factual

Does the Checkers Franchise Agreement provide franchisees with options or rights of first refusal to acquire additional franchises?

Checkers Franchise · 2025 FDD

Answer from 2025 FDD Document

hments (including other Restaurants) and size, condition, configuration, appearance and other physical characteristics of the site. The Franchise Agreement does not provide you with any options, rights of first refusal or similar rights to acquire additional franchises.

You will not receive an exclusive territory. You may face competition from other franchisees, from outlets that we own, or from other channels of distribution or competitive brands we control. However, you may receive a limited protected area, as follows: we will not operate (directly or through an affiliate), or grant to a third party the right to operate, any Checkers Restaurant or Rally's Restaurant located within the particular geographic area identified in Exhibit B attached to the Franchise Agreement (the "Protected Area"). The Protected Area, as defined by us, will be the lesser of: (i) a one (1) mile radius from the center of the Premises if your Franchised Restaurant is located in a suburban or rural area or (ii) an area immediately surrounding the Premises that encompasses a population of 20,000 residents if your Franchised Restaurant is located in an urban area. We do not provide a Protected Area to franchisees that operate Restaurants from Non-Traditional Sites.

Except for the rights we expressly grant you under the Franchise Agreement, we and all of our affiliates (and our respective successors and assigns, by purchase, merger, consolidation or otherwise) retain all of our rights and discretion with respect to the Marks, the System, Restaurants anywhere in the world, and the right to engage in any business whatsoever (without compensation to you), including the rights to:

(a) establish and operate, and grant to others the right to operate,

Restaurants at locations outside the Protected Area, on terms and conditions we deem appropriate;

  • (b) establish and operate, and grant to others the right to operate, Restaurants, or other restaurants using any part or all of the System and/or Marks, that are located at or operated from Non-Traditional Sites within or outside the Protected Area;
  • (c) sell any products or services under the Marks or under any other trademarks, service marks or trade dress, through alternative channels of distribution, wherever located or operating (including the internet or similar electronic media and supermarkets);
  • (d) establish and operate, and grant to others the right to operate, restaurants identified by trademarks, service marks or trade dress, other than the Marks (including the Checkers or Rally's, as is applicable, name and mark), under terms and conditions we deem appropriate and wherever such restaurants are located;
  • (e) acquire the assets or ownership interests of one or more businesses providing products and services similar or dissimilar to those provided at Restaurants, and to franchise, license or create similar arrangements with respect to these businesses once acquired, and which businesses we may (at our sole discretion, and without obligation) convert, or allow to be converted, to operations as Checkers Restaurants or Rally's Restaurants using any of the Marks and/or the System, wherever these businesses (or the franchisees or licensees of these businesses) are located or operating (including in the Protected Area, if applicable); and
  • (f) to be acquired (whether through acquisition of assets, ownership interests or otherwise, regardless of the form of transaction), by a business providing products and services similar to those provided at Restaurants, or by another business, even if such business operates, franchises and/or licenses Competitive Businesses in the Protected Area.

Source: Item 12 — TERRITORY (FDD pages 57–61)

What This Means (2025 FDD)

According to Checkers's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the standard Franchise Agreement does not provide franchisees with any options, rights of first refusal, or similar rights to acquire additional franchises. This means that if a Checkers franchisee wishes to open additional locations, they will not have any contractual advantage over other potential franchisees or even Checkers itself in securing those new locations.

However, Checkers does offer a Development Agreement. This agreement grants the franchisee the right to develop an agreed-upon number of Checkers Restaurants within a specific geographical area, as detailed in Exhibit A of the agreement. The size of the development area depends on factors like population density and the area's residential or commercial character. The number of restaurants to be developed and their opening dates are outlined in the Development Schedule, also found in Exhibit A.

Under the Development Agreement, Checkers agrees to grant the franchisee at least the cumulative number of franchises specified in Exhibit A, as long as the franchisee is in compliance with all agreements. These franchises will be located within the Development Area, subject to Checkers's approval of the site. However, the franchisee does not receive an exclusive territory, and may face competition from other franchisees, company-owned outlets, or other distribution channels. Checkers also retains the right to operate or franchise restaurants at non-traditional sites within the Development Area, as well as restaurants acquired from other franchise systems or chains.

It's important to note that the Development Agreement requires the franchisee to adhere to the Development Schedule. Failure to meet the schedule constitutes a material breach of the agreement, although Checkers's exclusive remedy for such failure is termination of the agreement. A developer's exclusivity in the Protected Area is not dependent on achieving certain sales volume, market penetration or any other contingency.

Disclaimer: This information is extracted from the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document and is provided for research purposes only. It does not constitute legal or financial advice. Consult with a franchise attorney before making any investment decisions.