How must enrollment of the Coffee News Online feature be done?
Coffee_News Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Unless otherwise agreed in writing, any and all enrollment of Coffee News Online feature must be through the Franchisor.
4.5 Coffee News Online Services. In addition to the hardcopy Periodical related services, we are proud to announce the release of Coffee News® Online, a new digital companion to our print publication. Coffee News® online will retain many of the same features as the hard copy format used worldwide, but with enhanced features, making Coffee News® more accessible to readers, offering greater marketing opportunities, and generating additional advertising revenue from existing advertisersas well as restaurants at a modest cost. To enroll the Coffee News® Online feature, there are currently two (2) options for enrollment:
4.5.1. Basic service:
- 4.5.1.1 Provides the layout of current content, submitted ads and What's Happening events dated and posted for each Monday for publishers to send to their contacts each week.
- 4.5.1.2. Dedicated URL for your online edition (i.e. www.coffeenewsonline.com/ME/Bangor). All online editions can be found via a dropdown menu from the main site.
- 4.5.1.3 Provides up to 40 single (400 x 300 pixel) ad spaces for sale from all industries including restaurants. Double ads (400 x 600 pixel) are also available to sell (and are counted as 2 ads). All ads rotate weekly.
- 4.5.1.4. Ads are mobile responsive and clickable, linking directly to the advertiser's web, email or phone contact information.
- 4.5.1.5. Provides 1 sponsorship ad for each week's online edition.
- 4.5.1.6. Coffee News® man is hidden in one of the ads each week and clickable to the contest entry form as part of the Coffee News® Contest.
- 4.5.2. Premium Service. The Premium Service is designed for publishers who do not already use an email marketing application such as MailChimp or Constant Contact. In addition to the Basic Service, Chil Consulting and/or Shadow Fox Consulting, the current third party contractors that provide Coffee News Online services, will provide email marketing services of your online edition and any other email marketing messages to your contacts for you each week. You would provide the email content to Chil Consulting and/or Shadow Fox Consulting.
Source: Item 23 — Receipts (FDD pages 36–118)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Coffee News's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, enrollment for the Coffee News Online feature must be done through the Franchisor, unless otherwise agreed in writing. The franchisee, however, is responsible for uploading all the advertisements and "What's Happening" events content into the online feature system.
Coffee News offers two options for the online service: Basic and Premium. The Basic service includes the layout of current content, submitted ads, and "What's Happening" events, a dedicated URL for the online edition, up to 40 ad spaces for sale, mobile-responsive and clickable ads, and one sponsorship ad per week. The Premium Service is designed for publishers who do not already use an email marketing application. In addition to the Basic Service, Chil Consulting and/or Shadow Fox Consulting will provide email marketing services of your online edition and any other email marketing messages to your contacts for you each week. You would provide the email content to Chil Consulting and/or Shadow Fox Consulting.
Franchisees should be aware that there is a one-time enrollment fee to participate in the Coffee News Online publication. This fee is $100 for Chil Consulting and $75 for Shadowfox Design. Additionally, franchisees will incur weekly fees for the online service. The Basic service costs $25 per week, while the Premium service costs $50 per week.
It is important for prospective franchisees to discuss with Coffee News the specifics of the enrollment process, including any required forms, training, or support provided to manage the online platform effectively. Understanding these details will help franchisees successfully integrate the online edition into their Coffee News franchise and maximize its potential for generating additional advertising revenue.