Wahlburgers

The vendor opportunity at Wahlburgers

Wahlburgers operates 25 total units—21 franchised and 4 company-owned—according to its 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document. The brand experienced an -80% year-over-year unit decline, which reshapes the addressable market for software vendors. Despite the contraction, the remaining footprint is concentrated among heavily multi-unit operators: 80 of the 103 mapped operators run 25 or more units across their portfolios, and the top states by operator location count are Iowa (1,840), Minnesota (1,200), Nebraska (800), Missouri (640), and Illinois (562). This operator structure means a single franchisee relationship could unlock multiple locations, but the overall unit count is small. The initial franchise term is 20 years, with a 6.0% royalty rate. Average unit volume is not disclosed in the most recent FDD.

Who controls software purchasing

Software purchasing authority sits at the Wahlburgers headquarters. The 2025 FDD lists Randall K. Sharpe as President & Chief Executive Officer and Michael Foster as Chief Operating Officer. Nick Wuthrich serves as Vice President of Finance & Accounting. For a vendor pitching operational or financial software, Sharpe and Foster are the likely decision-makers, with Wuthrich influencing budget and vendor evaluation. There is no parent company on file; Wahlburgers appears independently owned, which means the HQ team controls technology mandates without a larger corporate procurement layer.

Mandated and current tech stack

The 2025 FDD mandates a specific technology stack. NCR Aloha by NCR Voyix is the required point-of-sale system, paired with Aloha Enterprise. Beyond the core POS, the brand mandates Encrypted Payments, Gift Card integration, Kitchen KDS, Loyalty, and Mobile Pay. These requirements are listed as mandatory, meaning franchisees cannot substitute alternative vendors for these functions. For software vendors, this creates a clear picture: the POS and payments ecosystem is locked in with NCR Voyix, but adjacent needs—such as HR, scheduling, inventory, or above-store analytics—may still be open if they do not conflict with the mandated integrations.

Procurement, renewals, and timing

The 2025 FDD does not include an Item 8 procurement extract, so the designated supplier or approved-supplier framework is not disclosed. Renewal conditions under Item 17 require a 10-year successor term, substantial compliance with the expiring agreement, no defaults under any related leases or vendor agreements, modernization to then-current brand image, a general release, additional training, and a renewal fee. The successor franchise agreement may differ materially from the original, including changes to royalty fees and advertising obligations. With a 20-year initial term and recent unit contraction, renewal-driven software evaluations may be infrequent. However, the modernization requirement could trigger technology upgrades when franchisees approach renewal.

How to read the Wahlburgers FDD

The 2025 Wahlburgers FDD is embedded below for full review. Key sections for software vendors include Item 11 (franchisor’s obligations), which lists the mandated technology systems, and Item 1, which names the executive team. Item 17 outlines renewal conditions that may create contract windows. Item 8, if available in the full document, would detail procurement and supplier requirements. Because Wahlburgers is independently owned with a small unit count, the FDD is the single best source for understanding who buys software and what is already locked in. For a ranked target list of franchise systems that match your software category, FranCloud can help.