Is Crave Cookies Franchising considered a joint employer with the Franchisee?
Crave_Cookies Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Franchisee is solely responsible for the terms and conditions of employment of all of its personnel, including recruiting, hiring, training, scheduling, supervising, compensation, and termination.
Franchisee is solely responsible for all actions of its personnel.
Franchisee and Crave Cookies Franchising are not joint employers, and no employee of Franchisee will be an agent or employee of Crave Cookies Franchising.
Within seven days of Crave Cookies Franchising's request, Franchisee and each of its employees will sign an acknowledgment form stating that Franchisee alone (and not Crave Cookies Franchising) is the employee's sole employer.
Franchisee will use its legal name on all documents with its employees and independent contractors, including, but not limited to, employment applications, time cards, pay checks, and employment and independent contractor agreements, and Franchisee will not use the Marks on any of these documents.
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD page 47)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Crave Cookies's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the franchisee is solely responsible for all employment-related matters. This includes recruiting, hiring, training, scheduling, supervising, compensating, and terminating personnel. The franchisee is also responsible for all actions of their personnel.
The FDD explicitly states that Crave Cookies Franchising and the franchisee are not joint employers. Furthermore, no employee of the franchisee will be considered an agent or employee of Crave Cookies Franchising. To reinforce this, Crave Cookies requires that the franchisee and each of its employees sign an acknowledgment form confirming that the franchisee alone is the employee's sole employer.
The franchisee must use its legal name on all documents related to employees and independent contractors, such as employment applications, time cards, paychecks, and agreements, and is prohibited from using Crave Cookies's trademarks on these documents. This further emphasizes the distinct and separate nature of the employment relationship, ensuring that there is no confusion about who the employer is.