Is Benjamin Franklin Plumbing obligated to provide site selection assistance to franchisees?
Benjamin_Franklin_Plumbing Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Site Selection
You select your business site within your Territory, subject to our approval. Although we are not obligated to provide site selection assistance, our current policy is to provide you with our general criteria for site selection and with site selection counseling and assistance as we deem appropriate. We recommend that the site be at least 2,000 square feet and have a dispatching area, reception/talking area, technician/training/break area, restroom, and warehouse space. The site must also comply with local zoning and business requirements, and it is your responsibility to ensure that it meets these and any other applicable requirements. There must be parking to accommodate trucks, vans, and employees. A suggested layout of the site is covered in the Operations Manual.
We reserve the right to approve your site before you sign the Franchise Agreement. If we exercise our right to approve the proposed site, we will endeavor to approve or disapprove it within 30 days after visual inspection or review of photographs. If the site is not approved, we will not sign the Franchise Agreement and we will encourage you to submit alternative site(s). Our approval of the proposed business site only indicates that we believe it falls within our criteria for the Franchised Business.
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AND TRAINING (FDD pages 46–57)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Benjamin Franklin Plumbing FDD, franchisees are responsible for selecting their business site within their designated territory, but this selection is subject to the approval of Benjamin Franklin Plumbing. While Benjamin Franklin Plumbing is not obligated to provide site selection assistance, their current policy is to offer general criteria for site selection, along with counseling and assistance as they deem appropriate.
Benjamin Franklin Plumbing recommends that the site be at least 2,000 square feet and include a dispatching area, reception/talking area, technician/training/break area, restroom, and warehouse space. The site must also adhere to local zoning and business requirements, and it is the franchisee's responsibility to ensure compliance with these and other applicable requirements. Adequate parking for trucks, vans, and employees is also necessary.
Benjamin Franklin Plumbing reserves the right to approve a franchisee's site before the Franchise Agreement is signed. If Benjamin Franklin Plumbing chooses to exercise this right, they will try to approve or disapprove the site within 30 days after a visual inspection or review of photographs. If the site is not approved, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing will not sign the Franchise Agreement and will encourage the franchisee to submit alternative sites. However, Benjamin Franklin Plumbing's approval only indicates that the site meets their criteria for a Franchised Business.