If Cream provides additional or special guidance, who is responsible for reimbursing costs?
Cream Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
rom time to time regarding the operation of your Shop, including: (1) System Standards and other suggested standards, specifications, and operating procedures and methods; (2) required, recommended, and/or approved suppliers, products, and
services; and (3) advertising and marketing materials and programs. We may provide guidance on the telephone, virtually, or at our offices. If you request, and we agree to provide, additional or special guidance, assistance, or training, we may charge you our then-current additional training fee, and you must reimburse all of our and our representatives' costs for providing such guidance, assistance, or training, including travel, food, accommodations, and living expenses. Additionally, if we at any time and from time to time determine that you are not operating your Shop in compliance with our System Standards, we may require additional training for your Mandatory Trainees, and we may charge you our then-current additional training fee for such training. Any specific ongoing training or advice we provide does not create an obligation (whether by course of dealing or otherwise) to continue to provide such specific training or advice, all of which w
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 61–192)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Cream's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, if a franchisee requests and Cream agrees to provide additional or special guidance, assistance, or training, the franchisee is responsible for reimbursing Cream and its representatives for all associated costs. These reimbursable costs include travel, food, accommodations, and living expenses. Cream may also charge its then-current additional training fee. As of the effective date of the FDD, the additional training fee is $500 per trainer per day, and this fee may be modified by up to 10% per year on a compounding basis.
This means that if a Cream franchisee feels they need extra help beyond the standard training and support, they will have to pay for it. This could arise if the franchisee is struggling with some aspect of the business or wants more in-depth training for their staff. The franchisee needs to factor in not only the daily training fee but also all the travel-related expenses for Cream's trainers.
Cream also states that any specific ongoing training or advice they provide does not create an obligation to continue providing such training or advice. Cream can discontinue and modify the training at any time. Therefore, franchisees should be prepared to handle situations independently after receiving additional guidance, as ongoing support of that specific nature is not guaranteed.
Prospective franchisees should carefully consider the potential costs of additional training and support and factor this into their financial planning. It would be prudent to discuss with Cream under what circumstances additional training might be necessary and to get an estimate of potential costs based on different scenarios.