FDD Item 11 Explained: What the Franchisor Must Actually Do (2026)

Item 11 is the part of a Franchise Disclosure Document that tells you what the franchisor is actually on the hook to do for you, before you open and while you operate. It is required by the FTC Franchise Rule at 16 CFR 436.5(k), and it is the reality check on the sales pitch, because the Rule requires it to begin with a specific admission: “Except as listed below, [the franchisor] is not required to provide you with any assistance.” Everything the franchisor is obligated to do is framed as an exception to that sentence.

That structure is the whole key to reading it. If a form of support is not listed in Item 11 with a cited franchise-agreement section behind it, treat it as not a legal obligation, no matter what a brochure, a website, or a discovery-day presentation said. This guide walks through what Item 11 has to disclose, how to read the advertising-fund and computer-system clauses, and where the marketed “we support you every step of the way” and the enforceable reality part ways. It is one stop in the larger walkthrough of how to read an FDD.

What does FDD Item 11 actually obligate the franchisor to do?

Item 11 is the disclosure of the franchisor’s duties to you, and its defining feature is that it starts from zero. Under 16 CFR 436.5(k), the item must open with the statement that, except as listed below, the franchisor is not required to provide you with any assistance. Everything after that opening is an exception, and for each obligation it lists, the franchisor must cite the section number of the franchise agreement that creates it.

That means the enforceable support is a closed list, not an open promise. The contract section behind each item is what governs, so the Item 11 summary is a map to the binding language rather than the binding language itself. Read the verbs carefully as you go, because a franchisor that “will” do something has committed to it, while one that “may” help, or will help “to the extent” it decides, or acts “in our sole discretion,” has left itself room to do less than the sales conversation implied.

Read those commitments alongside the brand standards you must follow and Item 9’s franchisee obligations, the other side of the relationship. Check Item 17 for renewal and termination provisions.

Ask current franchisees how the support and advertising commitments work in practice, using these questions to ask franchisees to guide the conversation. Item 20 lists current and former franchisees you can contact.

Pre-opening versus ongoing support

Item 11 splits the franchisor’s duties into two phases, and it is worth reading them separately. The pre-opening obligations, under 16 CFR 436.5(k)(1), can include help locating and approving a site, conforming the premises to local codes and getting permits, construction or remodeling, hiring and training your first employees, and providing equipment, signage, and opening inventory, whether directly, through approved suppliers, or by written specification. The item also discloses the typical time between signing or your first payment and opening, under 436.5(k)(2).

For a coffee shop lease proposal that must fit the brand’s site process, see this franchise site letter of intent guide.

The ongoing obligations, under 436.5(k)(3), cover assistance during operation: developing products or services, hiring and training staff, pricing, setting up bookkeeping and inventory procedures, and help resolving operating problems. The gap to watch is between the two phases. A system can offer strong pre-opening help and then disclose thin ongoing obligations, which matters because you operate far longer than you open. Line the two lists up and see which one the franchisor actually committed to.

How is the advertising fund controlled?

This is where Item 11 does work that Item 6 cannot. Item 6 discloses the advertising fee amount; Item 11 discloses how that fund is run. Under 16 CFR 436.5(k)(4), the franchisor must disclose who administers the fund, whether its own company-owned outlets contribute and on what basis, whether the fund is audited and statements are available to franchisees, and the percentages of the fund spent on production, media placement, and administration in the most recent year.

One disclosure inside that clause deserves special attention: under 436.5(k)(4)(vii), the franchisor must state the percentage of advertising funds, if any, used principally to solicit new franchise sales. That is money you contribute to marketing that goes toward recruiting more franchisees rather than driving customers to your outlet. None of this is a judgment about whether the fund is well spent; it is a set of facts to read, and to read alongside Item 6, so you see both the fee and where it goes.

The computer systems and the forced-upgrade clause

The computer and point-of-sale disclosure, under 16 CFR 436.5(k)(5), is short but consequential. It must describe any required systems in ordinary language, the purchase or lease cost, the annual maintenance and support cost, and, critically, any obligation you have to upgrade or update those systems during the term of the agreement.

Read the upgrade clause specifically. The Rule requires disclosure of any contractual limit on the frequency and cost of a forced upgrade, so the question to answer is whether such a cap exists or whether you can be required to buy new hardware and software on the franchisor’s schedule with no ceiling. The clause must also disclose whether the franchisor has independent access to the data your system generates. Both points are easy to skim past and expensive to discover after signing.

For equipment budgeting context, see the coffee-shop POS cost guide; the FDD and agreement specify the systems and upgrades required for your franchise.

Training hours and the operating manual

Item 11 closes with two disclosures that shape your first weeks and your daily operation. The training program, under 436.5(k)(7), must appear as a table listing each subject, the hours of classroom training, the hours of on-the-job training, and the location. The accompanying disclosure must identify who must attend and whether successful completion is required, as well as who pays trainees’ travel and living expenses.

In all five 2026 FDDs quoted here, you pay travel and living costs to attend training.

Brand	Who pays initial-training travel and living costs?	Short FDD quotation and basis
Smoothie King	You pay both.	Item 11: “You must pay all costs and expenses you and your employees incur in attending training programs.” Item 7 specifies “…transportation, lodging, and meals for yourself…”
PJ’s Coffee	You pay both.	Item 11: “…Franchisee must pay all personal expenses…” including “…transportation, lodging, meals…” Item 7’s travel-and-living note assigns these arrangements to the franchisee.
The Human Bean	You pay both.	Item 11: “You must pay for your transportation to, from and around Oregon, and your room and board during the training period.” Item 7 also assigns travel, local transport and lodgings to you.
Jamba	You pay both.	Item 11: “For all training programs, you must pay for all wages, travel and living expenses, including transportation costs, meals, and lodging for you and your trainees.” Item 7 also assigns trainees’ travel and living expenses to you.
Robeks	You pay both.	Item 6: “You must also pay all travel and living expenses while attending any training program.” Item 7 budgets “Travel for Training” and notes that “Franchisees who reside in the region of our principal business address will not incur significant travel cost to attend training.”

The FTC’s May 2008 Franchise Rule Compliance Guide explains that information including “…who pays for any travel and living expenses…” “…may be disclosed after the table.” Its Item 7 guidance says “franchisors must itemize and identify any other specific required payments such as additional training, travel, and advertising expenses that franchisees will incur to begin operations.” Reconcile the training disclosure with Item 7’s initial-investment budget, rather than assuming a tuition-free program includes the trip.

The operating manual disclosure, under 436.5(k)(6), gives the manual’s table of contents, the number of pages devoted to each subject, and the total page count as of the stated date. The franchisor may omit this disclosure if it offers you the opportunity to view the manual before buying. If you want to understand what a franchise operations manual typically covers before you see the franchisor’s, see our guide to operations-manual books.

The July 2024 FTC staff guidance states: “if a franchisor imposes or collects a new fee, through its operating manual or otherwise, that was not disclosed in the FDD and included in the franchise agreement, the franchisor may be engaging in an unfair act or practice in violation of Section 5 of the FTC Act.” The document “represents the views of FTC staff and is not binding on the Commission.” Ask your attorney how the agreement permits manual changes and how any new fee would be treated.

How long does training actually take?

These are the sums of the classroom and on-the-job columns printed in the five 2026 FDDs’ Item 11 training tables. They cover the rows shown, including opening support and additional training where listed; they are not a promise that every attendee completes every row. Ranges remain ranges, and the typical-week table is labeled separately.

Brand	Classroom hours (total)	On-the-job hours (total)	Location(s)	FDD issued
Smoothie King	74-102	100-240	Corporate office in Coppell, Texas; a unit in Dallas, Texas; another designated location or virtual; your unit for field training	April 8, 2026
PJ’s Coffee	50-80	50-120	Mandeville, Louisiana; your PJ’s unit; your state or Mandeville for additional training	April 10, 2026
The Human Bean	11 per typical week; full-program classroom total not stated	29 per typical week; full-program on-the-job total not stated	Medford or Portland, Oregon training facility	February 25, 2026; amended May 5, 2026
Jamba	Non-co-branded: 24 from row sums (printed total: 25); co-branded: 25	Non-co-branded: 60; co-branded: 80	Classroom: online modules; on-the-job: designated Certified Training Locations	March 27, 2026
Robeks	16	124	Designated Certified Training Center, Robeks Support Center and your store; the training narrative identifies Los Angeles, California	April 17, 2026

Smoothie King’s totals include orientation, management and field training. PJ’s totals include the additional-training row; initial and on-site training alone sum to 40-60 classroom and 40-100 on-the-job hours. The Human Bean describes a 120-hour program over about three weeks, but labels its table a typical week, so the weekly split is not multiplied into an undisclosed full-program split.

Jamba’s non-co-branded classroom entries add to 24 even though its total row prints 25; confirm that discrepancy with the franchisor. Its co-branded rows add to the printed 25 classroom and 80 on-the-job hours. Robeks’ totals combine initial operations (7 classroom, 73 on-the-job), opening support (no classroom hours entered, 40 on-the-job), and additional training (9 classroom, 11 on-the-job). Blank cells add no hours; Robeks’ follow-up row says “…as needed” but still assigns 4 on-the-job hours.

Sources: each brand’s 2026 FDD, Item 11 training tables, with Item 7 and Item 11 used for the travel comparison above. The linked PDF filenames contain 2025; the issuance dates inside the documents identify these editions as 2026.

For general planning on scheduling staff training around an opening, see the coffee shop opening timeline; it is not a franchisor’s training disclosure. The franchise grand-opening guide covers launch requirements and costs.

Questions to ask your franchise attorney about Item 11

Item 11 is a place to build questions for a professional, not to decide on your own what the support is worth.

• Does the advertising-fund provision give the franchisor sole discretion over spending, is the fund independently audited, and do franchisees have any binding say?
• Do the company-owned outlets contribute to the advertising fund on the same basis as franchisees, and what does it mean for you if they do not?
• Can you be forced to upgrade the computer or POS systems during the term, and is there any contractual cap on how often or how much that can cost?
• Which listed obligations use firm language (“will”) versus discretionary language (“may,” “to the extent,” “in our sole discretion”), and what does the cited agreement section actually require?
• Can the operating manual be amended after you sign to add requirements or fees, in light of the FTC’s July 2024 staff guidance on undisclosed fees?

Check Item 11 against what franchisees actually got

Our free validation-call script has the support questions to ask current owners: training quality, field visits, and what the ad fund delivers. Plus the due-diligence kit.

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The disclosure has 23 items. Item 23’s receipts belong at the end of the document; attached exhibits do not create Items 24, 25 or 26.