Is the Bens Soft Pretzels Manual considered confidential, and how must franchisees treat it?
Bens_Soft_Pretzels Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Attached as Exhibit E to this Disclosure Document is the table of contents for our Manual. You must treat the Manual, and other written materials created for or approved for use in the operation of the Store, and the information contained in them, as confidential. The Manual will remain our sole property. We may, from time to time, revise the contents of the Manual and you must comply with each new or changed standard. The Manual includes 121 pages.
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AND TRAINING (FDD pages 23–30)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Bens Soft Pretzels's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the Manual and other written materials are considered confidential and must be treated as such by the franchisee. The Manual remains the sole property of Bens Soft Pretzels.
Bens Soft Pretzels may revise the contents of the Manual from time to time, and franchisees must comply with each new or changed standard. The FDD states that the Manual includes 121 pages.
This means that a franchisee cannot share the Manual or its contents with unauthorized parties. They must also adhere to any updates or changes made to the Manual by Bens Soft Pretzels. This is a fairly standard practice in franchising, as franchisors need to protect their proprietary information and ensure consistency across all franchise locations.