use that software and chart of accounts (and require your bookkeeper and accountant to do so) in preparing and submitting your financial statements to us.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
we reasonably specify, a complete annual financial statement prepared on a review basis by an independent certified public accountant (as to whom we do not have a reasonable objection) within ninety (90) days after the end of each fiscal year of the Franchised Business during the term of this Agreement.
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesFranchise agreement
You agree that we have the right to appoint only one supplier for any particular product, ingredient or item (which may be us or one of our affiliates).
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
You recognize and agree that we may periodically change or modify the System and you agree to accept and use for the purpose of this Agreement any such change in the System (which may include, among other things, new or modified trade Starbird Chicken – 2025 Franchise Agreement Page 27 of 83 names, service marks…
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesFranchise agreement
You agree that we have the right to collect and retain all manufacturing allowances, marketing allowances, rebates, credits, monies, payments or benefits (collectively, “Allowances”) offered by suppliers to you or to us (or our affiliates) based upon your purchases of Input Items.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesFranchise agreement
You (or the supplier) may be required to pay a charge, not to exceed the reasonable cost of the inspection, as well as the actual cost of the test.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 7
If you wish to sell or use any product that we have not already approved, or buy products from a vendor that we have not already approved, you must follow the procedure under the Franchise Agreement.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
You agree that we may designate, and own, the telephone numbers for your Franchised Business, and you agree to sign the forms necessary to implement this clause.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 7
You also must follow the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards and comply with applicable privacy laws relating to customer payment card transactions.
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesFranchise agreement
You agree to participate in such programs as we require, and promptly pay the then-current charges of the evaluation service.
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
you also grant to us and our agents the right to enter upon the Franchised Business premises at any reasonable time for the purpose of conducting inspections, for among other purposes, preserving the validity of the Proprietary Marks, and verifying your compliance with this Agreement and the policies and procedures…
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
We have the right to revise the contents of the Brand Manual whenever we deem it appropriate to do so, and you agree to make corresponding revisions to your copy of the Brand Manual and to comply with each new or changed standard.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesFranchise agreement
1.2.1.1 you agree to enter into the site selection addendum (the “Site Selection Addendum,” attached as Exhibit G to this Agreement) at the same time as you sign this Agreement; and 1.2.1.2 you will then find a site which will become the Accepted Location after we have given you our written acceptance for that site…
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesFranchise agreement
Except to the extent that we have otherwise approved in writing, you agree to neither establish nor permit any other party to establish a Digital Site relating in any manner whatsoever to the Franchised Business or referring to the Proprietary Marks.
Is the franchisee required to spend a minimum amount on local advertising or marketing, as a percentage of sales or a fixed amount?
YesItem 7
You must contribute and spend the amounts we specify in the Franchise Agreement for the “Marketing Contribution.”
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
The term “Required Software” also includes the affinity program cards and related items that are required under Section 14.4 below.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 7
You must purchase all or nearly all of the inventory & supplies necessary to operate your business from Franchisor, its affiliates, or from suppliers that Franchisor designates at prices that the Franchisor or they set.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 7
You must purchase all or nearly all of the inventory & supplies necessary to operate your business from Franchisor, its affiliates, or from suppliers that Franchisor designates at prices that the Franchisor or they set.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
12.4.3 You agree not to use any Credit Card Vendor for which we have not given you our prior written approval or as to which we have revoked our earlier approval.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 7
All fees due to us or our affiliates (such as royalty fees, advertising contributions, amounts due for your purchases from us or our affiliates, and other amounts due under the Franchise Agreement) must be paid through electronic funds transfer (using the ACH network).
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesFranchise agreement
You agree to offer for sale, participate in, and honor for purchases by customers, all gift cards and other incentive or convenience programs that we may periodically institute (including loyalty programs that we or a third party vendor operate, Starbird Chicken – 2025 Franchise Agreement Page 39 of 83 as well as…
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesFranchise agreement
6.1.2 In addition to the Operating Partner, you must engage a full-time general manager (a “General Manager”) with qualifications reasonably acceptable to us, who will assume responsibility for the daily operation of the Franchised Business.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You agree to record all sales on integrated computer-based point of sale systems we approve or on such other types of cash registers and other devices (such as iPads, touch screens, printers, bar code readers, card readers, cash drawers, battery back-up, etc.) that we may designate in the Brand Manual or otherwise in…
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesFranchise agreement
You agree to at all times maintain a continuous high-speed connection to the Internet to send and receive POS data to us.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 7
We may also charge you $1,000 per day per trainer (plus expenses) if you request additional training or if we deem it necessary to conduct additional training.
Who buys here
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 franchisor's owner/CEO decides; an ops or franchise-development lead may evaluate.
Starbird is a California-based quick-service restaurant concept with a small, geographically scattered operator footprint. The 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document does not report total unit counts, average unit volume, or year-over-year growth rates. What is known from the operator data: four mapped operators run approximately four locations across Utah, Colorado, Washington, and California. All four are single-unit operators; there are no multi-unit franchisees in the 2–9, 10–24, or 25+ unit bands. For a software vendor, this means the total addressable market within the Starbird system is very limited—likely four buying entities, each making independent technology decisions.
The brand appears independently owned, with no parent company on file. This structure often means no centralized IT procurement function and no top-down technology mandates. Vendors should approach Starbird as a collection of individual small businesses rather than a consolidated enterprise account.
The 2025 FDD does not list any HQ executives in Item 1. Without named leadership—no CEO, CIO, VP of Technology, or Director of Operations—there is no identifiable buying center at the franchisor level. In systems this small and with no disclosed technology mandates, purchasing authority typically rests with the franchisee or store-level operator. Each of the four mapped operators likely controls their own software stack, from point-of-sale to back-office tools. This fragmentation means a vendor's sales motion must target individual owners, not a centralized HQ decision-maker.
Starbird's 2025 FDD contains no captured data on mandated or recommended technology systems. There is no named POS vendor, no required inventory management platform, no specified online ordering or delivery integration, and no loyalty or CRM system disclosed. This absence of a mandated tech stack is notable. It suggests franchisees are free to choose their own vendors—or that the franchisor has not formalized technology requirements in the FDD. For software vendors, this is both an opportunity and a challenge: no incumbent lock-in, but also no system-wide deployment path.
Item 8 of the FDD, which typically outlines procurement restrictions and designated suppliers, yielded no extract in the available data. Similarly, Item 17—covering renewal, termination, and transfer—provided no signal on contract windows or renewal cycles. The initial franchise term length and royalty rate are also not disclosed. Without these data points, vendors cannot map typical contract expiration timelines or predict when franchisees might be open to switching systems. The lack of procurement guardrails means each operator likely sources software independently, with no franchisor-imposed purchasing calendar.
The 2025 Starbird Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below for direct review. This document is filed with state franchise regulators and contains the legal and operational disclosures the brand provides to prospective franchisees. For software vendors, the FDD is a starting point for understanding unit economics, system size, and any franchisor-level technology or procurement mandates. In Starbird's case, the FDD leaves many questions unanswered—total units, tech stack, and decision-maker identity are all absent. This makes direct operator outreach and primary research essential next steps. For a ranked target list of franchise systems with stronger vendor fit signals, FranCloud can help prioritize your pipeline.
Questions vendors ask
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FDD alert
We’ll email you the moment Starbird files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
4 operators run 4 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Top states by locations
| UT | 1 |
|---|---|
| CO | 1 |
| WA | 1 |
| CA | 1 |
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.