Are Managers required to attend the Moes Southwest Grill training program?
Moes_Southwest_Grill Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
ency, length, content, format, and location of training.
Management Training Program. Prior to the opening of the Restaurant, your Required Trainees must attend and successfully complete to our satisfaction the Management Training Program. In addition, your Primary Contact must successfully complete (i) a limited version of the Management Training Program designed for Primary Contacts (the "Primary Contact Training"),
if they will not be involved in the day-to-day operation of the Restaurant or (ii) the entire Management Training Program, if they will be a Manager involved in the day-to-day operation of the Restaurant (in which case, they will count as one of your Required Trainees). Your Directors of Operations, if any, must also attend and successfully complete to our satisfaction our Management Training Program (or a modified version of it) and any other additional training programs that we may require.
All individuals attending our Management Training Program must be at least 18 years old and must have management experience as a restaurant owner and/or operator in order for them to follow along with the pace of training that this program requires. If any of your Required Trainees have previously attended and successfully completed our Management Training Program and you or they have not defaulted under any other franchise agreement with us, we may, in our sole discretion, determine that such Required Trainee is not required to attend the Management Training Program again or will be required to attend a limited version of the Management Training Program.
We conduct the Management Training Program periodically as needed. Training programs and classes are subject to space and time availability. All or certain portions of the Management Training Program may, in our discretion, be conducted online or in person at (i) our corporate headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia, (ii) a Restaurant that we designate that has been certified by us as an authorized training facility (a "Certified Training Location") (which may be located outside of your state and may be operated by our franchisees), and/or (iii) other locations authorized by us. Currently, our classroom training is conducted through online modules and our on-the-job training is conducted at a Certified Training Location. For the third or subsequent Restaurants operated by you or your affiliates, if you have a Certified Training Manager (as defined below) and operate a Certified Training Location (as defined below), we may, in our sole discretion, allow you to provide the Management Training Program to your Required Trainees.
Source: Item 11 — Franchisor's Assistance, Advertising, Computer Systems, and Training (FDD pages 53–68)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Moes Southwest Grill FDD, managers are generally required to attend the Management Training Program. Specifically, the FDD states that if a manager will be involved in the day-to-day operations of the restaurant, they must complete the entire Management Training Program and will be counted as one of the Required Trainees. Furthermore, any managers hired or appointed after the restaurant opens, referred to as "Subsequent Trainees", must also attend and successfully complete the Management Training Program applicable to their position before they can be involved in the restaurant's operations.
Moes Southwest Grill may also require managers and other personnel to attend additional training sessions, conferences, or refresher courses. These may be in the form of web-based modules, webinars, seminars, in-person training, or on-site training. The franchisor determines the duration, curriculum, and location of these additional programs and may charge a fee typically ranging from $0 to $2,500 to cover their costs. Managers are also required to re-certify annually through the Learning Management System.
There are some exceptions to the training requirements. If a Required Trainee has previously completed the Management Training Program and has not defaulted under any other agreement with Moes Southwest Grill, the franchisor may determine that they do not need to attend the full program again or may only need to attend a limited version. Additionally, the FDD mentions the possibility of employees transferring from another Moes Southwest Grill location being required to complete the training program again, indicating that prior training might not always be considered sufficient.
Prospective franchisees should note that they are responsible for all wages, travel, and living expenses, including transportation, meals, and lodging, for themselves and their trainees during all training programs. They must also purchase uniforms for their trainees to wear during training. Failing to cancel scheduled training without at least 14 days' notice may result in cancellation fees and the cost of the originally scheduled training.