What is the minimum number of Hardees restaurants that must be developed under a Development Agreement?
Hardees Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
ise.** If you are approved as a franchisee, you can buy a franchise to develop and operate one Hardee's Restaurant at a Travel Center Location or Gas and Convenience Location (each, a "Franchised Restaurant") under a Franchise Agreement (the current form is attached as Exhibit D) or, if you and the area in which you are interested meet certain qualifications, you can buy the rights to develop multiple (at a minimum, three) Franchised Restaurants at Travel Center Locations or Gas and Convenience Locations under a Development Agreement (the current form is attached as Exhibit C).
A Travel Center is a facility located off an interstate or limited highway exit that focuses on services to the trucking industry, including fuel, showers, restrooms, convenience items, food and truck parking & services. A Gas and Convenience Center Location is a facility primarily focused on non-commercial fuel service and convenience items including freshly made foods. The Franchised Restaurant may be a newly developed restaurant or the conversion of an existing quick service restaurant brand (at times referred to as a "Conversion Restaurant").
If you are not currently a franchisee, HR also may require you to sign a Preliminary Agreement (the current form is attached as Exhibit E) under which you must agree to keep confidential the information provided by HR to you during Discovery Day. During Discovery Day, you must attend a 2-day meeting at HR's offices and at a Hardee's Restaurant during which you will meet with, and be evaluated by, various HR personnel. In addition, we may require that your 10% Owners (as defined in Item 15) complete, as we deem necessary and to our satisfaction, an operations overview, which lasts approximately 10 business days ("10-Day Operations Overview").
Your receipt of this disclosure document does not mean that you will be approved as a franchisee or that you may develop or open a Franchised Restaurant.
Source: Item 1 — The Franchisor and any Parents, Predecessors, and Affiliates (FDD pages 9–22)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Hardees's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, if a franchisee and their area meet certain qualifications, they can buy the rights to develop multiple Hardees restaurants at Travel Center Locations or Gas and Convenience Locations under a Development Agreement. The minimum number of restaurants that must be developed under the Development Agreement is three.
To be eligible for the 2025 HR Travel Center Development Incentive Program, the franchisee must develop at least three newly-constructed Hardee's Restaurants. These restaurants must be located within ½ mile of an interstate or limited access highway and include a combination of high rise pylon sign, billboard or other highway sign.
This requirement ensures that franchisees are committed to a multi-unit development strategy, which can help Hardees expand its brand presence more rapidly. It also allows Hardees to focus its support and resources on franchisees who are serious about growing their business with the brand. For a prospective franchisee, this means a larger initial investment and a commitment to opening multiple locations within a specified timeframe.