What pre-opening assistance does Bens Soft Pretzels provide regarding site selection criteria?
Bens_Soft_Pretzels Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
ITEM 11 FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS, AND TRAINING
Except as listed below, the Franchisor is not required to provide you with any assistance:
Pre-Opening Assistance: Before you open your Store, we will:
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- Provide you with site selection criteria and general building, design and construction requirements for your Store (Franchise Agreement, Sections 5A and B).
Site Selection
You select the site for the Store with site selection guidelines we provide. You must obtain our approval of the site location and the lease. We will use our reasonable best efforts to review a site you have selected in order to evaluate and approve the location of your Store within thirty days after you provide us the information about the site. Additional sites are considered until our approval is reached. The factors which we may (but are not required to) consider for our approval include demographic radius characteristics and growth factors in the area, traffic patterns, ease of access, parking, visibility, allowed signage, competition from other businesses providing similar products and services, the proximity to other businesses, the nature of the businesses in proximity to the proposed site, and other commercial characteristics (including rental obligations and other lease terms for the proposed site) and the size, appearance and other physical characteristics of the proposed site location. We recommend that the size of the location be 600 to 2,100 square feet.
We approve or disapprove locations or leases by a written notice which is delivered to you. You must lease the premises for your location in the form and manner required by us and deliver a copy of the signed lease to us immediately after its signing. You must not sign any lease which has not been approved in writing by us. If your business premises is to be leased, you must submit the lease to us for written approval at least fifteen days before it is scheduled to be executed. If you lease your business premises, the lease must include language contained in the
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' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Bens Soft Pretzels offers pre-opening assistance to franchisees by providing site selection criteria and general building, design, and construction requirements for the store.
Bens Soft Pretzels also provides franchisees with site selection guidelines. Franchisees are responsible for selecting a site and must obtain approval from Bens Soft Pretzels for both the site location and the lease agreement. Bens Soft Pretzels will evaluate and approve the location within thirty days of receiving the necessary information about the site.
In evaluating a potential site, Bens Soft Pretzels may consider factors such as demographic characteristics and growth in the area, traffic patterns, accessibility, parking, visibility, signage, competition, proximity to other businesses, the nature of nearby businesses, commercial characteristics (including rental obligations and lease terms), and the physical characteristics of the site. Bens Soft Pretzels recommends a location size of 600 to 2,100 square feet. Bens Soft Pretzels approves or disapproves locations or leases via written notice. Franchisees must lease the premises in the form and manner required by Bens Soft Pretzels and provide a copy of the signed lease immediately after signing. Franchisees must receive written approval before signing any lease, and leases must be submitted to Bens Soft Pretzels for approval at least fifteen days before execution.