When you are looking for information about franchise opportunities online, you will find lots of sites that promote their own franchise rankings and offer franchise reviews.  While some of these rankings and reviews provide useful insights, it is important to understand their limitations as well.

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Food franchises account for nearly a third of all franchised outlets in the United States. As a result, the health of the food franchise industry is crucial to the health of the franchise industry as a whole, and trends in food franchising often make their way into other sectors.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on our education system. With many students missing months of school in 2020, and with students across the country attending class remotely and relying on working parents for daily guidance in 2021, experts are forecasting long-term impacts for students of all ages. As reported by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD):

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While the start of the New Year was a symbolic refresh for many people, as 2021 is now in full swing, it is clear that things are still far from normal. Spikes in COVID-19 cases are once again triggering new shutdowns and restrictions around the country, and many business owners – franchisees in particular – are struggling as a result. If your franchise is at risk in 2021 due to the effects of the pandemic, what do you need to know? Here are some important insights from franchise lawyer Jeffrey M. Goldstein:

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Franchise and Dealer Renewals: Every Minute Counts in Texas to Classicalists By: Jeffrey M. Goldstein In Pizza Inn, Inc. v. Clairday, 979 F.3d 1064 (5th Cir. 2020), a recent decision from the United States Circuit Court for the Fifth Circuit a franchisee entered into an area development agreement with a franchisor, which included an option to renew. However, the franchisee failed timely to notify the franchisor that he wished to renew and submitted a late notice of renewal. In turn, the franchisor did not honor the tardy notice of renewal. After the district court ruled in favor of the franchisee at trial, the Circuit Court reversed finding that the district court had erred in finding that the notice of renewal was sufficiently timely under the doctrine of equitable intervention. In denying the franchisee recovery, the Court of Appeal held that the equitable intervention doctrine was not applicable to support a recovery for the franchisee because the franchisee did not suffer an unconscionable hardship from the franchisor’s failure to honor the tardy notice of renewal since a partial forfeiture of the purchase price, a forfeiture of future profits, and the shuttering of a franchise store were not sufficient hardships warranting strict enforcement of the renewal deadline. The Pizza Inn case is very troubling for several reasons. First, it appears to be a shot over the bow by Texas courts (both state and federal) aimed at neoclassical contracts theory; however, the neoclassical contracts boat left the dock safely in 1950 with the […]

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Entrepreneur.com recently released its Franchise 500 list for 2021. The Franchise 500 is the online media platform’s annual ranking of the best franchises in the United States. If you are thinking about buying a franchise listed on the Entrepreneur.com 2021 Franchise 500, we encourage you to inquire about one of our fixed-fee franchise business review programs.

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Attending large franchise conventions and visiting the franchisor’s headquarters are two hallmarks of the franchise due diligence process. They are also two events that have largely been put on hold during the COVID-19 era. But, franchisors are still selling – and franchisees are still buying – and those who are thinking about buying a franchise must still perform thorough due diligence in order to make an informed buying decision.

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