Technology has become one of the most important competitive advantages a franchisor can provide to its franchise network. A well-designed technology stack does more than simplify operations. It helps franchisees increase revenue, reduce labor costs, improve customer experiences, make better decisions, and ultimately operate more profitable businesses. For franchisors, the objective should not be to implement the most technology. The objective is to create a technology ecosystem that makes franchisees more successful while allowing the franchise system to scale efficiently. This requires a disciplined approach to selecting, implementing, managing, and continuously improving technology across the franchise network. 1. How a Strong Technology Stack Creates Value for Franchisees A franchisee invests in a franchise system because they expect access to resources, infrastructure, expertise, and economies of scale that would be difficult or expensive to develop independently. Technology should be one of the most tangible examples of that value. Increase Revenue and Customer Acquisition CRM systems, automated marketing, online ordering, loyalty programs, and customer analytics help franchisees attract more customers, improve conversion rates, and increase repeat business. Reduce Operating Costs Labor scheduling, inventory management, purchasing automation, and accounting integrations help operators reduce administrative work, minimize waste, and improve margins. Improve Financial Visibility Integrated reporting and dashboards give franchisees better visibility into sales, labor costs, profitability, customer behavior, and key performance indicators. Improve Training and Employee Performance Learning management systems, digital operations manuals, and automated onboarding help franchisees train employees faster and deliver a more consistent customer experience. Create Network-Wide Economies of Scale Centralized vendor negotiations, shared integrations, system-wide marketing tools, and consolidated purchasing can give franchisees access to better technology and pricing than they might obtain individually.

Regional marketing cooperatives can be one of the most effective tools for building franchise brand awareness within a specific market. When properly structured, a cooperative allows franchisees to combine their marketing dollars, purchase media more efficiently, share professional resources, and promote the brand across a broader area than any individual franchisee could reasonably cover alone. However, regional cooperatives can also become a source of disagreement. Franchisees may dispute how much they are required to contribute, which advertising channels should be used, whether each location receives equal value, who controls the money, and whether large multi-unit operators should have more voting power than single-unit owners. A successful cooperative therefore requires more than a provision in the franchise agreement. It needs a defined purpose, clear geographic boundaries, written governance rules, reliable financial controls, meaningful franchisee participation, and final safeguards that protect the brand. What Is a Regional Marketing Cooperative? A regional marketing cooperative is a group of franchised—and sometimes company-owned—locations within a defined geographic market that pool money for regional advertising and promotional activities. The cooperative may cover: - A city; - A metropolitan statistical area; - A designated market area; - One or more counties; - A state; - A group of adjacent territories; or - Another area sharing common media and consumer markets. For example, 15 franchise locations in the Atlanta metropolitan area might each contribute a percentage of gross sales to an Atlanta Regional Marketing Cooperative. The cooperative could use those pooled funds for radio, streaming video, outdoor advertising, local sports sponsorships, paid search, social-media campaigns, public relations, influencer programs, or community events benefiting the Atlanta market. The cooperative differs from the franchisor’s national Brand Fund. A national fund typically supports the entire franchise system through brand development, creative production, national media, websites, technology, public relations, or systemwide campaigns. A regional cooperative concentrates its spending within a particular market.

There is no single standard margin, but for most franchise systems, a reasonable starting range is a 15%–30% gross margin on products sold to franchisees. The appropriate margin depends heavily on what the franchisor is supplying and how much value it adds. Product category Typical gross margin target Commodity products readily available 5%–15% Food ingredients and commissary products 10%–20% Equipment and large capital items 10%–20% Branded packaging and operating supplies 15%–30% Proprietary consumables or formulated products 25%–40% Private-label retail products 30%–50% Software, licenses and digital products 40%–80% These are practical planning ranges, not legally mandated margins. For comparison, Domino’s reported approximately $2.99 billion of 2025 supply-chain revenue and $320 million of supply-chain segment income. That represents approximately a 10.7% segment margin, although its supply-chain operation is extremely large and includes food, labor, delivery, occupancy and administrative expenses. If you want to go deep, dig into the Domino’s 2025 SEC filing Margin versus markup It is important not to confuse the two. If the franchisor’s total delivered cost is $80 and it sells the product to the franchisee for $100: - Gross profit: $20 - Gross margin: 20% - Markup on cost: 25% The general recommendation for an emerging franchisor I would generally target: - 15%–20% gross margin when the product is mostly a pass-through item or commodity. - 20%–30% gross margin when the franchisor handles sourcing, quality control, warehousing, inventory risk, fulfillment and support. - 30%–40% gross margin for a genuinely proprietary product that the franchisor formulates, manufactures, private-labels or substantially develops. For example, if the fully delivered cost is $100: Target marginFranchisee price 15% $117.65 20% $125.00 25% $133.33 30% $142.86

For franchisors, one of the most important employment-law risks to understand is joint employer liability. The fundamental franchise model is built around two legally separate businesses: the franchisor owns and licenses the brand and operating system, while the franchisee independently owns and operates its local business. The franchisee generally hires its employees, establishes compensation, schedules employees, supervises their work, and handles employment-related decisions. Problems can arise when that distinction becomes blurred. If a franchisor exercises—or, under some legal standards, possesses—the type of control normally associated with an employer, employees of a franchisee may argue that the franchisor should also be considered their employer. A successful joint-employer claim can potentially expose a franchisor to liability involving wages, overtime, labor relations, discrimination, leave requirements, employment practices and other workplace obligations. The legal standards are also not static. Joint-employer law can vary depending upon the federal statute involved, applicable state law, jurisdiction and facts of the particular franchise relationship. As of September 2026, this remains an evolving area of law. For example, the NLRB's 2023 joint-employer rule was vacated by a federal district court before taking effect, and in February 2026 the NLRB formally restored the regulatory language that existed before the 2023 rule. The Department of Labor, meanwhile, proposed a new joint-employer framework in April 2026 for the FLSA, FMLA and MSPA. For franchisors, the practical lesson is straightforward: protect the brand and the franchise system without unnecessarily becoming involved in the franchisee's role as an employer. What Is Joint Employer Liability? Joint employment generally refers to a situation in which two separate businesses are considered employers of the same workers for purposes of a particular employment or labor law. Consider a restaurant franchise.

Yes. Offering multiple franchise models within a single franchise system can be highly effective, provided the models share the same core brand, operating system, customer promise, and unit economics are clearly disclosed and supportable. In fact, the International Franchise Association specifically recognizes franchise systems combining formats such as traditional locations, non-traditional venues, food trucks, kiosks, virtual concepts, and ghost kitchens. The key is that the additional models should expand the brand's addressable market rather than simply add complexity. Multiple Franchise Models: A Powerful Strategy for Franchise Growth One of the most important decisions a franchisor makes is defining exactly what a franchise location looks like. Historically, many emerging franchisors approached this question with a single answer: one brand, one prototype, one investment level and one operating model. That doesn't always need to be the case. A well-designed franchise system can offer multiple operating models under the same brand, allowing franchisees to deploy the concept in different markets, real estate environments and investment situations. For example, a restaurant franchise might offer: Traditional Model — 2,000–3,000 square-foot full-service location. Express Model — 800–1,200 square-foot reduced-footprint location. Kiosk Model — 200–500 square feet for malls, airports, universities and other captive environments. Mobile Model — food truck or trailer. Non-Traditional Model — location inside a hospital, hotel, university, airport, stadium, convenience store or travel center. Those models don't necessarily represent different businesses. They can represent different ways of delivering essentially the same branded customer experience. When structured correctly, this can be an extremely effective franchise-development strategy. Why Multiple Models Can Work The biggest advantage is flexibility. A single prototype automatically eliminates markets where that prototype doesn't economically or physically fit.