The agreement requires mandatory arbitration. Ask: have you ever had a dispute with the franchisor — how was it handled? Did you feel you had recourse?

Franchisees who've been through disputes. Understand if the arbitration process felt fair or heavily stacked toward the franchisor.

The agreement includes a 2-year, 15-mile post-termination non-compete. Ask franchisees: did you fully understand this when you signed — and do you feel it's fair?

Whether franchisees feel trapped. High non-compete terms reduce exit flexibility.

How responsive is your franchisor rep — do they actually help when you have a problem, or are they just checking boxes?

Specific stories (not just vague positives). Ask about a time they needed help urgently — response time matters.

The FDD does not include audited financial statements. Ask: do you have any visibility into the franchisor's financial health? Have you ever been concerned about the company's stability?

Even anecdotal signals — changes in leadership, delays in royalty statement processing, reduced marketing fund activity.

If you decided to sell your franchise tomorrow, how easy would that be? Has the franchisor ever blocked or delayed a transfer you wanted?

Transfer fee surprises, right-of-first-refusal complications, or franchisor demanding upgrades before approving a sale.

Item 2 shows recent leadership changes. Ask current franchisees: has the change in leadership affected support quality, speed of decisions, or the culture of the system?

Whether the new leadership has franchise operations experience. Disruption in field support after leadership transitions is common.