From the filings
Software purchasing at Surf'N'Fries USA flows through a lean HQ team led by President and CEO Carrie Sams. The 2022 FDD discloses no mandated POS or operational tech systems, leaving the stack open to vendor pitches. With only 5 franchised units across 3 states, the addressable market is small but concentrated, making direct HQ engagement the primary path for any software sale.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Ongoing fee load
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
7%of gross sales (FY2022)
15% reference
Franchisor behaviours
23 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 8 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 may independently poll your Gross Sales and other information input and compiled by your POS System from a remote location.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Within 30 days following the end of each calendar quarter, Franchisee must provide to Franchisor a copy of the SURF’N’FRIES USA, LLC 20 Franchise Agreement | 2022 Outlet’s profit and loss statements prepared according to generally accepted accounting principles and which accurately reflect the Outlet’s financial…
How the franchisor buys
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
During our fiscal year ending December 31, 2021, neither we nor our affiliates received any revenue as result of these types of purchases or leases by franchisees.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We receive payments or material benefits from suppliers based on your purchases or leases of equipment, inventory, and operating supplies used in operating your Outlet day-to-day.
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?
50Item 8
We estimate that your purchases and leases from us or our designated suppliers will be approximately 50% to 80% of your total initial investment (not including the initial franchise fee) and approximately 50% to 80% of your ongoing purchases and leases in the operation of the Franchised Business.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you propose to purchase from an unapproved source any items for use in your Outlet for which we have identified, designated, or approved supplier(s), you must request our approval in writing.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesItem 17
We may, at our option, assume all telephone numbers for the Outlet.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must, at all times, be compliant with all applicable and current Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards (“PCI DSS”) requirements and other data security policies that we may implement.
Franchise management
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee acknowledges that the System, the Manual, and the products and services offered by at the Outlet may be modified (such as, but not limited to, the addition, deletion, and modification of menu items, operating procedures, products, and services) from time to time by Franchisor.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
We will approve or refuse to approve your proposed site within 30 days of receiving all requested information.
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 may not create websites, social media accounts, e-mail marketing software accounts or other comparable accounts outside of those which we license to you.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
within 30 days of opening the Outlet, you must carry out a market introduction advertising program that promotes the opening of the Outlet.
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
Currently, in each calendar year during the term of the Franchise Agreement, you must spend at least 3% of Gross Sales to promote the Outlet in your market area.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
Participation may include, without limitation, purchasing (at Franchisee’s expense) and using: (a) point of sale materials; (b) counter cards, displays, and give-away items promoting loyalty programs, prize promotions, movie tie-in promotions, and other marketing campaigns and programs; (c) product mix and…
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee will purchase only from Franchisor, suppliers, or distributors designated by Franchisor (“Designated Suppliers”):
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase only from us or from designated sources, as applicable, all: (1) fixtures, furniture, equipment, interior and exterior signage, graphics, decor, trade dress, and Outlet design consulting services;
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must participate in Franchisor’s then-current electronic funds transfer program authorizing Franchisor to use a pre-authorized bank draft system.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
The Franchised Business must be supervised on-site by an Operating Principal.
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must cause all Outlet employees, while working at the Outlet, to wear uniforms of such color, design, and other specifications as Franchisor may designate from time to time.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase or lease the point-of-sale software and hardware, and related software and hardware based on our specification and from our approved supplier or vendor.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We may independently poll your Gross Sales and other information input and compiled by your POS System from a remote location.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We reserve the right to charge a reasonable license fee (Franchise Agreement, Section 10.2.).
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 15
You and your Operating Principal must attend our convention.
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 franchisee/operator personally, or a small franchisor still owner-run. Wears every hat.
Surf'N'Fries USA is a quick-service restaurant concept headquartered in Texas with a total footprint of 5 franchised units. The brand operates no company-owned locations, and all 5 units are run by 4 distinct franchise operators, none of whom are multi-unit owners. The unit-band split confirms all operators fall into the 1-unit category, with zero operators in the 2–9, 10–24, or 25+ bands. Geographically, the system is spread thin: 2 units in California, 1 in Nevada, and 1 in Texas. This is a very small, independent franchise system with no parent company on file.
For software vendors, the addressable market is exactly 5 locations. There is no disclosed year-over-year unit growth, and the FDD does not report average unit volume (AUV). The royalty rate is 5.0%, and the initial franchise term runs 10 years. While the total unit count is low, the absence of any mandated technology stack means every location is a potential greenfield for POS, payroll, scheduling, inventory, or customer engagement tools—if you can reach the decision-maker.
The 2022 FDD lists only three executives in Item 1: Carrie Sams holds both the President and Chief Operating Officer title and the Chief Executive Officer title, while Ranae Biggerstaff serves as Head of Development. No CIO, CTO, VP of IT, or operations technology role is disclosed. In a system this small, software purchasing authority almost certainly rests with Carrie Sams. Vendors should prepare to engage directly with the CEO’s office. The operator base consists of 4 single-unit franchisees who are unlikely to have independent purchasing authority for core systems unless the franchisor explicitly permits it—and the FDD provides no signal either way.
The most notable finding in the Surf'N'Fries USA FDD is the complete absence of mandated or recommended technology systems. Item 11, which typically discloses required POS, KIOSK, or back-office platforms, contains no named vendors or systems. This is uncommon even among emerging brands and suggests the system either has no standardization or leaves technology decisions entirely to franchisees. For a vendor, this means there is no incumbent to displace and no RFP-driven procurement cycle to navigate—just a direct sale to a small HQ team.
Item 8 of the FDD, which would normally outline procurement obligations and designated suppliers, contains no extract. This leaves the procurement model undefined in the public record. Vendors should clarify during initial outreach whether Surf'N'Fries USA requires approved-supplier status or operates an open purchasing environment.
On the renewal side, Item 17 provides some structure. Franchisees can renew for two additional consecutive 5-year terms if they meet conditions including compliance with the franchise agreement, satisfaction of all monetary obligations, provision of notice, no default, right to remain in possession of the premises, and—critically—a requirement to renovate or modernize the outlet to then-current standards at the franchisor’s request. This modernization clause could trigger technology upgrades at renewal, creating a natural software sales window. However, with only 5 units and 10-year initial terms, these windows will be rare and scattered.
The full 2022 Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below. It contains the legal and operational detail vendors need to assess compliance requirements, territory rights, and any indirect technology obligations buried in the operations manual references. Pay close attention to Item 11 for any updates to mandated tech that may have occurred after 2022, and to Item 17 for the full renewal conditions that could drive future software purchasing events. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help you prioritize outreach across the entire US franchise landscape.
Questions vendors ask
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
We’ll email you the moment Surf'N'Fries USA 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
| CA | 2 |
|---|---|
| NV | 1 |
| TX | 1 |
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.