What is the effect of the Franchisor exercising its right to terminate the Checkersrallys agreement?
Checkersrallys Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
ice of the termination than is required hereunder, a different standard of "good cause" to terminate this Agreement or the taking of some other action not required hereunder, the prior notice, the "good cause" standard and/or the other action required by such law shall be substituted for the comparable provisions hereof.
10.02 Waiver of Obligations. We and you may by written instrument unilaterally waive or reduce any obligation of the other under this Agreement. Any waiver granted by us shall be without prejudice to any other rights we may have, will be subject to continuing review by us and may be revoked, in our sole discretion, at any time and for any reason, effective upon delivery to you of 10 days' prior written notice. You and we shall not be deemed to have waived any right reserved by this Agreement or be deemed to have modified this Agreement by virtue of any custom or practice of the parties at variance with it.
10.03 Exercise of Rights of Parties. The rights of Franchisor and Area Franchisee hereunder are cumulative and no exercise or enforcement by Franchisor or Area Franchisee of any right or remedy hereunder shall preclude the exercise or enforcement by Franchisor or Area Franchisee of any other right or remedy hereunder which Franchisor or Area Franchisee is entitled to enforce by law. If Area Franchisee commits any act of default under this Agreement for which Franchisor exercises its right to terminate this Agreement, Area Franchisee shall pay to Franchisor all actual, consequential, special and incidental damages Franchisor incurs as a result of the premature termination of this Agreement regardless of whether or not such damages are reasonably foreseeable. Area Franchisee acknowledges and agrees that the proximate cause of such damages sustained by Franchisor is Area Franchisee's act of default and not Franchisor's exercise of its right to terminate. Notwithstanding the foregoing, and except as otherwise prohibited or limited by applicable law, any failure, neglect, or delay of a party to assert any breach or violation of any legal or equitable right arising from or in connection with this Agreement, shall constitute a waiver of such right and shall preclude the exercise or enforcement of any legal or equitable remedy arising therefrom, unless written notice specifying such breach or violation is provided to the other party within 12 months after the later of: (a) the date of such breach or violation; or (b) the date of discovery of the facts (or the date the facts could have been discovered, using reasonable diligence) giving rise to such breach or violation.
10.04 Costs of Enforcement. If we file a claim in a judicial or arbitration proceeding for amounts you or any of your Owners owe us or any of our Affiliates, or if we enforce this Agreement in a judicial or arbitration proceeding, and we prevail in any such proceeding, you agree to reimburse us for all of our costs and expenses, including reasonable accounting, paralegal, expert witness and attorneys' fees. If we are required to engage legal counsel in connection with your failure to comply with this Agreement, you must reimburse us for any attorneys' fees, costs and expenses we incur.
10.05 Injunctive Relief. We, as an alternative or supplement to arbitration pursuant to Section 10.06, may obtain in any court of competent jurisdiction any injunctive relief, including temporary restraining orders and preliminary injunctions, against conduct or threatened conduct for which no adequate remedy at law may be available or which may cause us irreparable harm. We may seek and obtain such injunctive relief, without bond, but
upon notice as required under applicable rules, in addition to such further and other relief as may be available at equity or law, and your sole remedy in the event of the entry of such injunction, shall be its dissolution, if warranted, upon hearing duly had (all claims for damages by reason of the wrongful issuance of any such injunction being expressly waived hereby). You and each of your Owners acknowledge that any violation of Sections 6, 7.02(i) or 9.02 would result in irreparable injury to us for which no adequate remedy at law may be available. Accordingly, you and each of your Owners consent and agree to the issuance of an injunction prohibiting any conduct in violation of any of those sections and agrees that the existence of any claim you or any of your Owners may have against us, whether or not arising from this Agreement, shall not constitute a defense to the enforcement of any of those Sections.
10.06 Arbitration. Subject to Section 10.05, all controversies, disputes, or claims between us or any of our Affiliates, or any of their respective officers, directors, agents, employees and attorneys and you, any of your Affiliates or any of their respective Owners, arising from or relating, directly or indirectly, to (i) this Agreement or any other agreement between you and us or your or our respective Affiliates, (ii) the scope and validity of any provision of this Agreement or any other agreement between you and us or any provision of such agreements (including the validity of the arbitration obligations under this Section 10.06, which the parties acknowledge is to be determined by an arbitrator and not a court); (iii) our relationship with you, including, without limitation, your application to become a franchisee and/or to acquire the right to operate an additional Restaurant, our decision to award a franchise, approve a site or any other matter related to your franchise application or site selection process for the Restaurants you develop under this Agreement or for an additional Restaurant; or (iv) any of our specifications and standards, shall on demand of either party be submitted for arbitration to the offices of the American Arbitration Association ("AAA") located closest to our corporate headquarters at the time of such demand. The arbitration shall be governed exclusively by the United States Federal Arbitration Act (9 U.S.C. § 1, et seq.), without reference to any state arbitration statutes.
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 92–384)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Checkersrallys Franchise Disclosure Document, if Checkersrallys terminates the Area Franchise Agreement due to the Area Franchisee's default, the Area Franchisee must pay Checkersrallys all actual, consequential, special, and incidental damages incurred as a result of the premature termination, regardless of foreseeability. The Area Franchisee acknowledges that their act of default is the direct cause of these damages.
Checkersrallys can terminate the agreement if the franchisee fails to meet the Development Schedule, makes an unauthorized transfer of Development Rights, makes a material misstatement or omission in their application, misuses Confidential Information, fails to comply with the agreement within 30 days of notice, breaches any agreement with Checkersrallys, or if new legislation adversely affects Checkersrallys's franchising rights. Checkersrallys is not obligated to refund any portion of the development fee upon termination, except for the unapplied portion if terminated due to adverse legislation.
Post-termination, the franchisee is restricted for two years from owning or being involved with a Competitive Business within the Development Area, within three miles of any Checkersrallys restaurant, or with any entity that franchises Competitive Businesses. This includes indirect involvement through family members. These non-competition covenants are deemed necessary to protect Checkersrallys's interests in the System, customers, and goodwill. The franchisee's obligations under the agreement that survive termination will remain in effect until fully satisfied.