What is the role of the potential franchisee during Hardees Discovery Day?
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' 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, if you are not already a franchisee, Hardees may require you to sign a Preliminary Agreement to maintain confidentiality of information provided during Discovery Day. During Discovery Day, prospective Hardees franchisees must attend a 2-day meeting at Hardees' offices and at a Hardee's Restaurant.
During this time, potential franchisees will meet with and be evaluated by various Hardees personnel. This evaluation is a critical step in the approval process. Hardees uses this time to assess whether the potential franchisee is a good fit for the Hardees system.
In addition to the 2-day meeting, Hardees may require 10% owners to complete an operations overview lasting approximately 10 business days. This overview must be completed as deemed necessary and to Hardees' satisfaction. This suggests that Hardees has significant discretion in determining who needs to complete the overview and what constitutes satisfactory completion.