Under what conditions can a Dog Haus area developer terminate the Area Development Agreement?
Dog_Haus Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
- 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.
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 87–328)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Dog Haus's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the Area Development Agreement can be terminated by Dog Haus if the Area Developer defaults. There are several specific instances that constitute default, leading to termination without an opportunity to cure. These include convictions of felonies or crimes involving moral turpitude by the Area Developer or an Owner, failure to comply with the Development Schedule, or termination of any Franchise Agreements or other agreements between the Area Developer and Dog Haus due to a default by the Area Developer.
Further conditions that could lead to termination include unauthorized assignments or transfers of interests in the Agreement, Dog Haus Restaurants, or assets to a third party without prior written consent from Dog Haus. Similarly, transferring equity ownership interests without consent, disclosing confidential information like the contents of the Manuals or Trade Secrets, or failing to effect an approved Assignment within a specified time after the death or incapacity of an Owner can also result in termination.
Additional causes for termination without opportunity to cure involve failure to comply with covenants, making material misrepresentations in the application for development rights, or committing the same or similar default after a prior cure. Refusal to deliver a Guarantee or current financial statements upon request, non-compliance with any terms of the Agreement or other agreements, or defaults that are inherently not curable can also lead to termination.
Finally, the agreement can be terminated if funding promised to the Area Developer is not made available within ten business days after signing the Agreement, or if Dog Haus believes the Area Developer or its Owners have engaged in fraudulent, dishonest, unethical, immoral, or lewd conduct. These conditions provide Dog Haus with broad authority to terminate the Area Development Agreement based on various actions or inactions of the Area Developer or its Owners.