Does Golden Corral own any patents material to the franchise?

According to the 2025 Golden Corral FDD, Golden Corral does not own any patents or patent applications that are material to the franchise. However, Golden Corral and its affiliates do claim copyright protection for their advertising materials, the Manual, training materials, website, and other written, photographic, audio, or other materials. It is important to note that neither Golden Corral nor its affiliates have registered the copyrights in any of these materials.

As a Golden Corral franchisee, you are permitted to use these copyrighted materials, but only for the purpose of developing and operating your restaurant. This means you cannot use these materials for any other business ventures or purposes outside of your Golden Corral franchise.

Golden Corral will supply franchisees with proprietary information related to operating the restaurant, including the information in the Manual, building plans and specifications, all training materials, "Product Recipes," the "Administrative Guide," the "Menu Manager," "Marketing Manual," and any other information that Golden Corral may designate as confidential. Franchisees must keep this information secret and confidential and must not copy, duplicate, record, or otherwise reproduce confidential materials or make them available to any unauthorized person.