Does Coffee News monitor franchisees' social media usage?

According to the 2025 Coffee News Franchise Disclosure Document, Coffee News reserves the right to monitor franchisees' social media usage to protect its brand. While Coffee News is not obligated to monitor franchisees' compliance with laws, regulations, and third-party terms and conditions, it can remove or require a franchisee to remove content that violates the Social Media Policy, laws, or regulations, or that Coffee News deems inconsistent with its trademarks or logo.

The Coffee News Social Media Policy outlines general guidelines for franchisees, including maintaining professionalism, focusing on business-related content, and being responsible and honest. Franchisees are also advised to avoid incendiary topics like politics and religion and to be mindful of their online presence's impact on the Coffee News brand. Franchisees are responsible for their own content and compliance with all applicable laws.

Coffee News also suggests a specific username format for franchisees to maintain brand consistency, typically including "Coffee News" followed by the city where the franchise is located. Franchisees must post disclaimers indicating that their views do not necessarily reflect Coffee News's position. Additionally, any goodwill generated from a franchisee's social media account belongs to Coffee News, and Coffee News reserves ownership rights to these accounts and associated domain names.

In practice, this means that while Coffee News franchisees have considerable freedom in their social media activities, they must adhere to the brand's guidelines and legal requirements. Coffee News retains the right to intervene if a franchisee's online conduct is deemed detrimental to the brand. Franchisees should be aware of these policies and guidelines to avoid potential conflicts or content removal requests.