Can Fat Shack change the minimum operating hours?
Fat_Shack Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
FAT SHACK Restaurants specialize in late night services. At a minimum, your Restaurant will remain open until 2:30 a.m. two nights a week, and until 12:30 a.m. five days per week. These minimum standards may be changed by us by changes to the Operations Manual, described more fully in Item 8 to this Disclosure Document.
Source: Item 1 — The Franchisor and any Parents, Predecessors, and Affiliates (FDD pages 9–11)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Fat Shack's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the franchisor has the ability to modify the minimum operating hours for its restaurants. Specifically, Fat Shack restaurants must remain open until 2:30 a.m. two nights a week and until 12:30 a.m. five days a week. However, Fat Shack retains the right to change these minimum standards.
This flexibility is achieved through modifications to the Operations Manual, which is further detailed in Item 8 of the FDD. The Operations Manual contains the specific guidelines and procedures franchisees must follow in operating their Fat Shack restaurant. Because the minimum operating hours are documented in the Operations Manual, Fat Shack can change them by updating the manual.
For a prospective franchisee, this means that the late-night hours currently required might not remain constant throughout the term of the franchise agreement. Fat Shack could extend or reduce these hours based on their assessment of market conditions or other factors. It is important for potential franchisees to understand that while Fat Shack restaurants specialize in late-night services, the specific hours of operation are subject to change at the franchisor's discretion.