What constitutes 'guests of its restaurants' for Monicals Pizza's email marketing purposes?
Monicals_Pizza Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Franchisee may only use e-mail addresses obtained from guests of its restaurants or persons in their protected territory who have registered with Monical's for the Monical Dippin' Club or any successor to the Monical Dippin' Club for use in future e-mail marketing activities. "Guests of its restaurants" shall include those guests who are physically present in the restaurant and those persons who provide an e-mail address in the course of placing telephone orders or orders utilizing the internet.
- 11.5.4 Franchisee may engage in text marketing.
Franchisee may use only cellphone numbers obtained from guests of its restaurants. "Guests of its restaurants" shall include those guests who are physically present in the restaurant and those guests who have placed telephone orders or on-line orders with Franchisee's restaurant.
Franchisee is prohibited from enrolling guests using social media or other digital means (other than in conjunction with its on-line ordering platform).
Franchisee may market only to cellphone numbers from those guests that have "opted in" or agreed to be contacted through their cellphones for marketing purposes.
This program must be managed by an approved 3rd party vendor.
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 46–257)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Monicals Pizza's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, when engaging in email marketing, franchisees may only use email addresses obtained from guests of their restaurants or individuals within their protected territory who have registered with Monical's for the Monical Dippin' Club or any successor program. For email marketing purposes, 'guests of its restaurants' specifically includes individuals who are physically present in the restaurant and those who provide their email address when placing telephone or online orders. This definition ensures that franchisees are only marketing to individuals who have shown a direct interest in Monicals Pizza.
This policy has important implications for franchisees. It restricts the methods by which they can build their email marketing lists, prohibiting the use of purchased lists or other means of acquiring email addresses. Franchisees must rely on direct customer interactions to gather email addresses, which may require implementing systems for collecting this information during in-restaurant visits, telephone orders, and online transactions.
Monicals Pizza franchisees are also allowed to market via text, but they may only use cellphone numbers obtained from guests of its restaurants. 'Guests of its restaurants' for text marketing includes those physically present and those who have placed telephone or online orders. Franchisees are prohibited from enrolling guests using social media or other digital means (other than in conjunction with its on-line ordering platform). This program must be managed by an approved 3rd party vendor. These restrictions are in place to protect customer privacy and ensure compliance with marketing regulations, but they also limit the scope and methods franchisees can use to reach potential customers.