Does Churchs Chicken have an obligation to provide additional training programs, and if so, under what conditions?
Churchs_Chicken Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
[Item 11: FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND TRAINING]
We also may periodically make available to you and your employees additional training programs that we, in our discretion, choose to conduct. Attendance at these additional, training programs may be mandatory. Although we do not currently charge a fee for additional mandatory training programs and related materials, we reserve the right to charge fees in the future to cover the cost of presenting the additional mandatory training programs and producing the related materials. You will be responsible for all expenses that you and your management employees incur in connection with training, such as cost of travel, accommodations, meals, and employee wages and benefits. Optional training programs (instruction and required materials) may be offered to Franchisees for a fee.
Before opening your first Restaurant, your Operating Principal and up to 4 designated management employees (we decide the exact number, which must be at least 2 for your first Restaurant, and at least 2 for each additional Restaurant) must attend and complete, to our satisfaction, our initial Pathway to Excellence Advanced Operations and Leadership Training Program (the "Training Program"). We offer the Training Program on an as-needed basis. This training provides certification for Assistant Restaurant Managers and Restaurant General Managers. If your management employees complete the Training Program to our satisfaction, we will issue certificates of completion to these trainees who will become "Certified Managers." You must maintain at least 2 Certified Managers in the employ of each Restaurant throughout the term of the Franchise Agreement; we may require that you maintain more than 2 Certified Managers. You must enroll a qualified replacement in the Training Program for any Certified Manager who ceases active employment at your Restaurant within 30 days after the former employee's last day of employment. The replacement employee must join the next scheduled Training Program, at your expense, at a Certified Training Restaurant ("CTR"). If the CTR is operated by another franchisee, you may be instructed to pay the training fee directly to the other franchisee. The current fee for the Training Program for each employee, after the first 2 employees, is $1,250.
If you open and operate more than 5 Restaurants, we may require you to establish additional Restaurants as CTRs in order to support training in future development.
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND TRAINING (FDD pages 35–43)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Churchs Chicken's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, while not explicitly obligated, Churchs Chicken may offer additional training programs at its discretion. These programs may be mandatory, and while currently there is no fee for mandatory training and materials, Churchs Chicken reserves the right to charge fees in the future to cover the costs of presenting these programs and materials. Franchisees are responsible for all expenses incurred by themselves and their employees in connection with training, including travel, accommodations, meals, and wages. Optional training programs may also be offered for a fee.
Before opening their first restaurant, the Operating Principal and a minimum of two designated management employees must attend and complete the initial Pathway to Excellence Advanced Operations and Leadership Training Program. If these employees complete the program satisfactorily, they will become "Certified Managers." Franchisees must maintain at least two Certified Managers at each restaurant throughout the term of the Franchise Agreement, and Churchs Chicken may require more than two. If a Certified Manager leaves, the franchisee must enroll a qualified replacement in the next scheduled Training Program within 30 days, at the franchisee's expense. The current fee for training each employee after the first two is $1,250.
These training programs are designed to educate franchisees and their managers in all phases of the quick-service restaurant industry as it relates to operating a Churchs Chicken restaurant. The initial training program lasts five weeks but may be reduced to three weeks for those with prior quick-service restaurant experience. All training occurs at a Certified Training Restaurant (CTR). If a franchisee operates more than five restaurants, Churchs Chicken may require them to establish additional restaurants as CTRs to support future training needs. A list of cities containing CTRs as of February 1, 2025, is included as an exhibit in the FDD.