What is prohibited regarding a Bhc franchisee's use of social media?

According to Bhc's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees, their affiliate franchisees, and subfranchisees are restricted in their use of social media to promote a Master Franchised Bhc Restaurant or use any of the Marks without prior written consent from Bhc. This restriction applies to all social networking websites, including Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Bhc maintains control over all social media initiatives. Franchisees must adhere to Bhc's System standards for social media use in their restaurant's operation, which includes prohibitions on franchisees and their employees posting or blogging comments about the restaurant or the System, unless it is on a website established or authorized by Bhc. The definition of "Social media" includes personal blogs, common social networks like Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, professional networks like LinkedIn, live-blogging tools like Twitter, virtual worlds, file, audio and video-sharing sites, and other similar social networking or media sites or tools. Bhc reserves the right to conduct collective/national campaigns via local social media on the franchisee's behalf.

This policy means that a Bhc franchisee has limited autonomy in managing their restaurant's online presence and marketing efforts on social media. They must seek approval from Bhc before engaging in any promotional activities or using Bhc's trademarks on platforms like Facebook or Twitter. This centralized control allows Bhc to maintain a consistent brand image and messaging across all franchise locations, but it may also limit a franchisee's ability to respond quickly to local market trends or customer feedback through social media.

The franchisee is responsible for ensuring that their employees also comply with these social media restrictions. This includes preventing employees from posting unauthorized comments or content about the restaurant or the Bhc system on personal blogs or social media accounts. The franchisee needs to educate their staff about these policies and monitor their online activity to avoid any violations.

Bhc's right to conduct collective/national campaigns via local social media on the franchisee's behalf indicates that Bhc may use the franchisee's local social media channels to promote national or regional campaigns. While this could benefit the franchisee by increasing brand awareness and driving traffic to their location, it also means that the franchisee may have limited control over the content and timing of these campaigns. Franchisees should seek clarification from Bhc regarding the specifics of these campaigns and how they will be implemented at the local level.