Under the Cinnabon franchise agreement, where will the Franchised Business be operated?
Cinnabon Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
B. Section 1.1 (Grant of Franchise) is amended to add the following sentence:
Subject to the terms of this Agreement, we grant to you, and you accept, a nonexclusive license to operate one Swirl Business using the Marks and the System (collectively, your "Franchised Business"). The Franchised Business will be operated only at the location specified in Schedule A (the "Accepted Location") or, if we have not yet accepted a site for the Franchised Business as of the date of this Agreement, at a location that we have accepted in accordance with this Agreement within the geographic area specified in Schedule A (the "Site Selection Area"). The Franchised Business must be operated at the Accepted Location in conjunction with a Carvel® franchised business (the "Co-Branded Franchise") that is operated by you in accordance with a Carvel® franchise agreement (the Co-Branded Agreement") between you and Carvel Franchisor SPV LLC (the "Co-Branded Franchisor"). The Franchised Business and the Co-Branded Franchise shall be co-branded using the Marks and the trademarks licensed to you by the Co-Branded Franchisor and shall be primarily identified by the CINNABON SWIRL™ Mark and trade dress.
Source: Item 23 — Receipts (FDD pages 114–399)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Cinnabon Franchise Disclosure Document, the Franchised Business will be operated only at the location specified in Schedule A, referred to as the "Accepted Location." If a site has not yet been accepted as of the agreement date, the business will operate at a location accepted by Cinnabon within the geographic area specified in Schedule A, known as the "Site Selection Area."
The standard Cinnabon franchise requires operation in conjunction with a Carvel franchised business, forming a co-branded franchise. This co-branded franchise must use Cinnabon's marks and the trademarks licensed by Carvel, primarily identified by the CINNABON SWIRL™ Mark and trade dress. This means franchisees must operate their Cinnabon location alongside a Carvel location, adhering to specific branding and operational standards for both.
However, the FDD also mentions alternative formats. A Cinnabon franchise may operate as a Cinnabon® food truck (a "Concession Bakery") or as a Cinnabon® express bakery. The express bakery sells a limited selection of approved products from within a facility operated by a third party (an "Express Bakery"). The Express Bakery may be located in another facility, which shall be referred to as the "Host Facility."