What is the range of fees for Operations Non-Compliance under the Casiola franchise agreement?
Casiola Franchise · 2024 FDDAnswer from 2024 FDD Document
| Reporting Non-Compliance | $150 per occurrence | 14 days of invoice | Payable for failure to timely submit Royalty and Activity Reports, and other reports and financial statements as required under Franchise Agreement. |
| Operations Non-Compliance | $500 to $1,000 per occurrence | 14 days of invoice | Payable for failure to comply with operational standards as required under Franchise Agreement, plus inspection and re-inspection costs incurred by us. |
| Payment Non-Compliance | $150 per occurrence | 14 days of invoice | Payable for failure to timely pay, when due, a fee or payment due to us under the Franchise Agreement, plus interest, costs and legal fees. |
| Interest | 18% per annum from due date | On demand | Payable on all overdue amounts, fees, charges, and payments due to us under the Franchise Agreement. Interest rate cannot exceed legal rate allowed by law and may be adjusted to reflect same. |
| NSF Check Fee or Failed Electronic Fund Transfer | 5% of amount or $50, whichever is greater, or maximum fee allowed by law | On demand | Payable if your bank account possesses insufficient funds and/or fails to process a payment or transfer related to a fee due from you to us. |
| Audit | Cost of audit plus expenses | On demand | For costs incurred by us for each financial audit, provided the audit determines underreporting of 2% or greater during any designated period. Includes expenses incurred by us including audit, legal, travel and reasonable accommodations. |
| Quality Assurance Audit | Actual costs incurred by us | As invoiced | Payable to us if we elect to perform periodic quality assurance audits, including mystery shopper type inspections and programs. |
| Collections | Actual fees, costs, and expenses | On demand | For costs and expenses incurred by us in collecting fees due to us, and/or to enforce the terms of the Franchise Agreement or a termination of the Franchise Agreement. Includes costs and expenses of re-inspections required by quality assurance audit. |
| Supplier Review | Actual fees, costs, and expenses | Within 14 days of invoice | You must pay us the costs incurred by us to review and evaluate a potential supplier, product, or service that you submit to us for approval. |
Source: Item 6 — OTHER FEES (FDD pages 12–18)
What This Means (2024 FDD)
According to Casiola's 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document, the Operations Non-Compliance fee ranges from $500 to $1,000 per occurrence. This fee is charged if a franchisee fails to comply with the operational standards outlined in the Franchise Agreement.
In addition to the initial fee, the franchisee is also responsible for covering any inspection and re-inspection costs that Casiola incurs as a result of the non-compliance. The fee is due within 14 days of the invoice date.
This means that if a Casiola franchisee does not adhere to the brand's operational standards, they could face a significant financial penalty, including the cost of inspections to verify compliance. Prospective franchisees should carefully review the operational standards detailed in the Franchise Agreement to understand how to avoid these fees.