Why does Buona only include restaurants opened after January 2013 in Item 19?

According to Buona's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the financial performance data in Item 19 excludes restaurants opened before January 2013 because Buona launched a new restaurant prototype that year. This new prototype, which is similar to the Buona Business franchise being offered, included significant changes. These changes included modifications to the kitchen layout, square footage, trade dress, trademarks and signage, menu, seating, access to parking, and the addition of a drive-through window.

Because of these substantial changes, Buona determined that the performance of the older restaurants would not be representative of the potential performance of a new franchise built according to the updated prototype. Including data from these older, non-remodeled locations could be misleading to potential franchisees. Therefore, the Item 19 data focuses solely on restaurants that reflect the current Buona business model.

This approach is intended to provide prospective franchisees with a more accurate and relevant picture of what they might expect to achieve with a new Buona franchise. By focusing on the performance of restaurants built to the current prototype, Buona aims to give franchisees a clearer understanding of the potential financial outcomes of their investment. If a prospective franchisee is considering an inline location without a drive-through, the FDD advises that they should not rely on the data from free-standing restaurants with drive-throughs and should instead review the data from the one affiliate-owned inline location.