The Learning Experience

The vendor opportunity at The Learning Experience

The Learning Experience operates 465 locations across the United States, with 436 franchised units and 29 company-owned centers. The system grew 12.95% year-over-year, adding units at a pace that signals consistent demand for technology and operational tools. Average unit volume sits at $2,186,393, and the royalty rate is 7.0% on a 15-year initial term. For software vendors, this means a concentrated base of 465 sites where a single HQ mandate can unlock deployment across the entire network. The top states by unit count are Texas (33), Florida (27), Virginia (24), Pennsylvania (13), and Maryland (12), giving a clear geographic footprint for field-level implementation planning.

Who controls software purchasing

The 2026 FDD identifies Richard Weissman as co-founder, chairman and CEO, and he is the only executive named in Item 1. No parent company is on file, and the system appears independently owned. With no multi-unit operators—219 mapped operators all fall into the single-unit band—there is no middle layer of franchisee buying groups. This structure points to a centralized purchasing model where Weissman or his direct delegates make software decisions. Vendors should prepare to engage at the CEO level, as no CIO, CTO, or procurement officer is disclosed in the filing.

Mandated and current tech stack

The Learning Experience mandates four technology components: Show N Tell, a Show N Tell application, TLE proprietary software, and a TLE Technology Package. These are the only named systems in the FDD, and they form the core operational stack that every franchisee must adopt. No third-party POS, CRM, or ERP vendors are disclosed, which means the current environment is largely built on these proprietary and mandated tools. For a software vendor, this signals both a barrier—displacing mandated systems is difficult—and an opportunity to integrate with or augment the existing TLE ecosystem.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

Item 8 of the FDD contains no extract regarding procurement, so the formal supplier designation process is not publicly defined. This absence means vendors cannot assume an open or approved-supplier model; direct inquiry with HQ is necessary. Renewal terms under Item 17 require franchisees to be in good standing, provide 180 days’ notice, sign the then-current Franchise Agreement (which may contain materially different terms), remodel the center, and execute a general release. The renewal term is five years. With a 15-year initial term, the bulk of the system is likely mid-cycle, but the 180-day notice window and remodeling requirement create natural points where technology reassessment could occur.

How to read the The Learning Experience FDD

The embedded PDF viewer below contains the full 2026 FDD. For software vendors, the critical sections are Item 1 (the single named executive), Item 11 (the four mandated technology components), and Item 17 (renewal conditions and timing). The operator footprint in Item 20 confirms 219 single-unit operators with no multi-unit entities, reinforcing the centralized purchasing dynamic. Use these data points to build a pitch that addresses the CEO-level buyer, respects the existing mandated stack, and aligns with the renewal-driven windows for technology evaluation. For a ranked target list of franchise systems matched to your software category, FranCloud can help.