Does the Cicis System Standards regulate the use and display of the Marks?
Cicis Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
You understand the importance of maintaining uniformity among all of the Cicis Restaurants and the importance of complying with all of our standards, specifications, policies, and procedures relating to the operation of your Restaurant and, therefore, agree to comply with all System Standards as they exist from time to time.
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's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the System Standards do regulate the use and display of the Marks. Cicis retains the right to establish and periodically modify these System Standards, which franchisees must comply with to maintain uniformity among all Cicis Restaurants. However, the franchisee retains the right and sole responsibility for the day-to-day management and operation of their Restaurant and the implementation and maintenance of System Standards at their Restaurant.
The System Standards can regulate various aspects of the restaurant's operation, including sales, marketing, advertising, promotional programs, materials, media, staffing levels, employee qualifications, dress, appearance, days, hours of operation, methods of payment, online presences, technology systems, market research, gift card programs, menus, bookkeeping, accounting, data processing, record keeping systems, quality assurance, customer satisfaction programs, third-party food delivery services, insurance coverage, and any other aspects that Cicis deems useful to preserve or enhance the efficient operation, image, or goodwill of the Marks and Cicis Restaurants.
Cicis also has sole discretion and control over the Cicis Website, which provides information about the System and the products that Cicis Restaurants provide. Cicis may include an interior page containing information about the franchisee's Restaurant on the Cicis Website, and the franchisee agrees to provide any current information requested to do so. Cicis also has the sole right to develop an internal communications network through which Cicis and its franchisees can communicate by e-mail or similar electronic means. If Cicis develops an Intranet, the franchisee will use it in accordance with all applicable Laws and in strict compliance with the standards, protocols, and restrictions that Cicis includes in the Manuals.
With respect to the use of the Marks, franchisees must operate and advertise their Restaurants only under the name "Cicis" without prefix or suffix, unless otherwise authorized or required. Franchisees must identify themselves as the independent owner of their Restaurant and not do anything to indicate that they are Cicis's affiliate. Franchisees will not use the Marks to incur any obligation or indebtedness on Cicis's behalf and will use the trade name Cicis assigns to their Restaurant and will comply with all applicable Laws related to the filing of trade name or fictitious name registrations. Franchisees will not register any Internet domain name that contains words used in or similar to any brand name Cicis owns or any abbreviation, acronym, phonetic variation, or visual variation of those words and will not use the Marks or any abbreviation or other name associated with Cicis or the System as part of any e-mail address, domain name, or other identification of the franchisee in any electronic medium.