The Conover, North Carolina Domino’s franchisee whose employees filmed themselves doing gross things to a customer’s food, then posted the video on YouTube, may get disenfranchised.
Get the backstory here:  Domino’s YouTube Employees Arrested
According to a WCNC report:

CONOVER, N.C. — The owner of a local Domino’s Pizza could lose his franchise because of fallout from a YouTube video that showed his employees doing disgusting things to customers’ food.
Domino’s Pizza corporate honchos are heading to Conover later this week to talk with the franchise owner about the now-famous video.
Domino’s officials say the intent of the meeting is to discuss whether …read more

If you want to find the straight scoop on franchising, you have to learn to recognize and be able to navigate the pervasive opinions of two groups:  The Cloud Merchants (CMs) and the Angry Franchise Ranters (AFRs).

The Cloud Merchants portray franchising as a magical paradise where happy franchisees frolic with a euphoria induced by being their own bosses, controlling their own futures, being in business for themselves but not by themselves, and a success rate so high only self-defeating morons who spit in the face of the Success Fairy will not succeed.
Conversely, the Angry Franchise Ranters portray franchising as a …read more

Quiznos has announced that CEO Dave Deno has resigned and the franchisor’s founder and largest shareholder, Rick Schaden, is taking over the reins again as the chief executive. 
Deno had joined Quiznos as president in 2007 and became CEO last September.  The company statement said he resigned “for personal reasons.”  Schaden had stepped down from day-to-day operations in 2007 after growing the chain from 18 franchisees in 1991 to more than 5,000 today.
In a released statement, Schaden said:

“I am excited about working closely with franchise owners to improve restaurant operations. I also look forward to spending time with the …read more

If ever there were a group in need of an economic bailout, it would be the hundreds of victims of the most blatant franchise scam in recent history:  Cuppy’s Coffee.  Just in case any government official or agency cares (why start now?), there are three distinct groups of victims struggling to recover from their own financial Katrinas:
Cuppy’s Coffee “Depositers”:  As many as 100 or more individuals paid upfront construction deposits ranging from $29,500 to more than $100,000 that were to be returned if they failed to find a location or secure financing for the project;  however, when they requested their …read more

A commenter named James claims he was taken to the cleaners by Service Brands, Int’l.  He recently closed his 1-800-DRYCLEAN franchise.  What do you think?
My name is James, I owned a 1-800-Dryclean franchise. 1-800-DryClean is a national franchise operation. The franchisor’s U.S. home office is in Ann Arbor, MI. 1-800-DryClean is part of Service Brands International whose brands include MOLLY MAID and Mr. Handyman. We deliver dry cleaning door-to-door. I feel that I have been wronged from Service Brands International, which has 600 Franchises under its name. I believe that they are selling territories that they know will not be …read more

Is Now The Perfect Time to Buy a Franchise?  Some think so… especially those who sell franchises.  In this Fox Business interview, Franchoice CEO Jeff Elgin discusses why he feels now is the perfect time to start your own franchise… and which segments of franchising are best in a down economy.
Franchising in 2009
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDbx4itBPcE
WHAT DO YOU THINK?  SHARE A COMMENT BELOW.
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Franchisees, customers & experts vote for their favorite new franchises at …read more

According to a story on Top New Franchises, Fairway Divorce Solutions has opened a new franchise…  Just in time for the bust January divorce season!
Established in 2006, Fairway Divorce Solutions offers a first-of-its-kind alternative to the traditional system of divorce by offering “a new divorce paradigm that saves money, time, stress and protects the children. Charging a flat fee, Fairway Divorce Solutions uses a common sense step-by-step proven approach called The Fairway Process™.”
The Canadian company is growing aggressively with franchises in Victoria, BC; Edmonton, AB; two in Calgary, AB; and one in Saskatoon, SK. Expansion plans into Eastern …read more

Whistleblower Dan Baxter didn’t get heat, but he did get fired.
According to a report by King 5’s Jesse Jones, the Pizza Time employee who contacted the press about the owners forcing employees to work without heat has been terminated. According to franchise owner and husband-of-the-boss Luke Benjamin, the firing was “amicable” (meaning that the Benjamins won’t contest Baxter’s unemployment compensation application).
While whistleblower stories make for great drama, don’t look for Russell Crowe to portray Dan Baxter any time soon. The employee, who was already suspended, not only initiated and starred in Jones’ initial story, he actively fanned the flames …read more

The story of the Lacey, WA Pizza Time franchise owner who supposedly made its employees work without heat has quickly become a case study in PR crisis management.  The pizza shop owners have been vilified by hundreds of angry comments online, and threatened with boycotts and picket lines.  Neither the franchisees nor the corporate office has issued a statement nor responded in any meaningful way.
The business guru bloggers of b5 Media’s Bizzia channel have been volunteering their tips and advice in comments and posts.  In the BrandCurve post Pizza Time, or Hypothermia Time?, Katherine Liew discusses three options the owners …read more

On the heels of Pizza Hut’s viral video effort, the 25-unit Pizza Time franchise chain has gone viral, too… much to their dismay.  The King 5 video of the Pizza Time owners who allegedly forced their employees to work in sub-freezing temperatures as a punishment is being delivered across the net.  Check it out:

The blogosphere weighs in:
Franchisee From Hell! Awards: Luke Benjamin, Pizza Time
Lacey, WA Pizza Time owners Luke & Gretchen Benjamin were immediately winners of our prestigious FFH! award, putting them in such distinguished company as Subway’s Cousin Vinny Agnello, Holiday Inn franchisee Charles Morais, and Quiznos’ sex offender …read more