What activities are included in the 'pre-opening activities' for a Chocolate Bash franchise?
Chocolate_Bash Franchise · 2024 FDDAnswer from 2024 FDD Document
The Company's primarily performance obligation under the franchise agreement mainly includes granting certain rights to access the Company's intellectual property and a variety of activities relating to opening a franchise unit, including initial training and other such activities commonly referred to collectively as "pre-opening activities", which are recognized as a single performance obligation. The Company expects that certain pre-opening activities provided to the franchisee will not be brand specific and will provide the franchisee with relevant general business information that is separate and distinct from the operation of a company-branded franchise unit. The portion of pre-opening activities that will be provided that is not brand specific is expected to be distinct as it will provide a benefit to the franchisee and is expected not to be highly interrelated or interdependent to the access of the Company's intellectual property, and therefore will be accounted for as a separate distinct performance obligation. All other pre-opening activities are expected to be highly interrelated and interdependent to the access of the Company's intellectual property and therefore will be accounted for as a single performance obligation, which is satisfied by granting certain rights to access the Company's intellectual property over the term of each franchise agreement.
The Company estimates the stand-alone selling price of pre-opening activities using an adjusted market assessment approach. The Company will first allocate the initial franchise fees and the fixed consideration, under the franchise agreement to the standalone selling price of the training services that are not brand specific and the residual, if any, to the right to access the Company's intellectual property. Consideration allocated to pre-opening activities, which are not brand specific are recognized ratably as those services are rendered. Consideration allocated to pre-opening activities included under Accounting Standards Update (ASU) to ASC 606, Franchisors—'Revenue from Contracts with Customers (Subtopic 952-606): Practical Expedient' is recognized when the related services have been rendered.
The remaining franchisee fee not allocated to pre-opening activities are recorded as Unearned Revenue and will be recognized over the term of the franchise agreement.
Source: Item 21 — FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (FDD page 38)
What This Means (2024 FDD)
According to the 2024 Chocolate Bash FDD, pre-opening activities include initial training and other activities related to opening a franchise unit. Chocolate Bash considers these activities as a single performance obligation in the franchise agreement.
The FDD specifies that some pre-opening activities are not brand-specific and provide franchisees with general business information, separate from the Chocolate Bash brand. These activities are treated as a distinct performance obligation. Other pre-opening activities are considered highly interrelated and interdependent with access to Chocolate Bash's intellectual property.
Chocolate Bash estimates the stand-alone selling price of pre-opening activities using an adjusted market assessment approach. The company allocates initial franchise fees and fixed consideration to training services that are not brand-specific, with any remaining amount allocated to the right to access Chocolate Bash's intellectual property. The consideration allocated to pre-opening activities that are not brand-specific is recognized ratably as those services are rendered. The remaining franchisee fee not allocated to pre-opening activities is recorded as unearned revenue and recognized over the term of the franchise agreement.