What does the Buff City Soap Technology Fee cover?
Buff_City_Soap Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
from you and contribute them to the Brand Fund.
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- Technology Fee. The Technology Fee covers the pass-through costs plus overhead of access to technology we provide to each BCS Makery and franchisee, currently including without limitation software licenses, database management, software maintenance, internet/Wi-Fi, cyber security/firewalls, music copyrights, and general IT support. The current fee is a minimum of $500 per month, which we reserve the right to increase upon 60 days' notice. The Technology Fee will be invoiced each month wi
Source: Item 5 — INITIAL FEES (FDD pages 15–23)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Buff City Soap's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the Technology Fee covers the costs associated with providing technology to each Buff City Soap Makery and franchisee. This includes pass-through costs plus overhead for items such as software licenses, database management, software maintenance, internet/Wi-Fi, cyber security/firewalls, music copyrights, and general IT support. The minimum monthly fee is currently $500, but Buff City Soap reserves the right to increase this fee with 60 days' notice.
The Technology Fee is invoiced monthly along with the Royalty Fee and Brand Fund Contributions. This means franchisees can expect a recurring monthly expense to cover these essential technology services. Additionally, franchisees are responsible for technology maintenance, updates, and upgrades, which are estimated to cost $1,000 annually for hardware and $1,000 biannually for software, payable to vendors as incurred.
Prospective franchisees should be aware that while the Technology Fee covers a broad range of IT-related services, it does not include credit card processing fees. It is also important to note that Buff City Soap can modify the Technology Fee with 60 days' notice, so franchisees should factor in potential increases when budgeting. Understanding the scope and potential changes to the Technology Fee is crucial for managing the overall cost of operating a Buff City Soap franchise.