Does the Churchs Chicken FDD table relate to any geographic limits?
Churchs_Chicken Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Under the Franchise Agreement, we may create Regional Advertising Cooperatives ("Ad Co-ops") and require your participation in them.
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- We may use the Ad Fund for national, regional, and/or local media coverage.
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- We select the media and locale for media placement. Currently, we use television (where practical), radio (where practical), digital, social media, direct mail, outdoor media and restaurant point-ofpurchase advertising.
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- We currently use several marketing agenciesto produce our advertising materials, purchase media and manage promotions. We may change this at any time. We may require you to use the marketing agency or agencies that we select.
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- We are not obligated to spend any amount on advertising in the designated market area ("DMA") or territory of any individual franchisee. It is our practice (although we are not required to do so) to allocate all Ad Fund contributions to our national system fund (which produces commercials, point-ofpurchase materials, and certain other advertising, and also funds overhead, promotions, public relations, digital, mobile, social media, research, agency fees and miscellaneous expenses).
Use of Your Own Advertising Material:
All of your local advertising is subject to our approval and must be in such media and of a type and format as we approve; be conducted in a dignified manner; and conform to our standards and requirements. All advertising, marketing and promotional plans and materials must meet our standards, and you must obtain our prior written approval before using any local advertising, marketing or promotional plans or materials. To obtain our approval, you must submitsamples of the proposed advertising copy and marketing or promotional plans to us, unless we previously prepared or approved the materials. If you do not obtain our written approval within 15 days after we receive the proposed samples or materials, it means that we disapproved the samples or materials. All press releases must be approved by us. We do not approve or disapprove the sales prices of products in proposed advertising, marketing or promotional plans.
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND TRAINING (FDD pages 35–43)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Churchs Chicken Franchise Disclosure Document, the table of contents for the operations manual does not directly relate to geographic limits. However, the document mentions designated market areas (DMAs) in the context of advertising. Churchs Chicken's advertising program is conducted through a national fund, and the company controls the Ad Fund and administers it to support each designated market area (DMA). The franchisor is not obligated to spend any amount on advertising in the designated market area or territory of any individual franchisee. The company may use the Ad Fund for national, regional, and/or local media coverage and selects the media and locale for media placement.
Churchs Chicken may create Regional Advertising Cooperatives and require franchisee participation. All local advertising is subject to the company's approval and must be in such media and of a type and format as the company approves; be conducted in a dignified manner; and conform to the company's standards and requirements. All advertising, marketing and promotional plans and materials must meet the company's standards, and franchisees must obtain prior written approval before using any local advertising, marketing or promotional plans or materials.
While the table of contents itself doesn't specify geographic limits, the mention of DMAs and regional advertising cooperatives suggests that geographic considerations play a role in Churchs Chicken's advertising and marketing strategies. A prospective franchisee should inquire about the specifics of advertising fund allocation and the criteria for establishing regional advertising cooperatives to understand how these factors might impact their franchise location.