What is the current status of the Advertising Fund audit for Bens Soft Pretzels?

The Advertising Fund will be accounted for separately from our other funds and will not be used to defray any of our general operating expenses, except for reasonable salaries, administrative costs and overhead as we may incur in activities reasonably related to the administration of the Advertising Fund and its advertising and marketing programs including conducting market research, preparing advertising and marketing materials and collecting and accounting for contributions to the Advertising Fund. We may spend in any fiscal year an amount greater or less than the aggregate contribution of all stores to the Advertising Fund in that year and the Advertising Fund may borrow from us or other lenders to cover deficits of the Advertising Fund or cause the Advertising Fund to invest any surplus for future use by the Advertising Fund. A report of receipts and disbursements of the Advertising Fund, which may be audited, will be prepared annually by us and will be furnished to you upon written request. Currently. The Advertising Fund is not audited.

We will have the right to cause the Advertising Fund to be incorporated or operated through an entity separate from us at the time as we deem appropriate, and the entity will have the same rights and duties as we do. Although we will endeavor to utilize the Advertising Fund to develop advertising and marketing materials and programs, and to place advertising that will benefit all stores, we undertake no obligation to ensure that expenditures by the Advertising Fund in or affecting any geographic area are proportionate or equivalent to the contributions to the Advertising Fund by stores operating in that geographic area or that any store will benefit directly or in proportion to its contribution to the Advertising Fund from the development of advertising and marketing materials or the placement of advertising.

We will have the right to suspend contributions to and operation of the Advertising Fund for one or more periods that we determine to be appropriate and the right to terminate the Advertising Fund upon 30 days written notice to you. All unspent monies on the date of termination will be distributed to us, our affiliates and our franchisees in proportion to their respective contributions to the Advertising Fund during the preceding 12 month period. We will have the right to reinstate the Advertising Fund upon the same terms and conditions set forth in the Franchise Agreement upon 30 days prior written notice to you.

Except for two units owned by one of the owners of the franchisor, the stores owned by us or companies related to us by common ownership contribute on the same basis to the Advertising Fund as franchisees.

Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AND TRAINING (FDD pages 23–30)