When should I acquire interest in a site for my Corner Bakery Cafe franchise?

According to Corner Bakery Cafe's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, you should not acquire any interest in a site for your Franchised Cafe until after you have signed the Franchise Agreement, received written approval of the site from Corner Bakery Cafe, and they have approved the lease or sublease. If you sign a Development Agreement, you will sign the Franchise Agreement for your second and subsequent Franchised Cafes after a site has been designated as an approved Site, but before you acquire any interest in such approved Site.

Corner Bakery Cafe does not select the site for your Franchised Cafe; instead, you are responsible for selecting the site, subject to their approval. You must select a site that Corner Bakery Cafe approves in writing and fully execute a lease or sublease that they have approved for the Site, or fully execute a deed for the Site and submit such deed for recordation by the Site Acquisition Deadline that you and Corner Bakery Cafe agree to in your Franchise Agreement and/or your Development Agreement. Failure to meet these requirements may result in default and potential termination of your Franchise Agreement and/or Development Agreement.

The FDD outlines a detailed site selection and approval process that must be followed for each site you develop. This includes submitting a preliminary site application with information Corner Bakery Cafe reasonably requires, such as a description of the proposed site, a market feasibility study, a letter of intent demonstrating your ability to acquire the site, and a summary of how the site meets Corner Bakery Cafe's selection criteria. Corner Bakery Cafe may periodically change its site selection criteria, which may include demographic characteristics, traffic count and patterns, parking, character of the neighborhood, competition from other businesses in the area, the proximity to other businesses, the nature of other businesses in proximity to the site and other commercial characteristics and the size, appearance, other physical characteristics, and a site plan of the premises.

Within 30 days after Corner Bakery Cafe receives the completed Site Application, they will advise you in writing whether they have approved or rejected the proposed site. This decision is made at their sole discretion. The estimated time between signing the Franchise Agreement and opening the Franchised Cafe is approximately 12 to 18 months, with the expectation that you typically open your Franchised Cafe within 12 months after acquiring the Site. Factors such as obtaining a lease, securing adequate financing, weather conditions, local permitting and zoning requirements, equipment shortages, and construction delays can affect the timeline.