Doc Popcorn franchise complaints include food costs reportedly over 30%, high mall rents and failed stores.
The initial complaints were voiced by Steve, who commented on a QSR story/press release on Doc Popcorn, stating “Don’t look into this franchise. SEVERAL stores have shut down in the past 12 months. Food costs are over 30%. Mall rents are ridiculously high. before you look into this franchise, contact current franchisees. They’ll tell you the truth.”
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Why Doc Popcorn set off our BS detector
Doc Popcorn might be a legit opportunity (we don’t know, yet), but the UnhappyFranchisee.Com BS detector started flashing when we read their classic franchise growth exaggeration/sleight of hand in the QSR piece:
In April 2013 alone, Doc Popcorn awarded four multiunit franchise agreements, which, when fully developed, will represent a total of 20 additional locations in Pennsylvania, Washington D.C., Oklahoma, and Southern California.
Since launching the franchise in 2009, Doc Popcorn has opened 80 locations in 25 states and has an additional 300 units in development…
Actually, Doc Popcorn does not have an additional 300 units in development.
They have simply sold the option for franchisees to open an additional 300 units. The intentional misrepresentation of their growth statistics is, in our opinion, a red flag.
Here’s how their FDD reads:
We offer three separate franchises depending on the number of Doc Popcorn Businesses you wish to purchase. You must choose which type of franchise that you wish to operate at the time you sign your franchise agreement. A Single Unit Franchise enables you to own and operate one Doc Popcorn Business. A Standard Franchise enables you to own and operate up to three Doc Popcorn Businesses. An Empire Builder Franchise enables you to own and operate up to five Doc Businesses. If you purchase a Standard Franchise or Empire Builder Franchise, you will enter our standard Franchise Agreement and Attachment I to the Franchise Agreement will indicate which type of franchise you purchased.
We reported on this ploy in regard to Beautiful Brands, whose QSR and Fast Casual stories stated that the company had thousands of units in development when, in actuality, it’s main franchise only opened 100 locations and most of those failed.
Hopefully Doc Popcorn will reign in whoever is putting the hype into its PR before its misleading franchise claims backfire, as they did for Beautiful Brands.
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TAGS: Doc Popcorn, Doc Popcorn franchise, popcorn franchise, Robert Israel, Renee Israel, Franchise Sherpa, Michael Haith, Raintree, franchise complaint, franchise failure
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