Who bears the cost of complying with changes to the Kitchen Solvers Business System's Online Manual?
Kitchen_Solvers Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
You acknowledge having received access to our Kitchen Solvers Business System Online Manual for the term of this Agreement. You must at all times treat and maintain the Kitchen Solvers Business System Online Manual and the information contained therein and any other proprietary information created for or approved for use in the operation of your Business as secret and confidential. The Kitchen Solvers Business System Online Manual will at all times remain our sole property. We may from time to time revise the contents of the Manuals and you expressly agree to comply with each new or changed requirement. You must at all times ensure that your copy of the Manuals is kept current and up to date. In the event of any dispute as to the contents of the Manuals, the terms of the master copy of the Manuals we maintain will be controlling. You acknowledge and agree that in the future the Manuals and other system communications may only be available on the internet, our intranet system or other online or computer data transfer communications, as described in Subparagraph 6.K.
Source: Item 14 — Patents, Copyrights, and Proprietary Information (FDD pages 34–35)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Kitchen Solvers's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the franchisee is responsible for ensuring their copy of the Kitchen Solvers Business System Online Manual is current and up to date. Kitchen Solvers may revise the contents of the Manuals from time to time, and the franchisee expressly agrees to comply with each new or changed requirement.
This means that if Kitchen Solvers updates its operating manual, franchisees must comply with the updated standards. The FDD does not explicitly state who bears the cost of compliance with these changes. However, Item 22, section F states that if you have a showroom or your office is outside of your home, the outdoor signage at your location must comply with Kitchen Solver's specifications, which they may modify and change from time to time due to modifications to the System, including changes to the Trademarks. It also states that you must make such changes to the outdoor signage as they require and that your costs for the signage will be included in the Maximum Modernization Amount under subparagraph 5.E.
While the FDD does not explicitly state who bears the cost of complying with changes to the Kitchen Solvers Business System's Online Manual, it does state that the franchisee is responsible for complying with any changes. It also states that the franchisee is responsible for the costs associated with changes to outdoor signage. A prospective franchisee should clarify with Kitchen Solvers what costs they may incur to comply with changes to the Kitchen Solvers Business System's Online Manual.