How long does it take to open a Clean Juice franchise?
The 2026 Clean Juice FDD says a Store usually opens in this range after the Franchise Agreement is signed or consideration is paid. It is not a guaranteed completion date. Written opening permission still depends on an approved site and lease, completed buildout, required training, insurance certificates, payment and system readiness.
Legal franchisor: CJ Fresh Holdings FC, LLC
FDD: 2026 edition, issued April 8, 2026
Formats: Traditional Store, Non-Traditional Store and multi-unit development
Timeline mode: official typical range, not a contractual promise
Evidence used: Items 1, 5–12, 15–17 and 20; both agreements
Checked: July 14, 2026
Sources: Clean Juice 2026 FDD, cover and Items 1, 8, 11 and 12; Franchise Agreement §§3.2 and 3.5. The FTC Franchise Rule and its compliance guide confirm that the 14-day period uses calendar days and begins after delivery.
What must an applicant qualify for before Clean Juice awards a franchise?
Clean Juice controls approval; completing the form or proving funds does not guarantee an award. The inquiry asks for the desired market, liquid-capital range, net-worth range and interest in the brand. The 2026 FDD publishes no universal minimum net worth, liquid-capital threshold, credit score or restaurant-experience requirement.
The official Steps to Ownership page also lists an application, supporting documents, residency and citizenship proof, background-check consent and proof of funding after approval. Confirm these sales-process requests; the executed agreements govern.
- Market fit: identify a desired city, ZIP code and state, then confirm that Clean Juice is offering there.
- Financial disclosure: be prepared to document liquidity, net worth and funding capacity without assuming a form range is an approval minimum.
- Ownership structure: disclose every direct and indirect owner; beneficial owners and entity chains must execute the required guaranty.
- Operating leadership: designate a Managing Owner who can satisfy the ownership, training and full-time management rules.
- Accuracy: verify every application statement; a material misrepresentation can support termination without a cure period.
- Format commitment: choose Traditional, Non-Traditional or a Store Development Agreement before documents and site criteria are finalized.
Sources: official Clean Juice franchise inquiry; Clean Juice 2026 FDD, Items 1 and 15; Franchise Agreement §§12.4.8, 13.2 and Attachment D-1.
What are the actual steps from inquiry to written opening permission?
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Submit the inquiry and application
Action: provide market, financial-range and candidate information.
Actor: applicant; Clean Juice screens and investigates.
Blocker: incomplete documents, background consent or funding evidence.
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Receive and review the FDD
Action: review the FDD, agreements, addenda and receipt.
Timing: at least 14 calendar days before a binding franchise agreement or payment to the franchisor or affiliate.
Next: resolve document and format questions before signing.
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Obtain approval and sign the governing agreement
Action: sign the Franchise Agreement or multi-unit Store Development Agreement.
Actor: approved applicant, owners and guarantors.
Trigger: the applicable signing fee becomes due and is fully earned.
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Define the search area and find a site
Action: work inside the Site Selection Area and acquire an acceptable location by the contract-specific Control Date.
Actor: franchisee, designated tenant representative and landlord.
Blocker: no acceptable site by the Control Date can lead to termination.
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Submit the Franchise Site Application
Action: submit demographics, traffic, parking, competition, neighboring uses, economics, size, appearance and a site plan.
Timing: approval or rejection within 30 days after all requested information arrives.
Blocker: silence is not approval.
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Obtain lease approval and site control
Action: do not sign before lease review; include the Lease Addendum and Collateral Assignment.
Timing: deliver the executed lease within 10 days; the $5,000 New Store Marketing Plan Fee is due at lease signing or the earlier Control Date; unspent funds are refundable if the Store does not open.
Blocker: landlord refusal of required terms can disqualify the site.
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Design, permit, build and equip the Store
Action: use approved plans, signage, equipment, POS and suppliers; declining the recommended architect triggers a $3,000 design-review fee.
Actor: franchisee, architect, contractor, suppliers and authorities.
Blocker: zoning, permits, utilities, deliveries and construction.
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Complete training and pre-opening readiness
Action: complete owner training; staff the Store; install systems; secure licenses, insurance and inventory.
Timing: training is generally provided no later than three weeks before opening.
Blocker: incomplete training or missing certificates prevents permission.
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Receive written permission and open
Action: satisfy the contract conditions and obtain written permission.
Timing: open by the mutually agreed Opening Date, no later than 180 days after taking possession.
Consequence: missing the Opening Date can permit termination without cure.
The official web page says nine months and displays older investment figures. Use the April 2026 FDD’s 8–12 month typical range and the Franchise Agreement’s possession-based Opening Date; obtain the completed Control Date and Opening Date in writing.
Which disclosed time periods can affect the critical path?
Separate day-based timing markers
These periods have different triggers and must not be added into one opening estimate.
Interpretation: site, supplier and possession clocks start at different events. The 180-day limit does not promise that permits, construction and training will fit.
Sources: FTC Franchise Rule Compliance Guide; Clean Juice 2026 FDD, Item 8 p.18 and Item 11 p.31; Franchise Agreement §§3.2 and 3.5.1.
Site approval is a chain of separate decisions
Site approval alone does not make a location opening-ready.
Sources: Clean Juice 2026 FDD, Items 11 and 12; Franchise Agreement Article 3. See the official pages on available markets and store design for supplemental marketing context.
Who must train, manage the Store and prove opening readiness?
Managing Owner
The Store must be supervised on-premises by a Managing Owner. For an entity franchisee, that person must own at least 10%, complete initial training to Clean Juice’s satisfaction and devote full-time efforts to management unless a qualified Key Person is appointed.
Key Person
A multi-store operator, or a Managing Owner who will not work full time, must appoint an approved Key Person. The Key Person need not own equity but must complete training and devote full-time efforts. A replacement must be designated within 30 days.
The program is approximately eight days: five in-store days totaling 42 hours and three virtual leadership days totaling 21 hours. Day 5 includes an assessment; leadership training ends with a final exam. Up to two first-Store attendees have no tuition charge, but the franchisee pays travel, lodging, meals, wages and related costs.
Written opening permission also requires completed pre-opening obligations, approved POS and online ordering, equipment and supplies, inventory, licenses, insurance certificates, the compliant lease, ACH authorization and trained staff. Clean Juice supplies standards and approved-source information; it does not directly install equipment or hire the workforce.
Item 11 says Clean Juice will make one person available for five days of first-Store opening assistance. Franchise Agreement §5.2.1 says three days. Opening assistance is also distinct from written opening permission. Ask for a written explanation of which duration will appear in the executed agreement and what days cover pre-opening, soft opening and post-opening support.
Sources: Clean Juice 2026 FDD, Items 8, 11 and 15; Franchise Agreement §§3.5.3, 5.1, 5.2 and 6.2. The official Training & Support page describes curriculum and location support but does not replace the contract.
How do Traditional, Non-Traditional and multi-unit openings differ?
| Path | Verified location profile | Agreement structure | Opening-process difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Traditional Store | Typically 600–1,000 square feet on a major thoroughfare, strip center or urban storefront. | One Franchise Agreement per Store. | Full site, lease, design, buildout, training and permission sequence. |
| Non-Traditional Store | Typically 350–550 square feet; may include a food court, kiosk, food truck, shipping container, campus or medical setting. | One Franchise Agreement per Store. | Layout may limit menu and seating; mall locations receive no Protected Area. |
| Multi-unit developer | A Development Area with contract-specific milestones; Closed Markets are excluded. | Store Development Agreement plus a separate, then-current Franchise Agreement for each Store. | Every unit still needs its own site, lease, buildout, Opening Date and written permission. |
A Protected Area is designated after the location is identified and is not exclusive. A Store Development Area is separate and does not determine each unit’s Protected Area. Later units use the then-current FDD and Franchise Agreement, which may contain materially different terms.
The 2026 cover and Item 5 say the standard development program requires at least two Stores, while Item 1 says a minimum of three. The Store Development Agreement leaves the number and schedule as blanks to be completed. Do not assume either number: verify the exact commitment, Development Area, Execution Dates and Store Opening Dates before signing.
The Franchise Agreement Execution Date may be no later than 12 months before the projected opening, and documents must be requested no later than 13 months before a Development Period expires. Missing the schedule can support termination without cure or reduced rights; extensions require written approval.
Sources: Clean Juice 2026 FDD, Items 1, 5 and 12; Store Development Agreement §§4, 5 and 9 and Attachment B.
Which dates can block, delay or terminate the opening process?
| Trigger | Period or date | Responsible actor | Process consequence |
|---|---|---|---|
| FDD delivery | 14 calendar days before signing or covered payment | Franchisor and applicant | Signing/payment must wait; this is not the total opening period. |
| Franchise Agreement | Control Date is filled in contract | Franchisee | Acceptable site and lease must be secured; no universal period is disclosed. |
| Complete site package | 30 days | Clean Juice | Approve or reject; incomplete information delays the clock. |
| Lease execution | Copy due within 10 days | Franchisee | Required lease evidence remains outstanding until delivered. |
| First insurance requirement | Certificate due at least 10 days before coverage is first required | Franchisee and insurer | Missing certificates block opening permission. |
| Site possession | Opening Date no later than 180 days later | Both parties set date; franchisee delivers Store | Failure to open by the date may support termination without cure. |
The largest unresolved input is the Control Date, which is completed in the Franchise Agreement rather than disclosed systemwide. Local zoning, health, building, fire, signage and food-service approvals vary; the franchisee bears compliance, and no government approval or construction date is promised.
Sources: Clean Juice 2026 FDD, Items 1, 11 and 17; Franchise Agreement §§3.1–3.5, 11.2.7 and 13.2.
What should a prospective franchisee verify before signing and before opening?
Confirm the offered format, legal entity, applicant approval, state availability, 14-day receipt date, guarantors, financial evidence, fee triggers and every blank in the Franchise Agreement or Store Development Agreement.
Obtain the site criteria, complete site-package list, Control Date, proposed Protected Area, lease addendum, landlord acceptance, permitting assessment, utilities review, contractor schedule and contingency for rejection.
Reconcile the three-versus-five-day assistance language; confirm training attendees, exams, ACH, lease copy, insurance wording, licenses, inspections, systems, suppliers, inventory, staffing and all outstanding amounts.
Item 20 reports 55 franchised outlets at year-end 2025, five signed-but-unopened outlets and one 2025 opening. Ask Exhibit F contacts how long site approval, lease, permitting, construction, training and authorization took, and whether any Control Date or Opening Date extension was written.
Sources: Clean Juice 2026 FDD, Item 20 and Exhibit F. The official franchise site’s support overview is useful for framing questions, while the current agreements control enforceable duties.
What is the verified Clean Juice opening path?
The verified path is inquiry and qualification, delivery and review of the 2026 FDD, approval and agreement signing, site and lease approval, design and buildout, training and pre-opening readiness, then written opening permission. The FDD’s total is an official typical range of 8–12 months, not a guarantee. The main applicant-controlled dependency is securing an approvable site and lease by the Control Date. The key franchisor and third-party dependencies are the completed-site review, landlord terms, permits, construction and supplier delivery. Before signing, resolve the exact Control Date, assistance duration and any multi-unit minimum or schedule inconsistency.