ChowlyChowly
Mandatoryto use the software designated in our Brand Standards Manual. Currently, the designated, non-proprietary software includes QuickBooks, Toast, App Front, Sling Scheduling, ADT and Chowley. We may requi
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
The Empanada Maker
Quick service restaurantSoftware purchasing decisions at The Empanada Maker are controlled at HQ by owner Cameron Davis, SVP of Operations & Sales Sergio Friderici, and COO Tatiana Friderici. The small chain runs 2 company-owned locations and already mandates QuickBooks for accounting and Sling for employee scheduling, while also using Chowly. With just 2 units and no franchised footprint, the addressable market for vendors is extremely limited.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
2
0 franchised
Unit growth YoY
—
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2024
Royalty
6%
of gross sales
Ad fund
2%
national + local
Initial fee
$40K
per unit
Investment range
$246K–$554K
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
2 years
from the filing
Item 19
No 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.
8%of gross sales (FY2024)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
4 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.
QuickBooksIntuit
Mandatoryrinter, high speed internet, and Wi-Fi. You are required to use the software designated in our Brand Standards Manual. Currently, the designated, non-proprietary software includes QuickBooks, Toast, A
SlingToast
Mandatorynd Wi-Fi. You are required to use the software designated in our Brand Standards Manual. Currently, the designated, non-proprietary software includes QuickBooks, Toast, App Front, Sling Scheduling, AD
ToastToast
Mandatoryand pre-prepared food items. You will purchase certain food and packaging from third party suppliers that we approve. Currently, our approved supplier of the point of sale system is Toast. You will ne
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
30 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 3 explicit no's; 1 question 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 are required to use the Toast POS system and to use Toast as your human resources and payroll system service provider.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
We will have the right at all times to independently access your Computer Systems to retrieve, analyze, and use the information, including your financial information.
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall submit to Franchisor the following performance reports for review or auditing: (1) Gross Revenues reports and performance reports for the prior month; (2) monthly financial statements, including a balance sheet and income statement;
How the franchisor buys
Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?
YesItem 8
We or our affiliate may be an approved or designated supplier.
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 11
We reserve the right to implement other technologies and charge you a Technology Fee.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
0Item 8
During our last fiscal year ended December 31, 2023, we received none of our revenue from franchisee purchases from approved suppliers.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
We reserve the right to receive payments, including rebates, commissions, and discounts, from designated suppliers based upon your purchases with them.
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?
35Item 8
The cost of the items that you must purchase from us, our affiliates or from suppliers designated by us represents between 35% and 40% of your total purchases in operating your business.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesItem 8
If you submit for our consideration a product or supplier, you must pay to us a $500 fee plus the out-of-pocket costs we incur as a result of our testing and approval process.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you want to use goods, services, supplies, fixtures, equipment, inventory, or computer systems or suppliers that we have not approved, you must first submit to us certain information, including product specifications, product components, product performance history, product samples, supplier information, and any…
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesItem 17
at our option, assign us the telephone numbers, directory listings, and other Online Presences
Data and IT
Must the franchisee comply with PCI, data-security or cybersecurity standards set by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee warrants and represents and covenants that it shall comply with (i) applicable prevailing industry standards concerning privacy, data protection, confidentiality and information security, including, without limitation, the then-current Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard of the PCI Security…
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor and its agents have the right to inspect the Premises, and/or Restaurant, with or without notice, in person or remotely via communications technology, in order to inspect, photograph, and/or videotape on-going new construction or leasehold improvements, designs, purchased and installed equipment…
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 11
We may periodically amend, update, or replace the contents of the Brand Standards Manual.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall obtain Franchisor’s acceptance of the 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 may not establish or operate an Online Presence (including a website, webpage, domain name, Internet address, social media account, blog, forum, advertisement, or e-commerce site) that in any way concerns, discusses or alludes to us, the System or your Restaurant without our written consent.
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee is required to spend a minimum of Fifteen Thousand Dollars ($15,000) for grand-opening advertising to publicize the existence and opening of the Restaurant, which advertising shall be in such form designated by Franchisor and which shall be conducted during the period that begins thirty (30) days prior to…
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
We require you to spend on local marketing at least $1,000 per month in your first year after opening (for the 10 months beginning after the first two months of operations which are covered by the grand opening marketing requirement) and at least $500 or 1% of monthly Gross Sales (whichever is greater) in your second…
Must the franchisee participate in a customer loyalty or rewards program?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor has the right to require Franchisee to participate in national, regional, and local giveaways, promotions, and loyalty programs.
Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?
YesFranchise agreement
If a Cooperative applicable to the Franchised Business is established at any later time during the Term, Franchisee shall become a member of such Cooperative no later than thirty (30) days after the date on which the Cooperative commences operation.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesItem 8
Where we have designated an approved supplier, you must use that supplier.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
Where we have designated an approved supplier, you must use that supplier.
Payments
Must the franchisee use a payment processor or merchant-services provider designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee agrees to use such credit card processing services approved by Franchisor and to purchase and maintain, at Franchisee’s expense, any equipment necessary to permit such credit card processing functionality.
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may, but is not obligated to, require Franchisee to remit payment of the Continuing Royalty and other fees by electronic funds transfer (“EFT”).
Must the franchisee participate in a gift card program?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall sell or otherwise issue gift cards or certificates (together “Gift Cards”) that have been prepared utilizing the standard form of Gift Card provided or designated by Franchisor and only in the manner specified by Franchisor in the Brand Standards Manual or otherwise in writing.
People
Must employees wear uniforms specified by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
employee uniform requirements and specifications
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 11
You are required to use the Toast POS system and to use Toast as your human resources and payroll system service provider.
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesItem 11
We will have the right at all times to independently access your Computer Systems to retrieve, analyze, and use the information, including your financial information.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
Our current additional training rate is $1,000 per day per trainer.
Is attendance at an annual convention or conference mandatory for the franchisee?
YesItem 11
Franchisees are required to attend all conferences and other required training courses.
The filing answers no to 3 questions
- Is there a franchisee advisory council, association or committee?Franchise agreement
- Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?Franchise agreement
- Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?Item 15
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 The Empanada Maker
The Empanada Maker operates just 2 company-owned quick-service restaurants, according to its 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document. The brand has not disclosed any franchise units or unit growth year-over-year. With no franchised estate and a total addressable market of only two locations, the opportunity for software vendors is exceptionally narrow. However, the chain does mandate specific technologies, creating a defined need for operational and accounting software. Vendors looking for a small, centralized pilot or an entry point into a chef-driven concept may find this a useful account, but realistic expectations are essential—two locations will not generate volume sales.
Who controls software purchasing
Software purchasing at The Empanada Maker is highly centralized at headquarters in California. The FDD’s Item 1 lists three key executives: Cameron Davis (Owner and Manager), Sergio Friderici (Senior Vice President of Operations & Sales), and Tatiana Friderici (Chief Operating Officer). There are no field operators or franchisees mapped in FranCloud’s corpus, reinforcing that all decision-making authority resides with these three individuals. No parent company or investment group is on file; the brand appears independently owned. For a vendor, the buying center is small and personal. Reaching out directly to Davis, Friderici, or Friderici is the only practical route. Given the scale, they likely handle vendor evaluations themselves rather than delegating to a procurement team.
Mandated and current tech stack
The FDD explicitly mandates two software systems: QuickBooks for accounting and Sling for employee scheduling. Additionally, it names Chowly, a third-party delivery integration platform, but does not specify whether Chowly is mandated or merely recommended. No point-of-sale system is mentioned as required or even in use, which could signal an opportunity for POS or all-in-one restaurant management platforms. The current stack is lean: accounting, workforce management, and delivery aggregation. The absence of a mandated POS, inventory management, or loyalty platform leaves gaps that vendors could address. However, with only two units, the chain may operate with minimal technology and be reluctant to add complexity unless a solution directly ties to cost savings or operational ease.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
Item 8 of the FDD, which typically outlines procurement restrictions, yielded no extract in FranCloud’s analysis. In practice, this means the brand does not disclose a designated supplier list or approved supplier program—vendors should treat the procurement model as open, albeit under tight HQ control. The initial franchise agreement term is 7 years, but no franchise units exist, so this term applies to company-owned stores as the operating blueprint. Item 17 describes renewal terms: a franchisee (or operating unit) may extend for an additional 5-year term, provided they are in good standing, exercise the option within a prescribed window, make required upgrades, secure a sufficient lease term, sign a release, pay a $5,000 renewal fee, and accept the then-current Franchise Agreement—which may contain materially different terms. This renewal structure suggests that around the 7-year mark or subsequent 5-year cycles, the company might reassess its technology stack as part of any upgrade requirement. With no known growth trajectory, software contract events are more likely to be triggered by ad-hoc needs rather than a regular procurement calendar.
How to read the The Empanada Maker FDD
The complete 2024 The Empanada Maker FDD is embedded below for your reference. FranCloud extracts the technology mandates, executive roster, unit counts, and other franchise intelligence directly from this document, saving you from scanning hundreds of pages. Use the viewer to verify key items like Item 11 (obligations) and Item 19 (financial performance) should they become relevant. When you’re ready to build a prioritized outreach list across multiple brands, FranCloud ranks franchise systems by tech fit and purchasing signals.
Explore the full franchise target list on FranCloud.
Questions vendors ask
The Empanada Maker, answered from the filing
Purchasing is centralized with owner Cameron Davis, SVP of Operations & Sales Sergio Friderici, and COO Tatiana Friderici. As a 2-unit, company-owned chain, all software decisions happen at HQ. Target these executives for operational, accounting, or delivery tech.
The FDD mandates QuickBooks for accounting and Sling for employee scheduling. It also lists Chowly, a delivery integration platform, though without specifying if mandated. No POS mandate is disclosed.
There are just 2 company-owned locations, according to the 2024 FDD. The Empanada Maker is a tiny quick-service restaurant chain focused on empanadas, with no franchised units. The total addressable market for vendors is only two restaurants.
The FDD’s Item 8 did not disclose a specific procurement model. Without a designated supplier list or approved supplier program extracted, vendors should assume an open procurement process at this small chain—though HQ likely controls all purchases.
With an initial 7-year term, contracts may align with the 5-year renewal window (good standing, $5,000 fee). The chain’s small size and no growth history suggest ad-hoc purchases upon need rather than scheduled RFP cycles.
The 2024 FDD is filed with state franchise regulators. View it directly below in our embedded PDF reader. FranCloud pulls key tech and decision-maker data from the FDD so you don’t have to parse the legalese.
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 The Empanada Maker files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
No franchisee network yet. The Empanada Maker’s latest FDD reports no franchised locations.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated August 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.