For a Carls Jr. franchise, am I required to personally participate in the direct operation of the Franchised Restaurant?
Carls_Jr Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
rement. You also agree not to contest CJR's interest in the trade secrets and confidential and proprietary information that comprise the Carl's Jr. System.
We are not required by any agreement to protect or defend copyrights or confidential information, although we intend to do so as appropriate.
ITEM 15 OBLIGATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ACTUAL OPERATION OF THE FRANCHISE BUSINESS
You are not obligated to participate personally in the direct operation of the Franchised Restaurant; however, you must designate, and we must approve, a qualified individual to serve as the "Operating Principal" of your Franchised Restaurant. If you sign a Development Agreement, you must designate, and we must approve, a qualified individual to serve as your "Development Principal."
The Operating Principal must own at least a 10% equity ownership interest in you, or in your general partner if you are a limited partnership, unless modified by us in our sole discretion, and be a person acceptable to both us and you. (This requirement does not apply if you were a publicly-held entity or a wholly-owned subsidiary of a publicly-held entity as of the date of the first franchise-related agreement between you and us.) The Operating Principal must be a member of the Continuity Group and have full control over the day-to-day activities of the Franchised Restaurant and those other restaurants (that are franchised by us or our affiliates) operated by you in the same geographic market as the Franchised Restaurant, including control over the standards of operation and financial performance. Unless you have named, and we have approved, a Multi-Unit Manager (discussed below), the Operating Principal must: (1) devote full time and best efforts to the supervision and conduct of the Franchised Restaurant and those other restaurants (that are franchised by us or our affiliates) operated by you in the same geographic market as the Franchised Restaurant; and (2) maintain his/her primary residence within a reasonable driving distance of the Franchised Restaurant, unless waived in writing by us. The Operating Principal will be required to successfully complete the FMTP and any additional training required by us. If you operate restaurants in multiple markets that are franchised by us or our affiliates, an individual meeting the above qualifications will serve as the Operating Principal in at least one market.
If you operate restaurants that are franchised by us or our affiliates in multiple geographic markets, for all markets in which the Operating Principal fails to satisfy our requirements, you must designate and retain an individual to serve as Multi-Unit Manager. The Multi-Unit Manager will be under the supervision of the Operating Principal. The Multi-Unit Manager must devote full time and best efforts to supervising the operation of the Franchised Restaurant and those other restaurants (that are franchised by us or our affiliates) operated by you in the same geographic market, successfully complete the FMTP and any additional training required by us, and be approved by us. In addition, the Multi-Unit Manager must maintain his/her primary residence within a reasonable driving distance of the Franchised Restaurant, unless waived in writing by us.
Source: Item 15 — OBLIGATION TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ACTUAL OPERATION OF THE FRANCHISE BUSINESS (FDD pages 59–61)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Carls Jr. Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees are not required to personally participate in the direct operation of their franchised restaurant. However, Carls Jr. requires the franchisee to designate and obtain approval for a qualified individual to act as the "Operating Principal".
The Operating Principal must have at least a 10% equity ownership interest in the franchisee or the franchisee's general partner, unless Carls Jr. modifies this requirement at their discretion. This equity requirement does not apply to publicly-held entities or their wholly-owned subsidiaries. The Operating Principal must be part of the Continuity Group and have full control over the day-to-day operations, standards, and financial performance of the franchised restaurant and other Carls Jr. franchises operated by the franchisee in the same geographic market.
Unless a Multi-Unit Manager has been approved, the Operating Principal must devote their full time and best efforts to supervising the franchised restaurant and other Carls Jr. restaurants the franchisee operates in the same geographic market. The Operating Principal must also maintain their primary residence within a reasonable driving distance of the franchised restaurant, unless Carls Jr. waives this requirement in writing. The Operating Principal will need to successfully complete the Franchise Management Training Program (FMTP) and any additional training that Carls Jr. requires. The franchised restaurant must be under the on-site supervision of the Operating Principal, a Multi-Unit Manager, a restaurant General Manager, or a Site Manager, all of whom must meet Carls Jr.'s training qualifications. Franchisees must employ at least one General Manager and a sufficient number of employees who have completed the FMTP.