After the termination of a Cinnaholic franchise agreement, is the franchisee prohibited from being an employee for a Competitive Business within a five-mile radius of any Cinnaholic Bakery?
Cinnaholic Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
(ii) Post-Term Non-Competition. In addition to and not in limitation of any other restrictions on Developer contained herein, Developer and the Bound Parties agree that they will not, for one year following the effective date of termination or expiration of this Agreement for any reason, or following the date of a Transfer by Developer, directly or indirectly, for and on behalf of itself, himself, herself or any other person or entity, (a) have any direct or indirect interest as a disclosed or beneficial owner in a Competitive Business or (b) perform services as a director, officer, manager, employee, consultant, representative, agent, or otherwise for a Competitive Business which, in either case, is located or operating within a five mile radius of any CINNAHOLIC® Bakery.
(iii) General. For purposes of this Agreement, the term "Competitive Business" means any business operating, or granting franchises or licenses to others to operate, a bakery or other food service business (a) engaged in the retail or wholesale production or sale of baked goods (including, but not limited to, all cinnamon rolls and other baked goods) and (b) that derives more than 50% of its revenue from sales of cinnamon rolls (other than another CINNAHOLIC® Bakery operated by Developer under license from Franchisor). Neither Developer nor the other Bound Parties will be prohibited from owning securities in a Competitive Business if they are listed on a stock exchange or traded on the over-the-counter market and represent 5% or less of the number of shares of that class of securities which are issued and outstanding. The parties acknowledge that the covenants contained in Section 14.1 are based on the reason and understanding that Developer and the Bound Parties will possess knowledge of Franchisor's business and operating methods and confidential information, disclosure and use of which would prejudice the interest of Franchisor and its franchisees. Developer further understands and acknowledges the difficulty of ascertaining monetary damages and the irreparable harm that would result from breach of these covenants. If any part of this restriction is found to be unreasonable in time or distance, such time or distance may be reduced by appropriate order of the court to that deemed reasonable. Franchisor shall, as a matter of course, receive injunctive relief to enforce such covenants in addition to any other relief to which it may be entitled at law or in equity. Franchisor shall receive such injunctive relief without the necessity of posting bond or other security, such bond or other security being hereby waived.
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPT (FDD pages 62–269)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Cinnaholic Franchise Disclosure Document, a franchisee is restricted from working for a competitive business after the termination of the franchise agreement. Specifically, for one year following the termination or expiration of the agreement, the franchisee and other bound parties are prohibited from performing services as an employee for a Competitive Business within a five-mile radius of any Cinnaholic Bakery.
A "Competitive Business" is defined as any business operating a bakery or food service that derives more than 50% of its revenue from cinnamon rolls or baked goods. This restriction applies to the franchisee, their spouse, and, if the franchisee is not an individual, its shareholders, members, partners, and managers, and their spouses.
This post-term non-compete clause means that a former Cinnaholic franchisee is limited in their ability to work for a competing bakery within a five-mile radius of any Cinnaholic location for one year after leaving the Cinnaholic system. This could impact their ability to find employment in the food service industry immediately following the end of their franchise agreement. The FDD states that if any part of this restriction is found to be unreasonable in time or distance, such time or distance may be reduced by appropriate order of the court to that deemed reasonable.