From the filings
Software purchasing authority at The Meadows Original Frozen Custard sits with individual franchisees, as the 2025 FDD does not mandate any specific technology systems or name a centralized IT buyer at the Pennsylvania headquarters. With 29 franchised locations across five states and 11.5% year-over-year unit growth, the addressable market is small but expanding. Vendors should prepare for a direct-to-operator sales motion targeting single-unit owners.
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.
3%of gross sales (FY2025)
15% reference
Franchisor behaviours
14 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 5 explicit no's; 15 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
In addition to furnishing the Monthly Operating Statement required by Section 4.A. hereof, Franchisee shall, within sixty (60) days after the end of each calendar year, furnish Franchisor compiled financial statements as defined by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Statement on Standards for…
How the franchisor buys
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor may add suppliers to or remove suppliers from the list of designated suppliers at any time in Franchisor’s sole discretion.
How much revenue did the franchisor and its affiliates earn from franchisee purchases in the last fiscal year?
215887Item 8
in the year ending November 30, 2024, Meadows' revenue from required purchases, namely revenue from Meadows' designated supplier of frozen custard and frozen yogurt formula mixes, was $215,887 or 73.5% of Meadows' total revenues of $293,553.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
Meadows may also receive rebates from product manufacturers under certain conditions such as volume thresholds and growth programs.
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?
25Item 8
We estimate that these required purchases are 3% of the cost you will incur in the establishment of your Custard Stand and 25-30% of the cost you will incur in the operation of your Custard Stand.
Does the franchisor charge a fee to evaluate a proposed supplier?
YesFranchise agreement
A charge not to exceed the actual cost of the test may be made by Franchisor or by an
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
The franchisor will approve or disapprove within 30 days alternate suppliers if the franchisee requests such approval in writing.
Franchise management
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisor intends to periodically conduct inspections (both announced and unannounced) of the Custard Stand to evaluate compliance by Franchisee with The Meadows Original Frozen Custard System and this Agreement ("Inspection").
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 11
We may revise the Operating Manual periodically (see Franchise Agreement, § 12.).
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
You select the site for your Custard Stand after you sign the Option Agreement, subject to our approval.
Marketing
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, however, advertise your Custard Stand locally, spending each month, at a minimum, 2% of the Gross Sales of your Custard Stand for local advertising and promotion.
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesFranchise agreement
Franchisee shall purchase the formula mix for the frozen custard and frozen yogurt solely from Franchisor or such supplier(s) as has(have) been designated by Franchisor.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
you must purchase the formula mixes for the frozen custard and the frozen yogurt, the frozen custard machines, cones, disposables (napkins, spoons, bowls, lids, bags, straws), add-ins (nuts, candies, toppings), syrups, and all items bearing the Meadows logo solely from suppliers that we designate.
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 6
Additional Training $50 per day Prior to commencement of training.
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 franchisor's owner/CEO decides; an ops or franchise-development lead may evaluate.
The Meadows Original Frozen Custard operates 29 franchised quick-service restaurants, with no company-owned locations disclosed in the 2025 FDD. The brand grew units by 11.5% year-over-year, adding locations in its core Pennsylvania market and expanding into Virginia, Maryland, Texas, and Massachusetts. For software vendors, the total addressable market is 29 individually owned locations, all run by single-unit operators. No multi-unit franchisees appear in the operator footprint. This is a small, fragmented account base where every sale is a one-at-a-time conversation with an owner-operator.
The royalty rate is 2.0% of gross sales, and the initial franchise term is 10 years. Average unit volume is not disclosed in the FDD. Vendors should model deal sizes against a small footprint with low system-wide spend concentration. The absence of a parent company or private equity backing suggests independent, founder-led governance, which often means slower technology adoption but less bureaucratic purchasing friction at the unit level.
The 2025 FDD does not name any headquarters executives, and no IT, procurement, or operations leadership is on file. With no mandated technology systems and no centralized purchasing function described in the disclosure document, software buying authority defaults to the franchisee. All 29 operators are single-unit owners, so there is no multi-unit decision-maker consolidating purchases across locations. A vendor selling into this system must reach each franchisee directly. Pennsylvania, with 19 units, represents the densest territory for field sales or localized digital outreach.
The FDD contains no Item 11 technology mandates or recommended vendor list. No point-of-sale system, online ordering platform, loyalty provider, payroll processor, or back-office tool is named. This does not mean the brand is technology-free; it means the franchisor does not require or formally endorse specific systems. Franchisees likely select their own tools independently. For a vendor, this is a greenfield: no incumbent to displace by franchisee mandate, but also no top-down adoption lever. Proof-of-concept with a single location and peer referrals among the franchisee community would be the likely path to penetration.
The FDD provides no Item 8 extract, so the franchisor’s procurement model—whether designated supplier, approved supplier list, or open market—is not disclosed. Renewal terms offer a clear timing signal: franchisees in good standing may renew for an additional 10 years by giving timely notice, signing a new agreement, paying a renewal fee, remodeling, and signing a release. The remodel requirement in particular can trigger operational reassessments, including technology upgrades. New store openings, given 11.5% unit growth, also create greenfield deployment opportunities. Vendors should monitor new franchise sales and renewal windows in Pennsylvania, where the bulk of the system operates.
The 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document is the authoritative source for the brand’s legal and operational structure. Key sections for technology vendors include Item 1 (the franchisor and any parents), Item 8 (restrictions on sources of products and services), Item 11 (franchisor assistance and required technology), and Item 17 (renewal, termination, and transfer). In this FDD, Item 1 does not list parent companies or named executives, Item 8 is absent from the extract, and Item 11 contains no technology mandates. The embedded PDF viewer below provides the full document for your own due diligence. For a ranked target list of franchise brands matched to your software category, FranCloud can help.
Questions vendors ask
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FDD alert
We’ll email you the moment The Meadows Original Frozen Custard - VAThe Meadows Original Frozen Custard files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
29 operators run 29 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Top states by locations
| PA | 19 |
|---|---|
| VA | 3 |
| MD | 2 |
| TX | 1 |
| MA | 1 |
Ownership
single_brand_holdco of The Meadows Original Frozen Custard.
Related Quick service restaurant brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.