Can Cicis require a franchisee to make improvements to the Restaurant premises?
Cicis Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
, repair, and condition and otherwise comply with all requirements set forth in the Manuals with regard to such matters. Except as may be expressly provided in the Manuals, no alterations or improvements or changes of any kind in design, equipment, signs, interior or exterior decor items, fixtures, or furnishings will be made in or about your Restaurant or its premises without our prior written approval.
- B. Improvements and Modernization. You will, upon our request, make other improvements to your Restaurant premises, equipment (including computer hardware and software), game room equipment, signs, interior and exterior decor items, fixtures, furnishings, supplies, and other products and materials required for the operation of your Restaurant, to our then current System Standards.
- C. Manuals. During the Term, we will provide you with access to our manuals applicable to the development and operation of Cicis Restaurants (collectively, the "Manuals"). We will determine the content of the Manuals, the frequency in which it may be updated, and the manner and format in which it is delivered or made available to you. The Manuals may contain both mandatory specifications, standards, operating procedures and rules that we periodically prescribe for operating Cicis Restaurants and other specifications, standards and policies we may periodically suggest, and information on your other obligations under this Agreement (the "System Standards"), and other suggested specifications, standards and procedures. We may periodically modify the Manuals, including in the form of memoranda and newsletters, to reflect changes in System Standards. Our master copy of the Manuals is the controlling copy. The Manuals and any passwords and access credentials are part of our Confidential Information (defined below) and must be protected against improper use and disclosure.
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD pages 64–65)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Cicis's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Cicis can require franchisees to make improvements to their Restaurant premises. Cicis may request franchisees to make improvements to the Restaurant premises, equipment (including computer hardware and software), game room equipment, signs, interior and exterior decor items, fixtures, furnishings, supplies, and other products and materials required for the operation of the Restaurant, to meet the then-current System Standards. Franchisees are responsible for maintaining their Restaurants in a high degree of sanitation, repair, and condition, and must comply with all requirements set forth in the Manuals.
Franchisees cannot make alterations, improvements, or changes of any kind in design, equipment, signs, interior or exterior decor items, fixtures, or furnishings to their Restaurant or its premises without Cicis's prior written approval, unless expressly provided in the Manuals. Cicis's periodic modification of the System Standards may require franchisees to invest additional capital in their Restaurant and incur higher operating costs. These modifications may accommodate regional or local variations.
Cicis may also require franchisees to make certain modifications to the manner of operation of their Restaurant, including modifying the hours of operation, changing how products or services are delivered to customers, limiting or changing the products or services provided, and creating and displaying temporary signage. These modifications may be required on a regional or local basis to address public health concerns and could potentially only affect a franchisee's Restaurant, including requiring temporary closure. Cicis determines the scope and duration of such modifications.