What qualifications must a manager of an Aw Papa Ray's Pizza Restaurant have to supervise the restaurant?
Aw Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Under the Franchise Agreement, you are not required to personally supervise the operations of your Papa Ray's Pizza Restaurant; however, your Papa Ray's Pizza Restaurant must at all times be under the direct, day-to-day, full-time, supervision of either you or, if you are an entity, an approved Owner who has satisfactorily completed our initial training program, or a manager who has satisfactorily completed our training program. If a manager supervises your Papa Ray's Pizza Restaurant, you or your approved Owner must remain active in overseeing the operations of your Papa Ray's Pizza Restaurant conducted under the supervision of the manager. The manager of your Papa Ray's Pizza Restaurant does not need to have an equity interest in your Papa Ray's Pizza
Restaurant but, must maintain the confidentiality of any of our confidential information to which he or she has access and managers must sign an agreement to maintain said confidentiality in a form approved by us.
You must maintain a staff of trained employees and managers sufficient to operate your Papa Ray's Pizza Restaurant in compliance with our standards and to provide proper customer service during all hours of operation.
Source: Item 15 — OBLIGATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ACTUAL OPERATION OF THE FRANCHISE BUSINESS (FDD pages 32–33)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Aw's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, if a franchisee does not personally supervise the Papa Ray's Pizza Restaurant, they must ensure that an approved owner who has completed the initial training program or a manager who has completed the training program is in charge. The manager must provide direct, day-to-day, full-time supervision. Even with a manager in place, the franchisee or an approved owner must remain active in overseeing the restaurant's operations.
The manager is not required to have any equity interest in the Papa Ray's Pizza Restaurant. However, the manager must maintain the confidentiality of Aw's confidential information they have access to. The manager is required to sign an agreement to maintain said confidentiality in a form approved by Aw.
This requirement ensures that every Aw Papa Ray's Pizza Restaurant is run by someone properly trained and knowledgeable in Aw's operating procedures, whether it's the franchisee themselves, an approved owner, or a designated manager. This helps maintain brand consistency and quality across all locations. The confidentiality agreement protects Aw's proprietary information and trade secrets, which is a common practice in franchising to safeguard the brand's competitive advantage.