Must the manager of a Bananas Smoothies Frozen Yogurt franchise complete the initial training program?
Bananas_Smoothies_Frozen_Yogurt Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
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Training Programs
Prior to the opening of the Franchised Business we will provide initial training programs. You and/or at least one designated manager must attend and successfully complete our program. The training program will be conducted in Bethlehem, PA or at another designated training facility. The training program emphasizes on-the-job training but may also incorporate classroom training. It will also include accounting and administrative procedures training along with other elements of restaurant management. We do not charge a fee for the initial training program. There is no cost for the training, however, you will be responsible for all expenses incurred in training by you and/or your manager, including, but not limited to, travel costs, room, board and wages. Our training department will assess your satisfactory completion of training which will include proficient performance evaluation in all task areas and management areas related to the operation of the Franchised Business. We will assess competence and proficiency through a combination of written and/or oral tests and quizzes and observations. If you or your manager have not satisfactorily completed the training, you may be required to attend further follow-up training for which at our sole discretion, you may be required, to pay for the training instructors, materials, or incidental costs associated with providing the additional training.
Instructional material used in the training program consists of a fifteen-day (15) training schedule, study guide, product manual, operations & training manual and quizzes.
Experience of Instructors
Kelly Hernandez, Divisional Vice President of Operations, who has over 10 years experience, oversees our training program. Her biography appears in Item 2 above.
Types of Instruction in Initial Training
The initial training program for the Franchised Business consists of two 50-60 hour six-day work weeks. Training typically begins 5 to 6 weeks before opening and must be completed before the anticipated opening of the Franchised Business. Classroom and on-the-job training takes place at our corporate location listed in the chart below.
Source: Item 15 — OBLIGATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ACTUAL OPERATION OF THE FRANCHISE BUSINESS (FDD pages 48–49)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Bananas Smoothies Frozen Yogurt FDD, either the franchisee or a designated manager must attend and successfully complete the initial training program. The training program is conducted in Bethlehem, PA, or at another designated training facility and emphasizes on-the-job training, incorporating classroom instruction, accounting, and administrative procedures. Bananas Smoothies Frozen Yogurt does not charge a fee for the initial training program. However, the franchisee is responsible for all expenses incurred during training for themselves and/or their manager, including travel, room, board, and wages.
The Bananas Smoothies Frozen Yogurt training department will assess satisfactory completion of training through proficient performance evaluation in all task and management areas related to the operation of the franchised business. Competence and proficiency are assessed through written and/or oral tests, quizzes, and observations. If the franchisee or their manager does not satisfactorily complete the training, they may be required to attend further follow-up training, for which, at Bananas Smoothies Frozen Yogurt's sole discretion, they may be required to pay for the training instructors, materials, or incidental costs associated with providing the additional training.
Furthermore, the FDD states that the Bananas Smoothies Frozen Yogurt restaurant must at all times be under the direct supervision of a full-time manager (who may be the franchisee) who has completed the training program to their satisfaction. The manager is not required to have an equity interest in the franchised business. Any person actively involved in the management of the franchise must enter into a confidentiality and non-competition agreement approved by Bananas Smoothies Frozen Yogurt.
Bananas Smoothies Frozen Yogurt also requires completion and attendance at all required training and follow-up requirements specified in the Confidential Operations & Training Manual and requires that the franchisee obtain the same commitment from the manager for each of their franchised businesses. The franchisee must impose upon any manager they hire the obligations contained in the Franchise Agreement relative to the confidentiality of the Operations & Training Manual and the obligation not to compete with them. The franchisee must also ensure that the manager meets the standards of local health department and other code enforcement agencies within their jurisdiction.