Can the Gold Star Manual be supplemented or changed?
Gold_Star Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
- 3.3 Compliance with Manual. The Manual includes, among other things, standards of operation (including menu content, recipes and presentation), standards of Restaurant management, operation, cleanliness and service, and standards concerning type, style and presentation of all food, beverages, furnishings, supplies, inventory, fixtures, interior and exterior decor and equipment used in connection with the Store. The Manual may be supplemented or changed (by reissuance, substitution, addition, deletion or other modification) by the COMPANY from time to time, by written bulletins, letters, notices, substitute pages, additional or revised manuals and other materials (all of which are included within the term "Manual"), and the FRANCHISEE shall at all times conform to the Manual as then in effect. FRANCHISEE shall be advised in writing of any change and shall have such reasonable time as the COMPANY deems necessary, from the date of such written notice, to implement fully any such change. The Manual, as presently constituted and as may be hereafter amended and supplemented by the COMPANY from time to time, is incorporated by reference herein and thereby made a part of this Agreement. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if the COMPANY makes any amendment or supplement to the Manual requiring any refurbishment of the Retail Location which would reasonably be expected to
Source: Item 23 — Receipts (FDD pages 53–163)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Gold Star's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the manual can be supplemented or changed by the company. Gold Star may modify the manual from time to time through reissuance, substitution, addition, deletion, or other modification by written bulletins, letters, notices, substitute pages, additional or revised manuals and other materials. All of these changes are included within the term "Manual".
Gold Star will advise the franchisee in writing of any changes to the manual and will provide a reasonable timeframe for the franchisee to implement these changes. The manual, as it is currently written and as it may be amended and supplemented in the future, is incorporated by reference into the Franchise Agreement, making it a part of the agreement.
This means that as a Gold Star franchisee, you must stay up-to-date with any changes to the manual and implement them within the timeframe provided by Gold Star. Failure to comply with the updated manual could be a breach of the Franchise Agreement. However, if any amendment or supplement to the Manual requires any refurbishment of the Retail Location which would reasonably be expected to require capital expenditures exceeding $5,000, then the Company will not require Franchisee to implement such change unless the Company agrees to pay the amount by which such capital expenditures reasonably expected to be incurred by Franchisee exceed $5,000.