Is a Carvel franchisee required to sell all menu items specified by Carvel?
Carvel Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
You may offer in the Shoppe to customers only the Approved Products that we have approved in writing. You must produce and sell all Approved Products we specify, including all menu items,
Trademarked Product Lines, and other products and services that we require you to sell, as stated in the Manuals or otherwise, which are all part of the System. We may change these specifications periodically, without limitation, and we may designate specific Approved Products as optional or mandatory. You must offer all Approved Products that we designate as mandatory. You must maintain a sufficient supply of required Approved Products to meet the inventory standards we prescribe in the Manuals (or to meet reasonably anticipated customer demand, if we have not prescribed specific standards).
Source: Item 16 — Restrictions on What the Franchisee May Sell (FDD pages 83–84)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Carvel's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees are required to sell all menu items that Carvel specifies as mandatory. Carvel has the authority to determine the products a franchisee must offer, including all menu items, trademarked product lines, and other products and services, as outlined in their manuals or other directives. These specifications can change periodically. Carvel also designates which approved products are optional or mandatory.
This means a Carvel franchisee must maintain a sufficient inventory of all required 'Approved Products' to meet the standards Carvel sets in its manuals or to satisfy reasonably anticipated customer demand if specific standards haven't been prescribed. The franchisee cannot deviate from this list of mandatory products.
This requirement ensures uniformity across all Carvel locations and maintains brand consistency. However, it also means franchisees have limited autonomy in deciding what to sell and must adapt to changes in the mandatory product list. Franchisees need to stay informed about any updates to the required products and maintain adequate stock to avoid any potential issues with compliance.