To what extent must a Noodles & Company franchisee comply with the California Fast Food Act?
Noodles_Company Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
- A. ITEM 1: To the extent it is applicable, you must comply with California Assembly Bill 1228, codified at Cal. Lab. Code §§ 1474-1475 (the "Fast Food Act"), which may set health, safety, and employment standards related to your employees, including standards on minimum wages, working hours, and working conditions.
- B. ITEMS 5, 6, AND 11: We currently do not provide any training or assistance, or charge any initial or ongoing fees, related to the development or implementation of any standards, policies, or procedures that may be required under the Fast Food Act*.* It is solely your responsibility to determine whether the Fast Food Act applies to your franchise and, to the extent it does apply, to comply with the Fast Food Act when developing and constructing your restaurant, operating your franchise, and training and supervising your employees.
- C. ITEM 7: As of this Franchise Disclosure Document's issuance date, no standards have been set by procedures outlined in the Fast Food Act with respect to any health, safety, and employment standards related to your employees (other than wages), including standards on working hours and working conditions. As such, the Additional Funds estimate does not take into account any increased costs (other than for wages) that you might incur related to complying with the Fast Food Act based on its standards in effect as of this Franchise Disclosure Document's issuance date.
- D. ITEM 17: The following paragraph is added to the end of Item 17 of the Franchise Disclosure Document:
No statement, questionnaire, or acknowledgement signed or agreed to by you in connection with the commencement of the franchise relationship shall have the effect of (i) waiving any claims under any applicable state franchise law, including fraud in the inducement, or (ii) disclaiming reliance on any statement made by us, any franchise seller, or any other person acting on our behalf. This provision supersedes any other term of any document executed in connection with the franchise.
Source: Item 22 — CONTRACTS (FDD pages 98–99)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to the 2025 Noodles & Company Franchise Disclosure Document, franchisees must comply with the California Fast Food Act (California Assembly Bill 1228) to the extent that it is applicable. This act, codified at Cal. Lab. Code §§ 1474-1475, may set health, safety, and employment standards related to employees, including standards on minimum wages, working hours, and working conditions.
Noodles & Company does not currently provide any training or assistance, nor do they charge any initial or ongoing fees, related to the development or implementation of any standards, policies, or procedures that may be required under the Fast Food Act. It is the franchisee's sole responsibility to determine whether the Fast Food Act applies to their franchise and, if it does, to comply with the Act when developing and constructing their restaurant, operating their franchise, and training and supervising their employees.
As of the issuance date of the 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, no standards have been set by procedures outlined in the Fast Food Act with respect to any health, safety, and employment standards related to employees (other than wages), including standards on working hours and working conditions. Therefore, the Additional Funds estimate does not take into account any increased costs (other than for wages) that a franchisee might incur related to complying with the Fast Food Act based on its standards in effect as of the issuance date. Furthermore, no statement, questionnaire, or acknowledgement signed by the franchisee can waive claims under state franchise law or disclaim reliance on statements made by Noodles & Company.