Besides the restrictions in Section 3.02, can Bonchon or its affiliates engage in any business activity within the Development Territory?
Bonchon Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
hon Restaurants that you developed in City A pursuant to this Agreement except as we are otherwise permitted in Section 3.03 below or under the Franchise Agreement.
Outside of the Development Territory, we and/or our affiliates reserve the right to operate any number of Bonchon Businesses, and/or authorize others to operate same, at any location whatsoever (including one or more locations that may be proximate to, but not within, the Development Territory).
You acknowledge that this Agreement confers no marketing exclusivity in the Development Territory on you, and that all Bonchon Businesses (whether Company-owned, Company joint-ventured, franchised or otherwise) may solicit, service, advertise and offer their products and services to any individual or entity, regardless of your or its geographic location, including your Development Territory.
3.03 Rights We Reserve
You agree that we and/or our affiliates may engage in any business activity whatsoever in or outside the Development Territory except as we are restricted by Section 3.02 of this Agreement, and that this Agreement does not confer upon you any right to participate in or benefit from any such other business activity (regardless of whether it is conducted under the Proprietary Marks or not). Our rights to engage in other business activities are specifically reserved and may not be qualified or diminished in any way by implication. We thus may engage in, or authorize others to engage in, any form of business offering and selling any type of product or service except as we are restricted by Section 3.02 of this Agreement. By way of example, we and/or our affiliates may own, operate or authorize others to own or operate any type of business at any location we choose, including within your Development Territory, so long as such other business does not sell under the Proprietary Marks the type of products or services which your Bonchon Businesses offer and sell (except as permitted below). Further, we and/or our affiliates may own, operate or authorize others to own or operate Bonchon Businesses at any location outside of your Development Territory (including immediately proximate thereto).
In addition, you understand and agree that we and/or our affiliates alone have the right to offer and sell within and outside your Development Territory, and under the Proprietary Marks, any and all products or services and/or components or ingredients thereof, (including those used or sold by your Bonchon Businesses), and whether or not a part of the Bonchon System, through any alternate channels of distribution, that is, any method of distribution other than a Bonchon Business situated within your Development Territory including, without limitation, the internet/worldwide web; any other form of electronic commerce; "800" or similar toll-free telephone numbers; mail order; catalogs; television sales (including "infomercials"); telemarketing or other direct marketing sales; or, any other channel of distribution whatsoever except for a Bonchon Business. You will not be entitled to any compensation in connection with these sales within your Development Territory.
You also understand and agree that we and/or our affiliates alone have the right to offer and sell Bonchon System products and services at any and all nontraditional locations, including nontraditional locations situated in your Development Territory, through the establishment of Bonchon Businesses, kiosks, mobile units, concessions or "shop in shops", and that, by contrast, you are precluded from engaging in such activity. "Nontraditional Locations" includes sports arenas and venues; theatres; resorts; food retailers (including supermarkets, grocery stores and convenience stores); malls; schools and universities; hospital and healthcare facilities; airports; guest lodging facilities; day care facilities of any type; government facilities; condominium and cooperative complexes; the premises of any third party retailer which is not a Bonchon Business (including shops, stores and department stores); military bases and installations; airlines, railroads and other modes of mass transportation; and, any other location or venue to which access to the general public is restricted. You will receive no compensation for our or our affiliates' sales at Nontraditional Locations.
You further agree that, both within and outside the Development Territory, we and/or our affiliates alone have the right to sell Bonchon System products and services to national, regional and
institutional accounts. "National, Regional and Institutional Accounts" are organizational or institutional customers whose presence is not confined to your Development Territory, including (by way of example only): business entities with offices or branches situated both inside and outside of your Development Territory; government agencies, branches or facilities; guest lodging networks; healthcare networks; the military; and, any other customer whose presence is not confined to your Development Territory. Only we will have the right to enter into contracts with National, Regional and Institutional Accounts (which may include facilities within your Development Territory). If we receive orders for any Bonchon products or services calling for delivery or performance in your Development Territory as a result of our engaging in commerce with National, Regional and Institutional Accounts, and you have opened one or more Bonchon Businesses in the customer's geographic area, then we will have the right, but not the obligation, to give you the opportunity to fulfill one or more such orders at the price we agree on with the customer.
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 92–536)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Bonchon's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Bonchon and its affiliates retain broad rights to engage in business activities within or outside a franchisee's Development Territory, except as restricted by Section 3.02 of the agreement. This agreement does not grant the franchisee any right to participate in or benefit from these other business activities, regardless of whether they operate under Bonchon's trademarks. Bonchon can engage in or authorize any form of business, offering any type of product or service, as long as it doesn't sell the same type of products or services offered by the franchisee's Bonchon restaurant under Bonchon's trademarks, subject to exceptions. Bonchon can also operate Bonchon businesses outside the Development Territory, even if they are nearby.
Bonchon retains the right to sell Bonchon System products and services through alternate channels of distribution, such as the internet, electronic commerce, toll-free numbers, mail order, catalogs, television sales, and telemarketing, both within and outside the Development Territory. Bonchon can also offer Bonchon System products and services at nontraditional locations, including those within the Development Territory, through Bonchon Businesses, kiosks, mobile units, concessions, or "shop in shops." The franchisee will not receive compensation for Bonchon's sales through these channels or at nontraditional locations.
Bonchon also has the right to sell Bonchon System products and services to national, regional, and institutional accounts, even if those accounts have facilities within the franchisee's Development Territory. If Bonchon receives orders for delivery or performance within the franchisee's territory from these accounts, Bonchon has the option, but not the obligation, to allow the franchisee to fulfill the order at a price agreed upon with the customer, provided the franchisee has an open Bonchon Business in the area. If the franchisee cannot or does not want to serve the customer, or if the customer prefers to deal directly with Bonchon or another franchisee, Bonchon or another franchisee may serve the customer within the Development Territory without compensating the franchisee. These procedures are detailed in Bonchon's manuals.
This arrangement means that while a Bonchon franchisee may have certain territorial protections, Bonchon retains significant freedom to operate and sell its products through various channels and locations, potentially competing with the franchisee within their own territory. A prospective franchisee should carefully consider these factors and how they might impact their business before investing in a Bonchon franchise.