When transferring a Casiola franchise, what must the franchisee and transferee acknowledge and agree regarding the franchisor's approval?
Casiola Franchise · 2024 FDDAnswer from 2024 FDD Document
of this Agreement including, but not limited to this Article 14.B. shall constitute a breach of this Agreement and shall convey to the transferee no rights or interests in this Agreement; and
- (5) In the event of a Transfer of this Agreement that is approved by Franchisor, Franchisee shall not be relieved of Franchisee's obligations under this Agreement whether said obligations accrued and/or arose prior to and/or after the date of Transfer.
14.C. CONDITIONS FOR APPROVAL OF TRANSFER
Provided Franchisee and each Owner, respectively, are in substantial compliance with this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements, and Franchisor does not elect to exercise Franchisor's right of first refusal as set forth in Article 14.F. below, Franchisor shall not unreasonably withhold its approval of a Transfer by Franchisee or an Owner. The proposed transferee, including such assignee's owners, if the proposed transferee is a Corporate Entity, must be of good moral character, have sufficient business experience, aptitude and financial resources to own and operate a Casiola Business, and otherwise meet Franchisor's then applicable standards for franchisees as determined by Franchisor in its sole, but reasonable discretion. Furthermore, the proposed transferee and the proposed transferee's owners may not own or operate, or intend to own or operate, a Competitive Business. Franchisee agrees that Franchisor may condition approval of a Transfer upon Franchisee's satisfaction (either before, or contemporaneously with, the effective date of the Transfer) of the following:
- (1) Franchisee must provide written notice to Franchisor of the proposed Transfer of this Agreement at least 30 days prior to the Transfer, and Franchisee must have also satisfied the obligations set forth in Article 14.F. below;
- (2) All accrued monetary obligations of Franchisee and all other outstanding obligations to Franchisor and/or Franchisor's affiliates under this Agreement and the Ancillary Agreements must be satisfied in a timely manner, and Franchisee must satisfy all trade, supplier, and vendor accounts and other debts, of whatever nature or kind, in a timely manner;
- (3) Franchisee and each Owner must not be in default or material breach of this Agreement or the Ancillary Agreements;
- (4) The transferee shall be bound by all terms and conditions of this Agreement, and each owner of the transferee shall personally execute the Franchise Owner Agreement and Guaranty in the form attached to this Agreement as Exhibit 1;
- (5) All obligations of Franchisee under this Agreement, the Ancillary Agreements, and all applicable Rental Agreements shall be assumed by the transferee and each individual owner of transferee in a manner satisfactory to Franchisor;
- (6) Franchisee and each Owner must execute the General Release attached to this Agreement as Exhibit 5 releasing Franchisor, Franchisor's affiliates and Franchisor's past and present officers, directors, shareholders, members, partners, agents, representatives, independent contractors, servants and employees, of any and all claims against Franchisor for matters arising on, or before, the effective date of the Transfer;
- (7) If the proposed Transfer includes or entails the Transfer of this Agreement, substantially all of the assets of the Franchised Business, a controlling interest in Franchisee, or is one of a series of Transfers which in the aggregate Transfers substantially all of the assets of the Franchised Business or a controlling interest in Franchisee, then, at the election of Franchisor and upon notice from Franchisor to Franchisee, the transferee may be required to execute (and/or, upon Franchisee's request, shall cause all interested parties to execute) for a term ending on the expiration date of the original Term of this Agreement, the then current standard form Franchise Agreement offered to new franchisees of Casiola Businesses and any other agreements as Franchisor requires. Such agreements shall supersede this Agreement and its associated agreement in all respects, and the terms of Franchisor's then current agreements may differ from the terms in this Agreement, provided that such agreements shall provide for the same Royalty Fee, Advertising Contributions, and all other financial or monetary obligations established in this Agreement;
- (8) The transferee, at its expense, must improve, modify, refurbish, renovate, remodel, and/or otherwise upgrade Franchisee's non-residential Administrative Office to conform to the then current standards and specifications of Franchisor, and the transferee must complete such improvements, modifications, refurbishments, renovations, remodeling, and/or upgrading within the time period Franchisor reasonably specifies;
- (9) Franchisee and each Owner shall remain liable for all obligations to Franchisor set forth in this Agreement;
- (10) At the transferee's expense, the transferee, and the transferee's Managing Owner, managers and/or any other applicable employees of transferee's Casiola Business must complete any training programs then in effect for franchisees of Casiola Businesses upon terms and conditions set forth in this Agreement or as Franchisor otherwise reasonably requires;
- (11) Franchisee must pay a fixed sum of $10,000 to Franchisor (the "Transfer Fee");
- (12) Franchisor's approval of the material terms and conditions of the Transfer, and Franchisor determines in Franchisor's Reasonable Business Judgment that the price and terms of payment are not so burdensome as to be detrimental to the future operations of the Franchised Business by the transferee;
- (13) Transferee's employees, directors, officers, independent contractors, and agents who will have
access to Confidential Information shall execute the Confidentiality Agreement attached hereto as Exhibit 2;
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 47–209)
What This Means (2024 FDD)
According to the 2024 Casiola Franchise Disclosure Document, both the franchisee and the prospective transferee must meet several conditions to gain Casiola's approval for a franchise transfer. The franchisee must provide written notice to Casiola at least 30 days before the proposed transfer. All outstanding financial and other obligations to Casiola and its affiliates must be satisfied. Neither the franchisee nor any owner can be in default or material breach of the Franchise Agreement or related ancillary agreements.
The transferee must agree to be bound by all the terms and conditions of the existing Franchise Agreement. Each owner of the transferee entity must personally execute the Franchise Owner Agreement and Guaranty. The transferee must also assume all obligations of the franchisee under the Franchise Agreement, ancillary agreements, and any applicable rental agreements in a manner satisfactory to Casiola. The franchisee and each owner must execute a General Release, releasing Casiola and its affiliates from any claims arising on or before the transfer date.
Additionally, if the transfer involves substantially all of the assets of the franchised business or a controlling interest in the franchisee, Casiola has the option to require the transferee to execute the then-current standard form Franchise Agreement for new franchisees, which may supersede the original agreement. The transferee is responsible for upgrading the Administrative Office to meet Casiola's current standards. The franchisee and each owner remain liable for all obligations to Casiola as outlined in the original agreement. The transferee, along with its Managing Owner, managers, and applicable employees, must complete any required training programs. The franchisee must also pay a $10,000 Transfer Fee to Casiola. Finally, Casiola must approve the material terms and conditions of the transfer, determining that the price and payment terms are not detrimental to the future operations of the franchised business, and the transferee's employees with access to confidential information must execute a Confidentiality Agreement.