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What is the potential breakeven point for a Hardees franchisee, considering the initial investment (Item 7), the ongoing expenses (Item 6), and the potential revenue generated by the restaurant?

Hardees Franchise · 2025 FDD

Answer from 2025 FDD Document

impact on cost.

  • (6) The type of signage installed is governed by local ordinances regarding height and size restrictions. The estimates included in the table above reflect the cost of faces signs only and assumes that all sign foundations and poles are already installed.

The low estimates assumes that the Franchised Location is located at a Travel Center Location or Gas and Convenience Location that does not meet the requirements of our Travel Center Program and includes exterior building signs and a 25-foot pole. A typical unit with a drive-thru has 2-4 illuminated directional signs.

The high estimate assumes your Franchised Restaurant is located at a Travel Center Location or Gas and Convenience Location that meets the requirements for our Travel Center Program – meaning, the location is within a ½ mile of an interstate or limited access highway and includes a combination of high rise pylon sign, streel level onsite pylon sign, monument sign, billboard or other highway sign.

  • (7) You must pay the costs of travel, living and other expenses for you and your employees during training. The cost of these expenses will depend on the distance you must travel, type of accommodations, the number of your employees attending training and their wages.
  • (8) These costs include uniforms, office supplies and other prepaid expenses. This range also includes, for a Hardee's Restaurant, $18,000 to $21,000 for the initial inventory of food and paper products. These costs do not include utility deposits, installation of telephones, business licenses or cleaning supplies, which are not substantial.
  • (9) These figures are an estimate of your operating expenses for the initial 3 months of business. They include payroll, taxes, insurance, food, paper, supplies, utilities, licenses and permits, bank charges and repair and maintenance expenses. They do not include advertising contributions or royalty fees paid to HR. These figures are estimates, and HR cannot guarantee that you will not incur additional

expenses in connection with starting the business. Your costs will depend on factors including: the size of your Franchised Restaurant; how closely you follow HR's methods and procedures; your management skill, experience and business acumen; financing costs; local economic conditions; the local market for restaurants; the prevailing wage rate; competition; and the sales level reached during the initial period.

(10) You should review these figures carefully with a business advisor before making any decision to purchase the franchise. We do not offer any direct financing for any part of the initial investment.

ITEM 8

RESTRICTIONS ON SOURCES OF PRODUCTS AND SERVICES

Where we have issued standards and specifications, you must use only ingredients, food products, spices, seasonings, mixes, beverages, materials, supplies used in the preparation of food products, furniture, fixtures, equipment, smallwares, forms, paper and plastic products and packaging, cleaning supplies, and other materials that meet those standards and specifications. Our standards and specifications are contained in the Operation Procedures Manual ("OPM"). Periodically, we will provide you a list of approved suppliers. Most food items and other goods that you are required to purchase will be purchased from a master distributor. The master distributor will carry items such as meats, cheese, grocery, bread products, paper and cleaning supplies. As of the date of this disclosure document, our master distributor is McLane Company, Inc. We reserve the right to change the master distributors. Other master distributors may be approved from time to time.

We may approve one or more suppliers or distributors for any products, equipment (including computer/cash register system as noted below), goods or materials, and we may approve a supplier or distributor only as to certain goods or materials. We may concentrate purchases with one or more suppliers to obtain lower prices and/or the best advertising support and/or services for any group of Hardee's Restaurants, or any other group of restaurants operated or franchised by HR or its affiliates. Although you are not required to lease a location from us or an affiliate, we must consent to your selection of the site for your Hardee's Restaurant. If you lease the Restaurant premises from a third party landlord, you must sign the Franchise Lease Addendum attached as Appendix G to the Franchise Agreement.

Approval of a supplier or a distributor may be conditioned on requirements relating to the frequency of delivery, reporting capabilities, standards of service, including prompt attention to complaints, sanitation standards, insurance and other quality assurance requirements or other criteria, and concentration of purchases, as set forth above, and it may be temporary pending a further evaluation of the supplier by us. A fee not to exceed our actual costs of reviewing the supplier or distributor and auditing the supplier's facility, if needed, may be charged by us and must be paid by you. We may establish commissaries and distribution facilities owned and operated by us or an affiliate that we will designate as an approved supplier.

One or more of our officers may own nominal interests in certain of our approved suppliers which are publicly traded companies or through investment funds.

We and our affiliates may receive fees, payments, commissions, field-of-use license royalties or other consideration from approved suppliers based on sales to franchisees, from promotional allowances and volume discounts. We and our affiliates may use all amounts received from approved suppliers, distributors or third parties, whether or not based on your and/or other franchisees' actual or prospective dealings with them, without restriction for any purposes we or our affiliates deem appropriate. Finally, we and our affiliates provide supply chain, quality assurance, distribution and logistics services for the franchise system. These services include negotiating with suppliers and distributors who will sell and

distribute goods to our franchisees, designating one or more distributors to service our franchisees, and managing distribution logistics.

What This Means (2025 FDD)

Based on the 2025 Hardees Franchise Disclosure Document, a precise breakeven point cannot be determined from the provided excerpts. However, the FDD offers some information to help a prospective franchisee estimate this point.

Item 7 provides an estimate of the initial investment required to open a Hardees restaurant. It mentions that these figures are estimates and that Hardees cannot guarantee that franchisees will not incur additional expenses. Item 7 also lists several factors that can affect costs, including the size of the restaurant, management skills, local economic conditions, and sales levels. Item 6 outlines ongoing expenses in the form of fees, such as the Hardee's Advertising and Promotional Obligation (APO), which can be up to 7% of gross sales, and the Hardee's National Advertising Fund (HNAF), which is currently 4.25% of gross sales. There are also regional cooperative advertising fees and local store marketing costs.

Item 19 includes financial performance representations, specifically average revenue for Travel Center and Gas and Convenience Center Restaurants, which was calculated using data from January 30, 2024, to January 27, 2025. This data is limited to a specific type of Hardees location and may not be representative of all franchise locations. The FDD excludes 1,442 restaurants from this representation, primarily freestanding locations, and those that did not provide complete revenue data.

To determine a more accurate breakeven point, a prospective franchisee should carefully review Item 7 and Item 6, considering their specific circumstances and location. They should also analyze the financial performance data in Item 19, keeping in mind its limitations, and consult with a business advisor, as suggested in Item 7. Further due diligence, including creating a detailed business plan with realistic revenue projections and expense budgets, is crucial to assess the financial viability of a Hardees franchise.

Disclaimer: This information is extracted from the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document and is provided for research purposes only. It does not constitute legal or financial advice. Consult with a franchise attorney before making any investment decisions.