Clover
Mandatorywe require you to purchase the following hardware and software: Hardware 1 desktop or laptop computer with internet access and printer/ scanner/ copier; and POS Hardware Software Duo Clover POS System
From the filings
+57.14% units YoYHQ-led decisions
Taco Rico or Taco Works
Quick service restaurantSoftware purchasing at Taco Rico or Taco Works is controlled at the headquarters level, with President and CEO Leland Neal and COO James Ross as likely decision-makers. The franchise currently mandates Clover by Fiserv and QuickBooks Online by Intuit across its 11 locations. With only 7 franchised units and 57% year-over-year unit growth, the addressable market is small but expanding rapidly.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
11
7 franchised
Unit growth YoY
+57.14%
vs prior filing
AUV
$1.29M
Item 19, 2025
Royalty
5%
of gross sales
Ad fund
1%
national + local
Initial fee
$50K
per unit
Investment range
$249K–$373K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Standards based
from the filing
Non-compete
3 years
from the filing
Item 19
Claims
from the filing
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.
6%of gross sales (FY2026)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
1 of these are mandated in the franchise agreement. Each is named in Item 11 of the filing, the incumbents a challenger must displace or integrate with.
QuickBooks Online
e the following hardware and software: Hardware 1 desktop or laptop computer with internet access and printer/ scanner/ copier; and POS Hardware Software Duo Clover POS System and QuickBooks Online Th
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
26 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 5 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?
YesItem 11
You must purchase and use any hardware and software programs we designate.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We have, and you are required to provide, independent access to the information that will be generated or stored in your computer systems, which includes, but not limited to, customer, transaction, and operational information.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You shall, at your expense, submit to us within thirty (30) days after the end of each calendar year, an income statement for the calendar year just ended and a balance sheet as of the last day of the calendar year.
How the franchisor buys
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We may periodically change our standard and specifications in our sole discretion upon written notice to you or as may be specified by the Operations Manual.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
In our last fiscal year ending December 31, 2025, we did not earn revenue or other material consideration from required purchases or leases by franchisees.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesFranchise agreement
We have the right to retain volume rebates, markups, and other benefits from suppliers or in connection with the furnishing of supplies.
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?
90Item 8
We estimate your required purchases and leases will represent 90% of your overall purchases and leases in establishing and operating the Franchised Business.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
You must reimburse us for the actual fees and costs for evaluating alternate products or services proposed by you.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you want to purchase or lease any supplies, materials, tools, products or services not previously approved in writing by us as acceptable or from a supplier not approved by us, you can request our approval in writing, at your sole expense.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesItem 11
We have the sole rights to and interest in all these telephone number(s).
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You shall adhere to all PCI (Payment Card Industry), CISP (Cardholder Information Security Program) and SDP (Site Data Protection) compliance specifications, as amended.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
We have the right to review your business operations, in person, by mail, or electronically, and to inspect your operations and obtain your paper and electronic business records related to the Franchised Business and any other operations taking place through your Franchised Business.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
We have the right to add to or otherwise modify the Operations Manual from time to time to reflect changes in the specifications, standards, operating procedures, and rules prescribed by us; provided, however, that no such addition or modification shall materially alter your fundamental status and rights under this…
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
You must secure a location for the Business within 45 days of the signing of the Franchise Agreement; this includes the requirement of obtaining our approval for your selected location.
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 are restricted from establishing a presence on, or marketing on the Internet without our written consent.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
Within one month of the opening of your Franchised Business, you must spend a minimum of $2,500 to $4,000 on local advertising and promotion of the opening of the Franchised Business in accordance with an opening marketing plan approved by us.
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 spend for local advertising and promotion of the Franchised Business and the Proprietary Marks at minimum 1.5% of Gross Revenues from your Franchised Business over the preceding reporting period in the area or territory where your franchise is located.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
You are obligated to participate in our gift and loyalty card program.
Operations
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
You must purchase the computer hardware and software that we specify.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You agree not to use any Credit Card Vendor for which we have not given you prior written approval, or as to which we have revoked our earlier approval or otherwise prohibited.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
All fees are uniformly imposed by, collected by and payable to us via EFT and are non-refundable.
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesFranchise agreement
You are obligated to participate in our gift and loyalty card program.
People
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
You shall abide by all uniform and dress code requirements stated in the Operations Manual or otherwise.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You must purchase and use any hardware and software programs we designate.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We have, and you are required to provide, independent access to the information that will be generated or stored in your computer systems, which includes, but not limited to, customer, transaction, and operational information.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
We do not currently require any additional training or refresher courses after the initial training; however, we may do so in the future.
The filing answers no to 3 questions
- Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?Item 8
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Item 20
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?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.
The franchisee/operator personally, or a small franchisor still owner-run. Wears every hat.
OwnerCEOPresidentPrincipal
- 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%.
- Only 17 out of 1,079 quick service brands mandate a CRM, yet unit counts and AUVs prove these are high-value accounts.Instead of spending 40+ hours manually combing FDDs to find CRM-needy brands, FranCloud delivers the 17 mandate-holders and their financials in one query, letting your team close deals 10x faster.
- 97.5% of brands mandate no inventory system, but the 27 that do represent immediate displacement opportunities.By replacing weeks of manual FDD research with one FranCloud query, your operations team can build a target list of 27 inventory-mandate brands in minutes, accelerating time-to-pipeline by 90%.
The vendor opportunity at Taco Rico or Taco Works
Taco Rico or Taco Works is a quick-service restaurant brand headquartered in Florida with 11 total units—7 franchised and 4 company-owned. The system is small, but it grew unit count by 57.14% year-over-year, signaling an active expansion phase. For software vendors, the immediate addressable market is limited to these 11 locations, all in Florida. Average unit volume sits at $1,286,552.50, with a 5.0% royalty rate and 10-year initial franchise terms. The 2026 FDD provides the most current regulatory snapshot of the franchise’s operations, technology mandates, and decision-making structure.
Who controls software purchasing
Software purchasing decisions at Taco Rico or Taco Works are centralized at headquarters. The FDD’s Item 1 identifies Leland Neal as President and Chief Executive Officer and James Ross as Chief Operating Officer. In a system this small, the CEO and COO are the most likely approvers for any technology vendor engagement. Marcelo Ortiz, Director of Marketing, may influence marketing-tech or customer-facing tools, but core operational software decisions almost certainly run through Neal and Ross. There is no CIO, CTO, or VP of IT listed, which is typical for a chain of this size. Vendors should prepare to engage directly with the C-suite.
Mandated and current tech stack
The 2026 FDD mandates specific technology systems under Item 11. For point-of-sale, the brand requires Clover by Fiserv, Inc., specifically the Duo Clover POS System. For accounting, franchisees must use QuickBooks and QuickBooks Online by Intuit Inc. No other mandated or recommended technology vendors are named in the FDD. This means the tech stack is narrow and tightly controlled. Any software vendor pitching a product that overlaps with or integrates into Clover or QuickBooks Online must address how their solution coexists with these mandated platforms. There is no disclosed CRM, payroll, inventory management, or HRIS mandate, leaving potential whitespace for complementary tools.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 of the FDD does not disclose a procurement model—no designated supplier list, approved vendor program, or purchasing cooperative is mentioned. This absence suggests procurement is informal or handled directly by HQ on a case-by-case basis. For renewal timing, Item 17 states that franchisees who substantially comply with their agreement have the right to renew for additional 10-year terms, contingent on signing a new agreement, paying a renewal fee, and refurbishing the premises and equipment to then-current standards. The new agreement may include materially different fees and territorial rights. These renewal events, combined with the brand’s rapid unit growth, create natural windows for software evaluation and replacement.
How to read the Taco Rico or Taco Works FDD
The full 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document is embedded below. It contains the legal and operational disclosures that govern the franchise relationship, including the technology mandates, fee structure, and executive roster cited throughout this page. Review Item 11 for the complete list of required technology systems, Item 1 for corporate officers, and Item 17 for renewal and termination conditions. For software vendors, the FDD is the single most reliable source of truth on what the franchisor requires and who enforces those requirements. When you’re ready to prioritize franchise targets by tech-stack fit, decision-maker access, and growth trajectory, FranCloud can build a ranked list tailored to your product.
Questions vendors ask
Taco Rico or Taco Works, answered from the filing
The FDD lists Leland Neal (President/CEO), James Ross (COO), and Marcelo Ortiz (Director of Marketing). For software, the CEO and COO are the most likely buyers.
Item 11 mandates Clover by Fiserv, Inc. and the Duo Clover POS System for point-of-sale, plus QuickBooks and QuickBooks Online by Intuit Inc. for accounting.
There are 11 total units: 7 franchised and 4 company-owned, all in Florida. This is a very small, single-state quick-service restaurant chain.
The FDD does not disclose a designated or approved supplier program in Item 8. Procurement rules are not specified in the available data.
With 10-year initial terms and renewal windows tied to refurbishment and compliance upgrades, opportunities may align with new unit openings or renewal cycles.
The 2026 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. You can read it directly in the embedded PDF viewer below.
Source
Read the filing itself
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.
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Taco Rico or Taco Works files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
1 operators run 1 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit1
Top states by locations
| FL | 1 |
|---|
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.