Under what circumstances can a Cinnabon franchisee purchase goods from a supplier that is not an Approved Supplier?

According to Cinnabon's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, a franchisee may be permitted to purchase goods from a supplier that is not an Approved Supplier under certain conditions. For Proprietary Goods, which include Proprietary Ingredients, Proprietary Products, and proprietary uniforms, signs, menu boards, smallwares, materials, supplies, paper goods, equipment, and packaging, franchisees must purchase these exclusively from Cinnabon, its affiliates, or designated Approved Suppliers.

However, for all other Goods, Cinnabon may require franchisees to purchase from Approved Suppliers or specific Approved Suppliers. Alternatively, Cinnabon may permit franchisees to purchase these other Goods from any supplier capable of providing goods that meet Cinnabon's minimum standards, assuming Cinnabon has specified such standards for those goods.

In practice, this means a Cinnabon franchisee has limited flexibility in choosing suppliers, especially for core branded items. For other non-branded goods, there might be an opportunity to use a non-approved supplier if they meet Cinnabon's standards, but this is subject to Cinnabon's discretion. A prospective franchisee should clarify which goods fall into each category and what the approval process entails to ensure they understand the sourcing requirements and potential limitations.