Hardee’s continues the fast food advertising SexFest with it’s Hardee’s Sexy French Maid video on YouTube.
The fast food feeders seem intent on seeing who can create the most controversy and offend the most sensibilities.
Is negative buzz better than no buzz at all?
Other entrants include:
Quiznos Sex Video Quiznos and Playboy teamed up to create an online video featuring Kari Nautique, Playboy Playmate Hiromi Oshima and the Quiznos Torpedo Sub to, supposedly, “show you what a HOT sandwich tastes like.”
HARDEE’S: A-Holes vs B-Holes Commercial Part of  the anal-themed Hardee’s promotional launch of their biscuit holes product.  This is one advertising concept …read more

Quiznos Chief Marketing Officer, Rebecca Steinfort, has been busy doing damage control on the ill-conceived promotion FranchisePick.com has dubbed The Quiznos Million Snub Giveaway.
UnhappyFranchisee.com has posted quotes from Steinfort explaining how it came about that Quiznos gave away coupons for 1,000,000 free subs only to have franchisees refuse to honor them.  The post on UF (Quiznos Exec Explains Sub Giveaway Debacle. What Do Franchisees Say?) invites comments on the official explanation, as well as questions readers would like to ask Steinfort.
Here is the Quiznos explanation, with quotes from an interview on WalletPop.
#1  The Million Sub Giveaway was a sound initiative …read more

Quiznos continues to enrage customers, potential customers and franchise owners through its incomprehensible strategy of giving out a million free sub coupons that many of its franchisees refuse to honor.
(Read about the reasons for the Quiznos franchisees well-founded objections, and how they’ve been forced into “snubbing” an alienating customers,  at  Why Your Quiznos Won’t Give You a Free Sub).
FranchisePick.com reader Carol shares the fiery message she fired off to the Quiznos corporate office:
My husband and I took our little boy in to redeem our Free Sub from the
coupon issued to me in your Million Sub promo. The man at the …read more

Why oh why would Quiznos announce a million sub giveaway, and then issue free sub coupons that your local franchisee won’t honor?
Because Quiznos’ amazing talent for shooting itself in the foot is surpassed only by the speed with which it reloads.
To put it simply, Quiznos corporate decided to give away 1,000,000 subs that weren’t theirs to give away.  Quiznos not only expected its franchisees to foot the bill for the millions in food giveaways, Quiznos corporate would actually make money selling them the ingredients.
Ex-Quiznos franchisee Rich Piotrowski explains:
The reason so many Franchisees are not honoring this coupon is that the …read more

According to a Wall Street Journal article by Richard Gibson, the number of SBA-backed loan defaults by franchisees increased 52% in the fiscal year ended Sept. 30, 2008, from fiscal 2007. Loan losses totaled $93.3 million, a 167% jump from $35 million just 12 months earlier.
Quiznos Sub had the highest number of loan defaults, with 108 franchisee failures.  Cold Stone Creamery franchises racked up 75 defaults, followed by the Subway franchise with 42 defaults and Curves for Women with 24.
By percentage of defaults to total loans, meal prep kitchen Dream Dinners had the highest, with 18% of franchisees having …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

Lesson 1: Think twice before you cross the people who have the long suction cup pole and spare letters to your motel marquis.
The sign at the right was allegedly created by the unhappy and unpaid employees of the DuBois, PA Clarion Inn shortly before they walked off the job and caused franchisee Kronos Hotels to lock the doors.
Tip of the hat to the Kronos Hotels protest site for the story and permission to post the picture.
Lesson 2:  Think twice before you cross franchise owners with access to paper, tape and a Sharpie.
The photo below shows a sign in a closed …read more

When the ball dropped and America yelled Happy New Year! last night, Quiznos franchisees Ellen Blickman and Rich Piotrowski were giddy on more than champagne. They had just received, hours earlier, the judge’s ruling that ended their two year battle with franchisor Quiznos Franchising II, LLC. They had just read District Court Judge Morris B. Hoffman’s 36-page ruling that, effectively, gave them their lives back.
If you have not followed previous Quiznos vs. Quiznos franchisee stories, the husband-and-wife’s story of legal persecution at the hands of the corporate giant might sound both preposterous and exaggerated. How could (and why would?)  a …read more

(FranchisePick.Com)  From:  QUIZNOS: Saratoga Franchisees Call it Quits
Thank you to our valued customers, but due to economic hardships beyond our control we are now closed.
The sign was taped to the door Friday after the Saratoga Springs, NY Quiznos served the last customer of its 2 1/2 year run.  The four partners in the franchise venture (Dan Warren and Rob Tecler of Saratoga Springs, Mike Beshara of South Glens Falls and Neil Rinehimer of Jupiter, FL) also abandoned plans to open a Wilton, NY Quiznos to which they also own the franchise rights.
Reasons for their Quiznos franchise failure?  Dan Warren says …read more

(FranchisePick.Com)  According to the Toasted Subs Franchisee Association, Inc. (”TSFA”), an independent Quiznos franchisee organization comprised of hundreds of franchisees from across the United States, there are many class action lawsuits pending around the United States against Quiznos Sub that challenges the company’s business practices as deceptive and unfair.
Siemer, et al. v. The Quizno’s Franchise Company LLC, et al. (Case No. 07-C-2170); United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Brunet, et al. v. The Quizno’s Franchise Company LLC, et al. (Case No. 07-CV-01717);  United States District Court for the District of Colorado
Bonanno, et al. v. The Quizno’s …read more