From the filings
Tasting Station is an 11-unit retail food franchise — 10 franchised, 1 company-owned — in Iowa, mandating Lightning Online POS under Item 8. With that core system already locked in and QuickBooks in active use, vendors should aim pitches at the founder-led corporate team.
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.
9%of gross sales (FY2024)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
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.
f First Refusal Agreement will be subject to our then current site criteria. Computer and POS System You must purchase or lease a POS system. The current POS system is provided by Lightning Online Poi
rovide ongoing maintenance, repairs, upgrades and updates to the required computer system. In addition to the computer and POS system, you will need to purchase business software (Quickbooks, Microsof
they meet the POS specification requirements. The POS system consists of the following: Multiple components from manufacturers such as Dell, Hewlett Packard, Citizen, Metrologic, Zebra, Linksys, Syman
Franchisor behaviours
26 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 4 explicit no's; 4 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
TS may have independent access to your POS system with no contractual limits on the ability to access the POS system and other computer information.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Within twenty (20) days after the close of each calendar month, Franchisee shall deliver to Franchisor a complete and accurate profit and loss statement and a balance sheet for the preceding month, along with a monthly royalty statement and any other sales data as requested by Franchisor, on a form or forms specified…
How the franchisor buys
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
We reserve the right to (i) limit the number of vendors and suppliers, and (ii) receive consideration from the vendors and suppliers, which consideration may or may not be related to services we perform.
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, 2023, we did not receive any revenues from purchases by franchisees, although we did receive during the year wine supplier rebates in the amount of $6.00 per case of wine club wine ordered per store to be applied towards wine club marketing and related materials.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We also reserve the right to designate a primary source of supply for certain products.
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?
60Item 8
We estimate that your purchase of products, suppliers and services from us, our affiliates, approved suppliers or that meet our specifications and standards will represent approximately 60% to 80% of your total purchases in connection with the establishment of your Store and 60% of the cost to operate your Store.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesFranchise agreement
If Franchisee, during the term of this Agreement, desires to purchase any equipment or products for use in the Store from a supplier who has not been previously been granted permission to supply products or services by Franchisor, Franchisee may request in writing permission by Franchisor of such supplier.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesItem 17
Also the telephone numbers, web sites and domain names used with the franchised business must be transferred to Tasting Station, Inc. when you leave the Tasting Station system.
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesItem 1
You must also comply with all Payment Card Industry (“PCI”) data security standards.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
Provide periodic inspections of the Store, to enhance uniformity and quality control, and be available by phone and telefax for guidance concerning the operation and management of the Unit Franchised Business and provide on-premise assistance; however, you must pay travel and living expenses of our 13 representatives.
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesFranchise agreement
Changes in such requirements may be made by Franchisor from time to time as deemed advisable by Franchisor.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesFranchise agreement
The proposed site must be granted permission by the Franchisor prior to Franchisee executing a binding lease or otherwise securing the proposed site.
Marketing
Is the franchisee prohibited from operating its own website or social media accounts, or required to use pages the franchisor provides?
YesItem 8
All internet marketing and ordering will be through the website we own and control.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesItem 11
You are required to spend between $7,500 and $15,000 on your grand opening marketing in a manner we approve.
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 are required to spend 2% of Gross Sales monthly on local advertising.
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must conduct such promotions and special events, offer such promotional items and accept such coupons, loyalty, stored value, and gift cards as Franchisor designates from time to time.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesItem 11
If we create a Cooperative for the geographic area in which your store is located, you must become a member and participate in it.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall cause the Store to conform to Franchisor's specifications and quality standards as specified in the Confidential Manual, and shall purchase only from distributors and suppliers approved by Franchisor (which may include Franchisor), all wine, wine products, accessories, cartons, bags, boxes, other…
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall only purchase and use such equipment fixtures and furnishings as Franchisor has designated or approved.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
All fees may be automatically withdrawn from your account and transferred to our account when due.
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee must conduct such promotions and special events, offer such promotional items and accept such coupons, loyalty, stored value, and gift cards as Franchisor designates from time to time.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesItem 15
Alternatively, you must employ on a full time basis at least one trained supervisor (“Store Manager”) who has successfully completed WineStyles Tasting Station® training program for the Store.
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
You must purchase a designated point of sale system.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
TS may have independent access to your POS system with no contractual limits on the ability to access the POS system and other computer information.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may require Franchisee and/or previously trained and experienced personnel to attend periodic refresher courses at locations designated by Franchisor.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee acknowledges and agrees that the annual conference is mandatory.
Tasting Station operates 11 retail food locations — 10 franchised and 1 company-owned — out of Iowa, on a 6.0% royalty. Item 19 makes no financial performance representation. The brand already mandates a core POS system and has QuickBooks in active use, so the clearest vendor opening is around adjacent tools that plug into that existing stack rather than replacing it outright.
Item 2 names a founder-family leadership team: CEO and President Bryan McGinness, Chief Operations Officer and Director of Franchise Development Andrea McGinness, VP of Franchise Operation and Chief Compliance Officer Jeff McGinness, and VP of Marketing Julie Gschwend. This team, operating under parent company Awesome Brands, owns the POS relationship and is the right target for any pitch.
Lightning Online POS, under Item 8, is mandated — every location must use it. QuickBooks, under Item 11, is in use: the FDD charges a fee for it or describes it in operation, without making it a contractual requirement. Zebra, also under Item 11, is named in the filing but not required.
Item 8 puts Tasting Station on an approved-supplier list, with some products single-sourced to one approved supplier and a formal process for requesting approval of alternatives elsewhere. Item 17 renewal requires the franchisee to be in good standing, pass inspections, give written notice, pay a renewal fee, remodel the store, and sign the then-current franchise agreement, for another 10-year term.
The 2024 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. Use the embedded PDF viewer below to jump to Items 2, 8, 11, and 17.
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Questions vendors ask
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FDD alert
We’ll email you the moment Tasting Station files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
20 operators run 23 mapped locations. 2 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Top states by locations
| IA | 10 |
|---|---|
| WI | 2 |
| VA | 2 |
| IL | 1 |
| NE | 1 |
Ownership
unknown of awesome brands.
Related Retail food brands
Primary franchise filings · updated September 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.