What is the Browns Chicken franchisee required to communicate to its employees regarding their employer?
Browns_Chicken Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Franchisee shall notify and communicate clearly with its employees in all dealings, including without limitation, its employment applications, written and electronic correspondence, paychecks, employee handbooks, employment policies and procedures, other materials, that Franchisee (and only Franchisee) is their employer and that Brown (the Franchisor) is not their employer. Franchisee must, on all employment applications Franchisee gives out to employee applicants, have printed on said applications: "You are applying for a job to work for an independently owned Franchisee and not for the Franchisor."
Source: Item 22 — Contracts (FDD page 43)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Browns Chicken's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees must clearly communicate to their employees that the franchisee, and not Browns Chicken, is their employer. This communication must occur in all dealings with employees, including employment applications, written and electronic correspondence, paychecks, employee handbooks, and employment policies and procedures.
To ensure clarity, Browns Chicken requires franchisees to include a specific statement on all employment applications: "You are applying for a job to work for an independently owned Franchisee and not for the Franchisor." This statement aims to prevent any confusion about the employer-employee relationship.
This requirement is a standard practice in franchising, designed to protect the franchisor from potential liabilities related to the franchisee's employees. By clearly establishing the franchisee as the employer, Browns Chicken avoids being held responsible for employment-related issues such as wages, benefits, and working conditions. This also reinforces the franchisee's role as an independent business owner responsible for managing their own workforce.