Does Hardees offer franchises to operate Hardees Restaurants at nontraditional locations?
Hardees Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
In addition to offering franchises for the operation of Hardee's Restaurants from Travel Center Locations and Gas and Convenience Locations, HR offers franchises to operate Hardee's Restaurants at traditional locations and nontraditional locations under one or more separate disclosure documents. That offer will be on terms and conditions different from those described in this disclosure document. Nontraditional locations include, but are not limited to, airports, train stations, bus stations, stadiums, arenas, convention centers, military facilities, schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, recreational theme parks, business or industrial foodservice venues, venues in which foodservice is or may be provided by a master concessionaire or contract foodservice provider, Indian reservations, casinos, "ghost" or "dark" kitchens or any similar captive market or non-traditional "brick and mortar" location.
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, Hardees offers franchises for restaurants at both traditional and nontraditional locations. However, these franchise opportunities are offered under separate disclosure documents with different terms and conditions than those for Travel Center or Gas and Convenience Locations.
The FDD specifies that nontraditional locations include a wide array of venues. These range from transportation hubs like airports, train stations, and bus stations to entertainment and recreational venues such as stadiums, arenas, convention centers, and theme parks. Other nontraditional locations can include military facilities, educational institutions like schools, colleges, and universities, healthcare facilities such as hospitals, business or industrial foodservice venues, and locations within Indian reservations or casinos. The document also includes 'ghost' or 'dark' kitchens and any similar captive market or non-traditional 'brick and mortar' location in its definition of nontraditional locations.
For prospective franchisees, this means that Hardees provides options for various business models depending on the desired location type. However, the specific financial requirements, operational guidelines, and support structures may vary significantly between traditional, travel center/gas and convenience locations, and nontraditional franchises. It is important to carefully review the appropriate Franchise Disclosure Document related to the specific type of location that interests them.
Therefore, a potential franchisee should request and carefully examine the specific FDD that applies to nontraditional locations to fully understand the investment, obligations, and potential returns associated with this type of Hardees franchise.