Who is required to complete the 10-Day Operations Overview for a Hardees franchise?
Hardees Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
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").
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 you are not already a franchisee, Hardees may require you to sign a Preliminary Agreement to maintain confidentiality during Discovery Day. As part of this process, Hardees may require your 10% Owners to complete a 10-Day Operations Overview, if deemed necessary by Hardees and to their satisfaction.
This means that if you are seeking to become a new Hardees franchisee, Hardees has the discretion to require individuals who own 10% or more of your business entity to undergo an approximately 10-day operational assessment. This assessment is in addition to the 2-day Discovery Day meeting at Hardees's offices and a Hardee's Restaurant, where you will meet with and be evaluated by Hardees personnel.
The 10-Day Operations Overview is not a guaranteed requirement, but rather something Hardees may impose based on their evaluation of the potential franchisee and their owners. The FDD does not specify the exact criteria Hardees uses to determine when this overview is necessary, but it is within their rights to ensure that key stakeholders in the franchise are adequately prepared to operate a Hardees restaurant.
Prospective franchisees should clarify with Hardees under what circumstances the 10-Day Operations Overview is required, what the overview entails, and what criteria are used to evaluate the participant's performance during the overview. Understanding these requirements upfront will help potential franchisees prepare themselves and their ownership team for the approval process.