What constitutes a Default under the Dog Haus Area Development Agreement?
Dog_Haus Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
assets or property, or any part thereof, is appointed by any court of competent jurisdiction; (vi) if proceedings for a composition with creditors under any Applicable Law is instituted by or against Area Developer or its Principal Owner; (vii) if a final judgment in excess of $100,000 against any Dog Haus Restaurants remains unsatisfied or of record for thirty (30) days or longer (unless a supersedeas bond is filed); (viii) if Area Developer or its Principal Owner admits Area Developer or its Principal Owner is unable to generally pay Area Developer's or its Principal Owner's debts as they become due; (ix) if execution is levied against any Dog Haus Restaurant or property; (x) if suit to foreclose any lien or mortgage against any Dog Haus Restaurant or the equipment of any Dog Haus Restaurant is instituted against Area Developer or its Principal Owner and not dismissed within thirty (30) days; or (xi) if any Dog Haus Restaurant shall be sold after levy thereupon by any sheriff, marshal, or constable.
- 11.2 Termination With Notice and Without Opportunity to Cure. Area Developer shall be in Default under this Agreement, and Franchisor may, at its option, terminate this Agreement and all rights granted under this Agreement, without affording Area Developer any opportunity to cure the Default, effective immediately upon receipt of notice by Area Developer (i) if Area Developer or an Owner is convicted of a felony, a crime involving moral turpitude, or any other crime or offense that Franchisor believes is reasonably likely to have an adverse effect on the Dog Haus System, the Dog Haus Marks, the goodwill associated therewith, or Franchisor's interest therein; (ii) if Area Developer fails to comply with the Development Schedule; (iii) if any of the Franchise Agreements or any other agreement between Area Developer and Franchisor or its Affiliates are terminated due to a Default by Area Developer; (iv) if any purported assignment or transfer of any direct or indirect interest in this Agreement, in the Dog Haus Restaurants, or in all or substantially all of Area Developer's assets is made to any third party by Area Developer or an Owner without Franchisor's prior written consent; (v) if any transfer of the equity ownership interests of Area Developer or an Owner is made to any third party without Franchisor's prior written consent; (vi) if Area Developer or an Owner discloses or divulges the contents of Franchisor's Manuals, Dog Haus Trade Secrets or other Dog Haus Confidential Information provided to Area Developer by Franchisor; (vii) if an approved Assignment, as required by Section 9.5, is not effected within the time provided following death or incapacity of an Owner; (viii) if Area Developer or an Owner fails to comply with the covenants in Article 13 or fails to obtain execution of and deliver the covenants required under Section 13.7; (ix) if Area Developer or an Owner has made any material misrepresentations in connection with their application to Franchisor for the development rights granted by this Agreement; (x) if Area Developer or an Owner, after curing a Default pursuant to Section 11.3, commits the same, similar, or different Default, whether or not cured after notice; (xi) if any Owner fails or refuses to deliver to Franchisor, within ten (10) days after Franchisor's written request, a Guarantee in substantially the form attached to this Agreement as Exhibit C and current financial statements as may from time to time be requested by Franchisor; (xii) if Area Developer, an Owner or an Affiliate fails to comply with any or all of the terms of this Agreement, or any other agreement between Franchisor, or its Affiliates, and Area Developer or an Owner beyond the applicable cure period; (xiii) upon a Default of Area Developer's obligations under this Agreement or any other agreement between Area Developer and Franchisor, which by its nature is not capable of being cured by Area Developer; (xiv) if funding promised or otherwise represented to be made available to Area Developer or its Owners on the condition that Area Developer sign this Agreement is not made available to Area Developer or its Owners within ten (10) business days after Area Developer signs this Agreement; (xv) if, in Franchisor's Business Judgment, Franchisor has grounds to believe that Area Developer or any of its Owners, officers, directors, or key employees has engaged or attempted to engage, through one or more affirmative acts or a failure to act, in any fraudulent, dishonest, unethical, immoral, or similar conduct in connection with Area Developer's development of Dog Haus Restaurants, whether such conduct is directed at or reasonably expected to impact Area Developer's development of Dog Haus Restaurants, the System, the Franchisor or its Affiliates, suppliers, other area developers, or another third party; or (xvi) if, in Franchisor's Business Judgment, Franchisor has grounds to believe that Area Developer or any of its Owners, officers, or directors has engaged in any lewd or immoral conduct, whether or not in connection with Area Developer's development of Dog Haus Restaurants.
- Termination With Notice and Opportunity to Cure. Except as provided in Section 11.1 and Section 11.2, 11.3 Area Developer shall have thirty (30) days after its receipt of written notice from Franchisor within which to remedy any Default under this Agreement and to provide evidence thereof to Franchisor. If any such Default is not cured within the specified time, or such longer period as Applicable Law may require, this Agreement shall terminate without further notice to Area Developer effective immediately upon expiration of the thirty (30) day period or such longer period as Applicable Law may require. Area Developer shall be in Default pursuant to this Section 11.3 for failure to substantially comply with any of the requirements imposed by this Agreement, as it may from time to time reasonably be modified or supplemented by the Manuals, or for failure to carry out the terms of this Agreement in good faith.
- Options At Termination. Upon any Default under Sections 11.2 or 11.3, Franchisor may immediately take 11.4 any one or more of the following actions, by written notice to Area Developer: (i) terminate this Agreement and all rights granted to Area Developer under this Agreement; (ii) accelerate or decelerate the Development Schedule; (iii) reduce the Minimum Development Obligation; (iv) eliminate or diminish Area Developer's rights with respect to the Development Area or the size of the Development Area;
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 87–328)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Dog Haus's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, there are several conditions that constitute a default under the Area Development Agreement. These defaults can trigger termination of the agreement, impacting the Area Developer's rights.
Dog Haus lists several scenarios that can lead to termination without an opportunity to cure, including criminal convictions of the Area Developer or an Owner, failure to comply with the Development Schedule, termination of any Franchise Agreements, unauthorized assignment or transfer of interests, disclosure of trade secrets, failure to effect an approved assignment, failure to comply with covenants, material misrepresentations, repeated defaults, failure to deliver a guarantee, non-compliance with agreements, incurable defaults, failure of promised funding to materialize, and engaging in fraudulent, dishonest, unethical, or immoral conduct.
Additionally, the Area Developer is considered in default if they become bankrupt or insolvent, make an assignment for the benefit of creditors, face bankruptcy petitions, are adjudicated bankrupt or insolvent, have a receiver appointed, institute proceedings for composition with creditors, have a final judgment exceeding $100,000 unsatisfied for 30 days, admit inability to pay debts, face execution levied against a Dog Haus Restaurant, have foreclosure suits instituted, or have a Dog Haus Restaurant sold after levy by a sheriff. These extensive conditions highlight the importance of understanding and adhering to the Area Development Agreement to avoid potential termination and loss of development rights.