This downloadable file includes a complete copy of the Disclosure Document (FDD) effective from the date specified on the FDD.
Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) are the basic source of information defined by federal regulation and provided to every prospective franchisee candidate at a certain point in the decision process. They are evaluated by state business regulators and are used by lenders and other stakeholders in the franchise community.
While having a considerable amount of information about the franchisor and the franchise system, as well as terms and investment factors of the franchisee candidate offering, the regulations were designed by and are primarily written by attorneys. With the stated purpose of providing uniformity and standardization of information that a prospective franchisee is provided, FDDs are often misinterpreted and used in ways that their information was not intended for or does not support. For example, Item 20 (sections in the disclosure documents are called Items) is often used to assess franchisee success, despite no information contained in Item 20 being about franchisees.
Franchise Disclosure Documents (FDDs) are the basic source of information defined by federal regulation and provided to every prospective franchisee candidate at a certain point in the decision process. They are evaluated by state business regulators and are used by lenders and other stakeholders in the franchise community.
While having a considerable amount of information about the franchisor and the franchise system, as well as terms and investment factors of the franchisee candidate offering, the regulations were designed by and are primarily written by attorneys. With the stated purpose of providing uniformity and standardization of information that a prospective franchisee is provided, FDDs are often misinterpreted and used in ways that their information was not intended for or does not support. For example, Item 20 (sections in the disclosure documents are called Items) is often used to assess franchisee success, despite no information contained in Item 20 being about franchisees.
Who should read a Franchise Document:
Disclosure documents are valuable to attorneys, franchisees and prospective franchisees, other franchise companies, and anyone else who needs to understand the performance, operations and franchising terms and conditions within a specific brand.Table of Contents
- Items 1-23
- Agent for Service of Process Financial Statements
- Franchise Agreements
- Multi Unit Agreements
- State Addenda
- Loan Documents
- General Release
- Other Exhibits
Executive Summary
Each FDD discloses detailed information on the franchise system including its history, executive management team, financial performance, franchise-related litigation and bankruptcy, unit growth and turnover. The document also includes the terms and conditions that apply to a franchisee and the operations of a unit, as well as the franchise agreement that must be signed.Understanding both the proper ways to interpret the information in FDDs and the limitations of that information is an essential foundation to the analyst’s research capabilities; being able to build from that foundation with many other sources of relevant information further distinguishes the analyst's array of products and services. Over the past quarter century, the analyst has amassed nearly 40,000 documents and has gained knowledge and built databases from them that are unsurpassed in the world.
