Blue MauMau – by Don Sniegowski, August 30th, 2018 The economy may be booming but it is a tough time for restaurant owners — as a whole. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the U.S. grew in population in 2017. However, according to researcher the NPD Group, the number of restaurants in the United States […]
California Enacts Strongest Franchise Protection Rules in the U.S.
BLUE MAUMAU– Governor Jerry Brown of California signed a new franchise protection law Sunday afternoon that gives California franchise owners the strongest rights in the United States. The law protects franchise owners from franchisors who seek to terminate their business on a whim or who desire to take possession of a lucrative franchise without compensating the […]
Dunkin’ Donuts Supports Education Program for Hospitalized Children
Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital gets endowment Mike Reagan of WMTW Channel 8 reports that the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital is getting some perks from Dunkin’ Donuts. Maine franchise owners are giving the hospital a $250,000 endowment over five years for its hospital-based teacher program. The program inside the Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital at Maine Medical […]
Friendly’s franchisee files for bankruptcy
Nation’s Restaurant News reports that J & B Restaurant Partners, a Friendly’s franchisee based in Long Island, N.Y., closed a third of its 36 locations and filed for bankruptcy protection this month amid steeply declining sales and financial losses. The move marks the second major closure of Friendly’s locations in recent months. In November, a […]
Can Wendy’s Rein In Delinquent Franchises?
Rich Duprey of The Motley Fool reports that the third largest fast-food chain Wendy’s (NASDAQ: WEN ) wants to strip one of its biggest restaurant operators of its franchise agreement for failing to upgrade its restaurants and install a point-of-sale system. While it could result in the franchisee being forced to close or sell its restaurants, it also brings […]
Making small-business owners’ concerns heard in the political process
Franchise owners are small business owners and they can have a big political impact, which is our experience in Maine. Franchise owners in Maine will continue to have the opportunity to educate their lawmakers, which we have learned do not know much about franchising, but we have shown them the importance of franchisees in Maine, to invest and create […]
Maine Legislators and Small Business Owners One In The Same
Small businesses are the key to Maine’s well-being. They compose a significant share of the state’s economic production and hiring. According to the Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy, Maine’s businesses have shown signs of stability and improvement. In 2008, small businesses totaled 147,484. Of those, 33,926 were employers, and they accounted for 59.7% of […]
Maine ‘crowd investing’ bill becomes law
The measure is designed to help Maine start-ups raise funds from small investors. J. Craig Anderson at the Portland Press Herald reports that a measure allowing Maine businesses to raise up to $1 million through “crowd investing” became law Monday. The bill, L.D. 1512, “An Act To Increase Funding for Start-ups,” was approved overwhelmingly in […]
Failure to Pass Franchise Protections 20 Years Ago Cost Maine More Franchised Units
In 1994, Legislative document 1916, or as some people remember it — The Franchise Practices Act, was shot down by Governor John R. McKernan, Jr. even after it passed both the Maine House of Representatives and the Maine Senate. Leonard Kovit, owner of 5 Meineke’s in Maine and New Hampshire in 1994, remembers the bill […]
Franchisee Protections Exist Across the Maine Border in Canada
Five provinces in Canada have passed franchise disclosure and fair franchise relationship laws: Alberta, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island. British Columbia is also considering franchise disclosure and franchise relationship legislation. In the United States, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) requires the use of a Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) in all 50 states […]