Does Golden Corral provide site selection guidelines and consultation?
Golden_Corral Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Before the opening of the Restaurant, Golden Corral will:
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- Provide site selection guidelines and consultation as Golden Corral may deem advisable (Development Agreement, Section 5.1; Site Selection Addendum, Paragraph 4.a).
When you identify a proposed site for the Restaurant (which must occur within 90 days after you sign the Site Selection Addendum but before you lease or purchase the Restaurant premises), you must submit a completed Feasibility Study, a description of the
proposed site, such other information and materials as Golden Corral may reasonably require, and a letter of intent or other evidence satisfactory to Golden Corral which confirms your favorable prospects for obtaining the proposed site. Golden Corral will have up to 60 days to approve or disapprove, in its sole discretion, the proposed site as a location for the Restaurant. Golden Corral considers, among others, the following factors in approving Restaurant sites: location, competitors, neighborhood, customer traffic patterns and count, parking availability, building size, condition and previous use of the existing land and/or building, availability of utilities, the anticipated cost of development and general demographics. Golden Corral's approval is not a guarantee or assurance from us that your Restaurant will be profitable.
If you are going to lease the premises for the Restaurant, Golden Corral reserves the right to review and approve the lease before its execution. Golden Corral's approval may be conditioned upon the inclusion in the lease of certain provisions which Golden Corral may reasonably require. Our review is not intended as an evaluation of the reasonableness of the terms of the lease (Franchise Agreement, Section 5.2).
If your Restaurant is not developed under a Development Agreement, you must sign a Site Selection Addendum, unless Golden Corral already has approved a site for your Restaurant at the time you sign the Franchise Agreement. The Site Selection Addendum will describe a geographic area within which you must lease or purchase an approved location within 180 days after execution of the Franchise Agreement. Time is of the essence in your obtaining a site for the Restaurant. Your failure, within 180 days, to obtain a location approved by us will constitute a default under the Franchise Agreement and Site Selection Addendum.
Source: Item 11 — FRANCHISOR'S ASSISTANCE, ADVERTISING, COMPUTER SYSTEMS AND TRAINING (FDD pages 32–48)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Golden Corral's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, Golden Corral does provide site selection guidelines and consultation as they deem advisable before the Restaurant opens. Franchisees must identify a proposed site for the Restaurant within 90 days after signing the Site Selection Addendum, but before leasing or purchasing the premises. A completed Feasibility Study, a description of the proposed site, and a letter of intent must be submitted to Golden Corral.
Golden Corral has up to 60 days to approve or disapprove the proposed site, considering factors such as location, competitors, neighborhood, customer traffic, parking, building size and condition, utilities, development costs, and demographics. However, Golden Corral's approval does not guarantee the Restaurant's profitability.
If leasing the premises, Golden Corral reserves the right to review and approve the lease, potentially requiring specific provisions. The review does not evaluate the reasonableness of the lease terms. If the Restaurant is not developed under a Development Agreement, a Site Selection Addendum must be signed, requiring the franchisee to secure an approved location within 180 days after executing the Franchise Agreement. Failure to do so constitutes a default.