What training must a Carvel Primary Contact complete?
Carvel Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
You must appoint a Primary Contact who will be responsible for, and have decision-making authority regarding, the Shoppe and its operation. You may not appoint, remove, or replace the Primary Contact without our prior written approval. Your Primary Contact may be (but is not required to be) an Owner. Your Primary Contact must successfully complete Primary Contact Training to our satisfaction. We may, in our sole discretion, permit your Primary Contact to serve as a Manager for the Shoppe, provided that it is their full-time job, they otherwise qualify for the position, and they successfully complete the Management Training Program.
Below, we have described our current training program. We reserve the right to modify the training program at any time, including the frequency, timing, length, content, format, and location of training.
Management Training Program. Prior to the opening of the Shoppe, your Required Trainees must attend and successfully complete to our satisfaction the Management Training Program. In addition, your Primary Contact must successfully complete (i) a limited version of the Management Training Program designed for Primary Contacts (the "Primary Contact Training"), if they will not be involved in the day-to-day operation of the Shoppe or (ii) the entire Management Training Program, if they will be a Manager involved in the day-to-day operation of the Shoppe (in which case, they will count as one of your Required Trainees).
All individuals attending our Management Training Program must be at least 18 years old and must have management experience as a restaurant owner and/or operator in order for them to follow along with the pace of training that this program requires.
Travel and Living Expenses during Training. This estimate is for the cost of two Required Trainees to attend six days (10 days for Co-Branded Shoppes and two days for Express Shoppes) of the Management Training Program in a location that we designate. The high estimate also includes the cost of your Primary Contact (if they are not one of the Required Trainees) to attend two days of the Primary Contact Training (as defined in Item 11). You are responsible for the travel and living expenses, wages, and other expenses incurred by your trainees during the program. The estimate assumes each trainee will incur $250 to $300 per day of hotel and living expenses and a $300 to $500 flight expense.
Source: Item 15 — Obligation to Participate in the Actual Operation of the Franchise Business (FDD pages 82–83)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Carvel's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, a Primary Contact must successfully complete Primary Contact Training. This training is a limited version of the Management Training Program specifically designed for Primary Contacts who will not be involved in the day-to-day operations of the Carvel Shoppe. However, if the Primary Contact will also serve as a Manager involved in the daily operations, they must complete the entire Management Training Program. In this case, they will be counted as one of the Required Trainees.
The Management Training Program is mandatory for Required Trainees before the Shoppe opens. The FDD specifies that all individuals attending the Management Training Program must be at least 18 years old and have management experience as a restaurant owner or operator. This ensures they can keep pace with the training program.
Carvel retains the right to modify the training program at any time, including its frequency, timing, length, content, format, and location. The Primary Contact Training is a crucial step in ensuring the proper operation of the Carvel Shoppe, and successful completion is required. The estimated cost for travel and living expenses during training for the Primary Contact is included in the overall estimate for two Required Trainees, assuming $250 to $300 per day for hotel and living expenses, and a $300 to $500 flight expense.