Can Cicis change its staff members who manage and operate the Cicis system?
Cicis Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Though we retain the right to establish and periodically modify System Standards, you retain the right and sole responsibility for the day-to-day management and operation of your Restaurant and the implementation and maintenance of System Standards at your Restaurant.
System Standards may regulate any aspect of the operation and maintenance of your Restaurant, including, but not limited to, any one or more of the following:
(1) sales, marketing, advertising and promotional programs and materials and media used in these programs;
(2) staffing levels for your Restaurant and employee qualifications, dress, and appearance (although employee selection and promotion, hours worked, rates of pay and other benefits, work assigned and working conditions are your sole responsibility);
(3) use and display of the Marks;
(4) days and hours of operation;
(5) methods of payment that your Restaurant may accept from customers;
(6) policies for the registration, use, content, or management of online presences, or other technology systems, solutions, or products;
(7) participation in market research and product and service testing programs;
(8) participation in gift card programs;
(9) menus, including product offerings, appearance, and inclusion of nutrition information;
(10) bookkeeping, accounting, data processing and record keeping systems and forms; formats, content and frequency of reports to us of sales, revenue, and financial performance and condition;
(11) participation in quality assurance and customer satisfaction programs;
(12) use of any third-party food delivery services, online ordering services, or other food aggregation services;
(13) types, amounts, terms and conditions of insurance coverage required for your Restaurant, including criteria for your insurance carriers; and
(14) any other aspects of operating and maintaining your Restaurant that we determine to be useful to preserve or enhance the efficient operation, image or goodwill of the Marks and Cicis Restaurants.
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD pages 64–65)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Cicis' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, while Cicis itself does not directly select or promote employees for a franchisee's restaurant, they do retain significant control over staffing-related standards and training. The franchisee has the sole responsibility for employee selection and promotion, hours worked, rates of pay and other benefits, work assigned, and working conditions. However, Cicis can mandate staffing levels and employee qualifications, dress, and appearance to maintain uniformity across all Cicis restaurants.
Cicis also requires that the General Manager and Assistant Managers complete their initial training program to Cicis' satisfaction. If these managers do not satisfactorily complete the training, Cicis will notify the franchisee, who must then take corrective measures within 30 days. Cicis has the authority to determine whether the General Manager and Assistant Manager candidates have satisfactorily completed initial training.
Furthermore, Cicis can require that certain personnel attend additional training programs and seminars. This ensures that the franchisee's staff remains competent and trained according to Cicis' standards. The franchisee is responsible for ensuring their employees maintain good customer relations and comply with any prescribed dress code.
In effect, while the franchisee handles the day-to-day employment decisions, Cicis maintains control over setting the standards for staff qualifications, appearance, and training, which allows them to influence the quality and consistency of service provided at each location. This is a common practice in franchising, where the franchisor seeks to maintain brand standards while the franchisee manages the local operation.